Another year, another Karen. Surprisingly, the latest viral video features not one but two overly demanding women; a kind of buy-one-get-one-free deal, but in Karen currency. The incident took place in California, where an argument reportedly began after one woman didn’t smile at the other. A snarky back-and-forth ensued and was caught on camera, with the clip now circulating online.
While standing on a sidewalk outside a tire shop, an elderly woman in a gray jumper and navy pants is seen arguing with another woman who is recording the exchange on her phone. Both women appear to be overly argumentative during the confrontation, which has led some viewers online to label the incident a “Karen” encounter. Before anything is said, a brief snippet of context is shown that reads, “It’s 8am. Coffee hasn’t even kicked in yet. And Karen is already bothering strangers like it’s her full-time job.”
The woman recording states, “You’re about to go viral. Yeah.” With hands in pockets, the elderly Karen in gray fires back, “You don’t have my permission to record me.” In retort, the camerawoman replies, “You didn’t have my permission to talk to me.” which makes the other woman laugh to herself, before saying, “That’s not against the law in California.”
This is the point where we learn the true cause of the spat, as the woman recording replies, “It’s not against the law to not smile back at people, either. Take that. Take notes on that.” The Karen in gray graciously admits that that’s true, saying, “No, it’s not. It’s not.”
“Just leave me alone. I don’t even know why you’re bothering me. I don’t have to smile back at you. You don’t have a friendly face to smile back at.” fires the camerawoman, before continuing with, “You made it a big deal. Telling me I’m not friendly and I’m from the bay area because I didn’t smile at you. Are you out of your mind? It’s illegal to harass people in the morning for not smiling at them. How ’bout that?“
As the footage circulates online, social media users have taken to the comments to share their reactions. On Reddit, one user simply wrote, “Exhausting“, while another expressed, ““Are you out of your mind?” Yes. My question is why are we crowding the door of the tire place? It’s not going to make them open it any faster. If you’re not the first one it’s ok. You’re not going to die“.
Meanwhile, a third netizen penned, “Holy [expletive] who’s got the time. Imagine whipping your phone out “YoURe GoNNa GO VirAL” because someone made a comment about how you didn’t smile back at them. Old lady is definitely a weirdo but the lady behind the camera is doing way too much.” A fourth added, “both these people are one in the same“, while a fifth declared, “Two Karens. The one with the phone might be the worst one.”
Ultimately, both women appear equally argumentative, trading barbs over an incident that began when one didn’t smile at the other, which is a remarkably trivial spark for a dispute. Ideally, people should treat each other with courtesy to help prevent these kinds of awkward interactions in the future.
