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Beware the Pattys, Not the Karens
From Casey Chalk’s piece at CRISIS Magazine, We Are All Karens Now:
The French philosopher Simone Weil wrote, “The fact that a human being possesses an eternal destiny imposes only one obligation: respect.” As Catholics, we are called to see people as individuals, created in the image of God, who are worthy of love and respect. “Human persons are willed by God; they are imprinted with God’s image. Their dignity does not come from the work they do, but from the persons they are,” wrote Saint John Paul II in Centesimus annus.
As a Catholic and a conservative and a middle-aged white woman (ahem), I’m totally onboard with those sentiments. No one is without sin or bad behavior, including public tantrums. This gets to the heart of the Christian ethos and explains how the Social Justice movement is anti-Christian: it is without mercy. Without forgiveness. The Karens of the world are simply people who’ve been caught behaving badly on camera. There isn’t a person reveling in their cancellation who isn’t in need of forgiveness for some similar bad behavior at one time or another. Not one.
The Pattys, however, are another story. “Patty” refers to Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, who became famous for her kidnapping and brainwashing by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974. To my knowledge, Stella Morabito (Why Do So Many White Women Hate Themselves?) is the first to make the comparison between Hearst and the woke white women torching and terrorizing our communities and verbally abusing policemen — including policemen of color (POC). She contends they have been similarly brainwashed and convinced to hate who they are:
They isolated her in a closet and put her through Maoist-style indoctrination sessions, schooling her in “white privilege” and “systemic racism” even though those terms were not yet in wide circulation. They explained to her that “Amerikkka” was a racist and evil society. Day after day, they called her a privileged “bourgeoise bitch” and her father a “pig of the corporate fascist state.” She duly memorized the propaganda they assigned her, and though she was harassed and even raped, she was also fed and sheltered.
Isolation and predatory alienation were key to Hearst’s transformation. Separated from any familiar influences, she became totally dependent on her captors and bonded with them. Once cemented, that Stockholm Syndrome bond is not easily broken. When Hearst agreed to join the SLA after six weeks in captivity, she emerged with the new identity “Tania” and publicly disavowed her family.
After most of the active SLA members were killed weeks later in a shootout with police, Hearst had countless opportunities to simply walk away. Instead, she remained a fugitive with a small SLA remnant for the next 16 months. She later said her brainwashing was so thorough that she had no free will, no sense of self, and couldn’t think her own thoughts.
Isolation, indoctrination, “white privilege,” “systemic racism,” Amerikkka — sound familiar? America, honey, we’ve got to get our kids out of these corrupt and corrupting institutions. Why would we do this to our daughters? How can we rationalize subjecting them to one more day of this brainwashing? Look at the monsters they’ve become (language warning):
https://twitter.com/i/status/1275225615583588352
Save the Pattys; save America.
Published in General
I must object very strongly to this terminology. Someone very close to me, with a special interest in the subject, is always pointing out the systemic abuse of that name for all sorts of unsavory types in popular culture. I could make quite a list for you but really need to go no further than Patty the Daytime Hooker from the My Name is Earl television show.
Stop it now. I demand it.
(There, I have said my piece. Maybe there will be peace in the house tonight.)
So I’m guessing that you’ve been Karened by Karen about Karens.
Too meta for me, dude.
Sorry, didn’t know it was personal. Hope you’re not on the sofa tonight. You’ve done your duty.
Lefty is trying to change the meaning of Karen from the meme’s original sense, because it’s politically inconvenient, to a more politically-correct critique of middle aged white women. Don’t aid and abet and don’t be a victim. The Babylon Bee has come helpful examples of the original, and more useful, meaning. You can also consult Know Your Meme for historical perspective.
SpaceX Launch Scrubbed After Local Karen Calls The Cops
TIME Names Karen Person Of The Year
The term has since come to mean
This is the retconning, gaslighting, and memory-holing that the Left does so well. Don’t help.
WC, I agree with your point that the “Pattys” are worse than the “Karens.” I also agree with your point that this strange new Wokeist religion is without forgiveness.
I do not agree with the opening part about respect being our principal obligation to others. Can you think of any time when Jesus did something that seemed disrespectful?
Maybe you use the word to mean something different. I think that there are times when ridicule is appropriate (for example, when someone is being ridiculous), and times when a harsh rebuke is appropriate.
I find the “dignity” argument to be equally troublesome. This may be due to abuse. “Dignity” was that basis for the SCOTUS decision elevating homosexual sodomy to a secular sacrament. Are we not supposed to be ashamed of our sins? Is not a demand to be treated with dignity the sin of pride, or something close to it?
Your opening quote makes an interesting point about the consequence of the belief that people are made in the “image of God,” whatever that means. I’m not convinced that respect is the correct response. You make a good point about all of us being sinners. Maybe the point of the “image of God” is to understand that it is not for us to render final judgment on another, and that we should always hold out the hope of redemption for someone, no matter how sinful or reprehensible their behavior in the moment. But I do not think that this means that we need to excuse such misconduct, nor do I think that it means that we cannot impose earthly punishment.
In fact, isn’t “canceling” the principal method of church discipline, according to the instructions of both Jesus and Paul? Both involve a procedure that begins with a call to confession and repentance, but for the unrepentant, the consequence is ostracism.
Well, I haven’t made the habit of calling anyone a “Karen.” My point is more about the woke white women (3-W) who’ve undergone left wing brainwashing at universities across the country and are committing arson, vandalism, and intimidation due to their America hatred and self-loathing. Patty Hearst pictured carrying a weapon in service to the SLA terrorists is their avatar.
After three-strikes, though.
The point about dignity of the human person is, I believe, fundamental to Christianity, and therefore to western civilization. It doesn’t mean we approve of all behaviors and never offer corrections. And it is in light of the natural law and our God-given purpose.
It does imply, though, that, although the gal who called the police because a “black man is threatening me” behaved badly, she suffered consequences beyond what was called for and which would have gone unnoticed were it not for the video recording of the incident. Media (social, news, entertainment) is killing us. It’s destroying charity in all its forms. It’s wrecking the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation.
There are definitely behaviors and positions (Never Trumpism, for example) I find disrespectable. However, every person who behaves badly on occasion or holds such positions is still a child of God and is owed respect as a person. Otherwise we end up killing a million unborn people a year because they haven’t earned our respect yet. Oh, wait. . .
Why pick on us Patty/Pat’s?
Thanks for the response. I think that we’re in agreement. Treating people with respect should be the default rule, and I wouldn’t depart from that rule without a pretty good reason, and even then, the goal is correction and reconciliation.
I think respect is the perfect word, but of course it takes defining. Respect is the thing that dominates in your presentation when you are dealing with even strangers and foreigners. They are humans first and foremost, and created in the image of God and this requires a certain high level of respect. You can laugh at someone and still respect him. You can become angry at someone and shout at him and still be respectful. You can even execute someone and do it respectfully. The opposite of respectful is haughty. And this God despises.
Can you envision the difference between respectful mockery and haughty mockery? The difference between respectful shouting and haughty shouting? Nonetheless, I think there is a real difference. One is where you respect the person, and the other is when you don’t.
Dave Chappelle mocks everyone but he’s funny because he does it with respect, and that’s what makes him so popular.
In Michigan, ‘Gretchen’ works just fine as a replacement.
Oh, sure, @philo likes that one because he doesn’t know any Gretchens.
Doesn’t anyone have any thoughts on how the 3-W are so brainwashed? Or is it just obvious and therefore not worthy of discussion?
I’m not completely sure the fairer sex are more brainwashed, or more susceptible, than men. That said, I think these things are relevant:
Belief is the original sin. It’s where everyone goes wrong; belief is what one has to do first in order for anything else to go wrong. (I suppose I ought to distinguish belief from faith just to keep out of the rabbit holes. Belief is the arrogance that says “I know …” and inoculates its holder from introspection. Faith is the humility that knows it can’t know, but chooses (hopefully) the good anyway.)
So we look to their belief – not so much what they believe, but how they do it. Are they faithfully modeling the world around them (and us) or are they inventing something that feels good to believe? Well, that answer is obvious.
People that aren’t regularly held to account by nature develop beliefs that are untethered from reality. (That phenomenon is also common to all of – we substitute our models for reality. It’s called the Fall.)
It might be true that women are more prone to the Fall. If so, it’s because women are more able to make their way in society without being held to objective measures.
If we could quantify “objective measures” in that sense, then I predict we’d have a more accurate description of who Falls into the SJW/Karen/Patty trap. This definition works if you squint a little: To decide whether a person’s work is objectively measurable, imagine two disputants. One conservative and one liberal. Each disputant gets to choose 6 jurors. If ten of those jurors substantially agree, the work is objectively measurable.
And finally, we all know the education system got us into this mess. If we were to require that every child learn an objectively measurable skill to a commercially useful level, then people wouldn’t be so susceptible to their ignorant fantasies. Metal shop for all the girls!
Oh, I’m convinced women — young women — are much more susceptible given the way young women interact. Social pressure is immense in their lives and easily converted to coercion. Men are better at compartmentalizing and have thicker skins.
You raise interesting points about objective measures and I think you’re right. This also makes women more prone to adopting left wing nuttery. Giving women the vote was probably the beginning of the end.
How do I give a secret up-vote?
You’re safe with me.
16 thru 19 were all passed in quick succession iirc.
I read somewhere of a young woman who has walked out on her (white) husband and two young boys to show her “allyship” and devotion to BLM.
Not only did she swear that she will never again allow herself to be touched by another white man, not only did she swear never to allow her womb bear another white human, she actually apologized for giving birth to two boys who will only grow up to be the inheritors of white privilege, who will only add to the misery of the marginalized and POC.
I think that’s as perfect a Patty as I’ve ever seen.
I’m black … But I found it scary.
I hadn’t heard that account. It is terrifying, and downright wicked toward those two boys.
I feel as bad for the father who has to explain what happened to them. That is assuming that the mother didn’t. May God have mercy on her if she did.
Women are more susceptible to the current crisis because women worry much more than do men. This makes them more cautious and careful – and persuaded by arguments about safety.
Yes, but risk aversion doesn’t explain Pattys who set fire to a Wendy’s or scream threateningly at policemen. There’s something much more sinister going on here.
You are right. It is FUBAR.
I do prefer the term “Gretchen” to a “Patty”, but really so there are now so many societal influences that urge young women to become Karens it is hard to know where to start, but I will:
• Since I was a child ( I am now an old fart) Madison Avenue has been pushing the meme that Women are so much smarter than Men, because a) since Women bought something like 90% of all consumer products at least back then, and b) this meme was found to help Madison Avenue sell their products to women. So it was done and it is still done today. Ever since Men are ridiculed in Advertising; women exalted. Another meme that grew out of this was that Women Deserve This or That or just Better. These influences are now literally everywhere which made generations of young women think they were entitled to great luxury or a great life which in turn made many young women into entitled spoiled brats or angry embittered women who think they have been cheated out of what is rightly theirs.
• Since the late 60’s feminism has taken over our schools. Since Women make up the vast majority of teachers and administrators this was not hard to do. And with feminism the simple message which got stronger and more destructive over time was Men Bad; Women Good. But also the Feminist meme that Women have been oppressed and abused by the White Male Patriarchy was throw in for good measure a good percentage of the time.
Our schools indoctrinated our young women to be Karens and were also successful in indoctrination with those young men who were also turned into metrosexual wusses or gay by their MenBad meme. But the overall effect was much greater on young women.
But the other long term consequence of this pro- feminine bias is that now Colleges and Universities graduate more than 50% more women than men, so that now women entering the workforce earn more money and have greater prestige. This bias has created the situation where Young Women are now in reality better than Young Men, and young women feel entitled to express this exalted status.
• Since the Great Society, our Welfare-Police state has been out to get the American Family and boy howdy has it succeeded. Back in the sixties, the number of American children born without a father was considerably less than 10%, now it is almost 40%. And to throw in for good measure, generally about half those children born with a father will now lose that father to divorce before they are adults. The resultant single mother led families all too often then have a women who is angry at the men in her life for putting her in such dire straits and teaches accordingly their children the fashionable meme that MenBad;WomenGood along with the meme that Women Are Oppressed.
So with all these bad influences is there any wonder why there are so many Karens?
But I thought colleges had come to be putting out poorly educated students with worthless degrees.
If people were afraid of the Karens they wouldn’t be making fun of the Karens.
People are afraid of the Pattys.
I agree with all that except your use of identifiers. Karens are women who behave badly in stressful situations — the lady who dumped her cart int he grocery store, the young woman walking her dog off-leash encountering a black man, or, in general, the women who glare at you and run away when you’re not wearing a mask or if you’re going “the wrong way” down the grocery aisle. Gretchens are tyrants with state power (after Gretchen Whitmer. But, Pattys are the self-loathing woke white women who:
A “thought experiment” I sometimes try on people is, since it appears that women have some kind of natural (?) inclination towards socialism, and may be largely responsible for pushing the US in that direction since “universal suffrage” began, is it really worth having the Western World collapse into ruin so that women could feel good about themselves, “empowered” or whatever, for 100 years or so?