Unfortunately, we live in an era where people must constantly record themselves for their own safety. Considering the state of fear that just about anyone of a darker skin tone is in right now, you never really know what might happen to you out in public. What’s even worse, you never know if a person might have any weapons they can use against you with the justification of self-defense. A San Luis Obispo, California, man managed to capture the moment a male Karen approached and harassed him late at night, trying to turn the situation around to make it seem as though he was the one being oppressed instead.
The video was recorded in San Luis Obispo, California, showing a tattooed male Karen in his late thirties with tattoos confronting the person filming due to his skin color. The man filming, whose TikTok handle is @yhazyswrld asks the man why he feels such disdain, especially since he is an American citizen, to which the former explains, “it’s all getting taken away soon.” He doesn’t clarify what he means by this, but once he realizes he is being recorded, his demeanor changes from confident to scared.
The tattooed man then pulls out his own phone and begins to justify his actions by explaining he knows martial arts and has various police officers in his family. While I don’t agree with the way that @hazyswrld was reacting to the situation, I also don’t agree that the behavior should have been met with racist remarks. Commentators under the video were also clear to let their feelings be known, with one person saying, “U can tell the guy doesn’t know how the law works yes if they take it off they can’t be no more illegal birth citizenships 🤣 but the people that been having it before the law passes are still American 😭“
I’d love to see the video from the racist man’s point of view, especially to be able to hear the slurs he was using a little more clearly. Unfortunately, the video cuts off before there is any real resolution. There aren’t even any updates on the original poster’s account that could help paint a picture of what happened next. Hopefully, he was able to walk away from the situation without being injured or targeted for further harassment.
It is truly saddening to see more and more people proudly defend their actions after being recorded exhibiting racist behavior. There are even some people who are using music to disguise their blatant racism, like one man in Virginia did after releasing a song about lynching. I’d like to think that this is just a phase, and hopefully, it will come to an end soon.