“Anti-Karen attitudes have become so widespread that many people with this name have found themselves the repeated target of verbal, emotional and physical abuse. The damage caused by such name-based prejudice is not to be underestimated. Whether Mohammed, Ignatz, Fatih or Luigi, SungYee, Karen, Keesha or Ravi, using personal names to pass judgement about another person’s character is as discriminatory as using their ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender, or nationality.”

  - Dr. I.M. Nick, The American Name Society, 2022

Due to the misuse and exploitation of the name Karen:

• Harassment: Karens of all ages are suffering harassment, ridicule, mockery, bullying, and threats of violence.

• Name Bombardment: People with the name Karen are constantly bombarded with seeing and hearing their birth name in a negative context, including in media consumed at home.

• Stereotyping and Dehumanization: People named Karen are presumed to conform to an image, be homogenous, possess negative qualities, and deserve uncivil treatment because of their name.

• Silencing: People named Karen are frequently told that their opinions are invalid or unwanted due to their names.

• Negative Attention: Karens are singled out for unwanted attention in homes, work, parties, meetings, public spaces, schools and routine interactions because of their name.

• Fear from Children: Children are displaying fear and aversion to relatives teachers and medical professionals named Karen - making school, healthcare and home life more stressful for children as well as adults. 

• Distress to Family Members: Parents, spouses and children have been shamed about relatives named Karen.Some children report being bullied or fearful about their parent's name. 

• Social Exclusion and Isolation: Karens are specifically barred from online and offline spaces by name. Many Karens have been forced to shrink their social circles and activities to avoid name bombardment and negative attention. 

• Disappearance of Non-Stereotypical Representations of Karen: The media, literature, music, and drama are creating a permanent legacy of Karen as a caricature rather than a real person. 

• Loss of Name: People of all ages feel forced to changing the name they go by, some even legally, with all of the anguish and loss of family history that accompanies that change.

• Professional/Career Damage: Karens are losing jobs, careers, income, advancement opportunities, and professional reputations due to stereotyping, exclusion, harassment, and degradation of personal brand.

• Compromised Healthcare: People named Karen report harassment, ridicule, and harmful treatment in healthcare settings.

• Psychological Harm: The mental health of many people named Karen is suffering. Many suffer depression and PTSD triggering and several have attempted suicide because of Karen name-shaming.

The abuse of personal names is destructive to people with those names...

And to a civil society.