![]() You may have to rephrase questions differently if you don’t receive an answer. In school or work, offer encouragement by complimenting their willingness to learn.Smile often and speak with a quiet, soft voice.Tips to build Rapport with a Karen person or refugee from Burma: In public, it is uncommon or traditional for women and men to touch. These displays of affection do not indicate a gender preference. Examples include holding hands or hugging, but not kissing. 1 The term is often portrayed in memes depicting white women who use their white privilege to demand their own way. Women are very affectionate with each other, as are men with men. Karen is a pejorative term used as slang for a white woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal. Within American culture, politeness can sometimes lead to misunderstandings as the Karen may not directly say if their needs are not being met or if they disagree. Displays of anger are not respected and should be avoided. Conflict may be addressed in a group or by an intermediary. Decisions are usually made by consensus and confrontation is avoided. The American way of communication such as being direct, use of loud speech, and body language can be uncomfortable for most Karen. In Karen culture, being direct is considered rude. However, instead of referring to them as Burmese unless the person corrects you, it is much better to refer to people by their ethnic group (Karen, Chin, Karenni, Kachin, Shan etc.). The political stance of the Karen will vary with their experience. Hence, many Karen will not identify with the Burmese in a positive light. In addition, the Karen were driven from their homes by the Burmese. Although the Karen have come from the country of Burma, it is not by choice. ![]() Ethnically, they are an entirely different group and many do not speak Burmese. In S’gaw Karen, people will say Good morning ( Ghaw Ler Ah Ghay), Good Afternoon ( Ni Ler Ah Ghay), Good evening ( Ha Ler Ah Ghay) and Good Night ( Na Ler Ah Ghay).ĭo not confuse or refer to the Karen as Burmese. However, the Karen might greet with their right hand, supporting the right forearm with the left hand as it is a sign of respect to use both hands. With experience from Western culture, some Karen may shake hands. The Karen also do not shake hands or bow. ![]() Instead, terms of kinship are generally used to address one another. Traditionally, Karen people do not have surnames, which may cause confusion. Around 1830 an American Baptist Missionary created a written script for the Karen, this was developed from the Burmese alphabet. Only a small percentage of Karen speak Thai. On the other hand, S’gaw Karen don’t necessarily speak Pwo. Generally, S’gaw is the common language as a lot of Pwo Karen also speak S’gaw. Sometimes people have different accents, making it difficult to understand each other. S’gaw is spoken by over one million people in Burma, and Thailand. The main types are S’gaw (pronounced Skaw) Karen, Western Pwo Karen and Eastern Pwo Karen. There are three main Karen languages and many dialects. Only then will we start to see the Karens and Kens change their ways.The Karen languages are comprised of a group of languages spoken primarily in the coastal areas of Thailand and in the lower regions of Burma. The offending individuals should be described in the stinging terms that describe what their actions represent – racism, white entitlement, and unchecked privilege. But it would be a mistake to simply let the perpetrators of such actions hide behind labels such as Karen, Ken, or whatever other names the internet and Twitterverse comes up with. There is no doubt that the United States is nowhere close to “peak Karen.” In fact, it is possible that the wave of exposing this behavior that has long been part of American culture is just getting started. Only when behavior is explicitly called out can it be seen for what it is, and for what it represents. The second question is equally, if not more important – why even use the label “Karen” in the first place? While it is easy to use a colloquial reference for the behavior, why not unequivocally label it what it is – white entitlement and privilege? Or racism and white arrogance? Without naming the behaviors and biases explicitly, meme-like labels mask the inherent offensiveness and hurtful attitudes of these individuals’ actions.
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