James Baldwin wrote that white people carry secret self-hatred, which we then project on Black people. Projection is in the psychological sense, as in, when we attribute to others the traits in ourselves that we refuse to see because they are unacceptable. These traits are usually (but not always) negative.

WIth the "Karen" meme, we other-ize a racial hysteria that lurks within. Karen takes her place alongside other negative white tropes -- trailer trash, etc.

It's easy to point a finger at Karen and say we could never be like that. But projection is an insidious thing. To discover one's hidden flaws (hidden only to oneself, glaringly obvious to others), simply consider those human traits that one most despises. There's an old saying -- when you point one finger at your neighbor, there's three pointing back at you.

Great suggestions in the final paragraphs, to consider how we would intervene if we see a Karen in action. I'm always struck by how bystanders in the Karen videos generally stay out of the way, as if what's going on is perfectly normal. Indeed, racism is disgustingly normal -- that's the whole point! So let's look at how there's a little bit of Karen in us all, and how we can do better.