When cameras attack

               Hello, lovelies.

       We’ve all seen the ‘Karen’ videos on YouTube. I’ve spent many an evening watching badly filmed videos of strangers shouting at each other, each holding their phones out in front of them, like a medieval knight brandishing a shield. There’s always shouting, swearing and a huge spectacle for the onlookers. But what is the cost of these crazy ‘Karen’ or ‘Chad’ videos? Are they only there to show the world the injustices of the world, now that we have the ways and means to record them? Or is the video phone now used, with precise accuracy, in a way to intimidate and provoke a confrontation that might not have been there in the first place?

            I first became aware of the infamous ‘Karen’ videos on YouTube and I can honestly say that I was outraged and shocked by some of the entitled women, and now men, as they screamed and yelled at anyone and everyone in their paths. But I was also memorized.  Racist, sexist and abusive behaviors were captured and shared with a worldwide audience. Surely, what we were seeing couldn’t be real? The things that people said to each other, and normally to a complete stranger, was disgusting. The racism that was spouted. The anger. The hatred. And all being caught on camera. And all done with the knowledge that the words and actions they were using were meant to inflict hurt and pain on the other person. And nine times out of ten, the outbursts were all over nothing. A made-up slight that the entitled person had fabricated in order to attack others. How have we as a society come to this? But how bad is it to be caught up in the middle of one of these videos?

            Now, across the world, there is a consensus to name and shame all those involved in the ‘Karen and Chad’ attacks. And I truly believe that this is the best thing that could happen. Now, hear me out when I say that. I’m not saying that we should share their private information online and that there should be a vigilante mentality to settle the score. Absolutely not.  But if there is clearly an unprovoked attack that uses racism, sexism, Trans and homophobia, xenophobia, religious bigotry, disability discrimination. In fact, any form of discrimination should always be called out and the person should have to own up to their actions and held accountable.   

            I can only imagine the pain that would follow after one of these ‘Karen’ attacks. I have never been the target of one, but by being a white middle-aged woman, I doubt that I would ever be. But I know how I have felt after watching them. You see the victims laughing and shrugging it off. But an experience like that would probably take a long time for me to get over. As I’m sure it is for them. And no matter how far the video is shared, the experience of the attack would be haunting.

            What happens if you’re caught up in the middle of one of these moments? Last night, as I was driving home, I decided to pop into my local supermarket to pick up a few secret Christmas presents for my children. It was quite late, but the shop was still bustling with shoppers. Grabbing what I needed, I paid and was about to leave when I heard shouting. Living in London, shouting doesn’t really bother me, as there’s always someone somewhere shouting about something. But this was different. This was angry shouting. And this was happening right in front of me. And then, somehow, it was happening around me. I had chosen that precise moment to walk straight into a ‘Chad’ attack. Everyone had their phones out, pointing them at the two angry men. And we all stood there. I musty have looked like a deer in the headlights as these two men yelled at each other. No one intervened. No one tried to stop it. No one did anything.  And then it died down as if nothing had happened. All the phones went back into their owner’s pockets, and they carried on with what they were doing. All except me. I stood rooted to the spot. Unknowingly I had walked right into the middle of it. And although I hadn’t been part of it, I still felt the adrenaline that it might kick off at any moment again.  The best bit was that both men had parked on either side of my car. I didn’t know whether to wait for them to drive off, or head back to my car and try to get away.  

            I have no idea what the attack had been about. But I know that it had an effect on me, and the other shoppers.

            The Karen and Chad videos are not going to go away. And nor do I think they should. But I think we should all take that moment to think about a situation before we go screaming into it. If either of those two men had thought about it, I doubt that they would have wanted it to happen. But instead of taking a breath and breathing the anger out, they attacked each other using some of the worst language I’ve ever heard, and I have teenage children!

            We are all under huge amounts of strain albeit financial, emotional, and mental. 2020 has been an unimaginable year, and with Christmas just around the corner and many of us losing our jobs, patience wears thin and tempers flare. But we must try to hold on for a little while longer. Life is going to get better. We are going to get through this. But we’re only going to get through this by not being a ‘Karen’ or ‘Chad’. By taking a good long look at ourselves and asking the questions as to why we feel the way we do. Asking why is there that hatred and anger inside us? What benefit does that racism hold in our lives? And only then can we stop.