Privilettas Explained: The Evolution and End of Karens
Normalizing racist white women is not funny
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When I wrote the piece, changing the name Karen to Priviletta it was originally satirical, but it’s no laughing matter. I have friends name Karen and felt that the name distracted from the highly problematic pattern of behavior that a lot of predominately white women display when harassing Black and brown men, women and children or anyone who tells them no or ignores them.
The origins and evolution of the word Karen is debatable, but what’s not deniable is its comedic roots. Dane Cook described Karen as “the friend nobody likes and a bag of d**che”. However, Jay Pharoah’s Karens are the rude, intrusive and dangerous white women that we see on the viral videos. (See Jay’s 2020 People TV interview with Lola Ogunnaike.)
I think Jay should get credit for naming this troublesome trend. However, there is a growing number of people and press that strongly urge us to stop calling these women Karen because it diminishes the intentional toxic abuse of power and white privilege. It takes the trauma they inflict and makes it easy to dismiss with a cute name — in exchange for the real pain, hurt and harm they cause.
From K to P
I think these women should be called Privilettas. The word Priviletta is a play on the word privilege which comes from the Latin word:
“privilegium, law applying to one person, bill of law in favor of or against an individual;” in the post-Augustine period “an ordinance in favor of an individual” (typically the exemption of one individual from the operation of a law)”
Privilettas are mostly white women. However, they can be any women of color that assimilates and associates whiteness as a superior race and weaponize their power and privilege or demonstrate implicit or explicit bias. Examples:
Miya Ponsetto, according to CNN.com “is accused of attacking 14-year old Keyon Harrold Jr., who was with his father, a famed musician, in the Arlo Hotel in December, when she says she thought he had her cell phone. He did not, investigators say.”
“Christine Davitt, who was part of the staff revolt in opposition to Alexi McCammond as Teen Vogue’s EIC. Alexi posted insensitive Tweets about Asians (she’d apologized years prior). However, Davitt conveniently forgot how she loved using the N-word when she was around the same age as Alexi.”
Amy Cooper’s fake fear theatrics and false police report was classic Priviletta. She threatened and actually called the police, lied and screamed saying, “an African American man threatened her and her dog”. The man politely asked her to leash her dog (as the park signed instructed).
Privilettas have been around for hundreds of years, and they have caused everything from lynching’s to countless Black and brown men, women and children falsely accused of crimes without provocation. They have just become emboldened over the years along with their racist brethren (January 6th).
Pioneer Privilettas
Technology has brought them to light, but Privilettas have been working hard for centuries. They have been abusing their power and privilege since they landed in America making sure NO other women dare encroach on their place in society — with their men.
After the Civil War, Time magazine says,
“The effort to reeducate the South, indeed the entire nation, by recasting the Civil War as the “Lost Cause” was promoted by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), as James M. McPherson describes in an essay in The Memory Of The Civil War in American Culture. Soon after the group organized in 1895, it created children’s auxiliaries called Children of the Confederacy with the purpose of “telling the Truth to children” — in other words, making sure that children were presented with a version of the still-recent war that placed it within the context of southern romanticism.”
Privilettas and their kin are responsible for the erasure of Black women from every movement from women’s suffrage to the feminist movement of the 60’s and 70's
Modern Priviletta
Based on viral videos, Privilettas seem to love parks and playgrounds. That’s where Privilettas seem to always spot a person of color and catch them in the vile, horrible act of existing — walking, playing with their children or the worse crime laughing or having fun with friends and family, and THEY MUST STOP IT AT ALL COST BECAUSE IT’S THEIR CIVIC DUTY…
How have Privilettas been allowed to thrive? It’s simple — white women have and continue to be untouchables. Thanks to systemic racism, toxic masculinity and internalized bias men have been trained to fear and either be silent or defend Privilettas no matter how wrong, shameful or dangerous their behavior.
I’ve watched their spouses, partners and even police helplessly shake their head when these women attack as if they’re powerless.
These women are dangerous and while we’ve all laughed at them and their antics, the victims don’t think it’s funny and they’re left with long term trauma. We need to stop making excuses and justifying this bizarre behavior. No other subgroup of people is allowed to act this way.
Several people are calling for the K-trope to end in an effort to stop normalizing Priviletta’s racist actions. We are all responsible for stopping this trend.
Solutions
Stop enabling this biased and bad behavior — we wouldn’t allow children to act this way. Why are we allowing grown women to hurt, harm and harass people without consequences?
At work — have real conversations about this problematic and toxic behavior and take complaints serious like sexual harassment.
In public, harassment and filing false police reports are crimes and it should be enforced. Stop forcing victims to be further traumatized ESPECIALLY when incidents are on video. Press charges and prosecute. At the very least, they should be fined and repeat offenders should be arrested — they are a menace to society.
Just say, no and stop engaging with them.
Allies check your people. When you see something — say something. If they aren’t dangerous, you need to step in and try to deescalate or call the police, stay and be a witness.
We are all responsible for making this world a better place. We have all played a part in the prevalence of Priviletta related incidents, but we can stop them one incident at a time.
I’m seeing more videos of people stepping in — we need more women to be brave. Thank you to those who have stepped up —
Related Pieces
A special thank you to the journalist who’ve written about this topic and why it isn’t laughable or should be taken lightly:
Ernest Owens for the Daily Beast and Stephanie Bedo at News.com
