The natural habitat of the Karen is the American suburb made majority-white because of racist urban planning practices towards the end of the twentieth century, where they live in close-knit family units and have more money than taste. Karens (stereotypically) drive in large cars and patronize local businesses (in both senses of the verb “patronize”). Over the past few years, the Karens have come under increasing scrutiny and been rigorously studied across the internet.

The typical Karen’s behavior towards customer service workers in particular has been widely criticized. Brave researchers on the ground among the Karens post screenshots of text conversations, photos of encounters, and stories of personal experiences with Karens.