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The Once And Future 'Karen' : Code Switch If you've been paying attention to the news over the past couple years, you know what a so-called 'Karen' is: a white woman who uses her race and gender to wield power over someone more vulnerable. But long before most people became familiar with the term Karen, POCs have been calling out Karen-esque behavior.

Code Switch

The Once And Future 'Karen'

The Once And Future 'Karen'

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The evolution of a nickname for a certain type of white woman. Connie Hanzhang Jin/NPR hide caption

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Connie Hanzhang Jin/NPR

The evolution of a nickname for a certain type of white woman.

Connie Hanzhang Jin/NPR

If you've been paying attention to the news over the past couple years, you know what a so-called 'Karen' is: a white woman who uses her race and gender to wield power over someone more vulnerable. But long before most people became familiar with the term Karen, Black folks have been calling out Karen-esque behavior.

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So on this episode, we're tracing the lineage of the modern Karen. Where did she come from? What is she like? And who — or what — might she be distracting from? (Hint: Institutional racism. The answer is institutional racism.)

Then, we're talking about Karens of the future. What does the next generation of Karens look like, and why might they be harder to spot than the people who are called out on social media?

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