Once again, out of nowhere, another Karen has been spotted out in the wild. Indeed, while we’ve had a slew of embarrassing incidents lately — from racists to road rage to ‘ogres‘ — you’d expect that taking a calming stroll through Central Park, New York would be free of any angry hostility from potential Karens. Sadly, you’d be wrong, as a boomer male Karen was discovered causing a scene during a live performance, and the footage was shared to Reddit for all to see.
The 8-minute clip was recorded by one of the audience members, and tees off near the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park, New York. An elderly man sporting a navy shirt, blue cap, and jeans can be seen yelling at a singer dressed in a green plaid shirt, as well as yelling at the audience surrounding the performer, too.
“Are you a tourist? Are you a tourist?” the male Karen shouts as he points his finger. The boomer Karen also has a golden retriever on a leash by his side and has been out walking his dog. Clearly, the man has interrupted the live performance by the busker, and the captivated crowd that were watching are a little irritated by his outburst.
In the background, you can hear members of the crowd murmuring things like “Just walk away,” and “There’s a way to say it,” to the old man. “You’re not supposed to be here. Are you tourists? No? I live here.” the male Karen exclaims in response.
One audience member asks, “What does it matter?” and to this the boomer Karen responds, “What does it matter? You’re tourists. You’re here for five minutes. We live here. She’s not supposed to be here.” pointing his finger directly at the singer. The singer, meanwhile, stands in a cool, calm stance holding her guitar, and listening patiently. “Now, go about your business and mind your own damn business! You don’t live here.” yells the boomer male Karen.
The video footage continues on with a back and forth between the crowd and the old man, with members of the audience saying things like, “You’re making more noise than anybody else,” and “If you have a problem, you go and file an official report.” However, the cantankerous old man is having none of it, and continues to stand his ground, raining on everybody’s parade. “She’s not supposed to be here!” he repeats.
Fortunately, by the end of the clip, the singer does agree to turn down the volume of their amp, and it does seem like the male Karen and the performer reach a sort of compromise. That being said, the crowd around the singer chant “GO!” and “LEAVE!” to the old man, so there’s clearly still some friction by the end of the video. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back!” shouts the old man, though he does appear to break a wry smile here.
The person recording the footage exclaims, “Bye, Karen! Have a great day!” with another member of the public chipping in with, “The most hated man in the park.”
As always, the internet was quick to pore over the footage and weigh in with their own opinions on the matter, as commenters began reacting to the post. Most users were embarrassed by the boomer male Karen’s behavior, with one user penning,
But was he a tourist?
AkyhROH
Elsewhere, other netizens felt sorry for the poor dog that the man was walking, with one user declaring:
Even his golden retriever is trying to get away from him. Those are pretty much the happiest dogs alive. Dog is like, I’m so sick of your sh*t, Stan…you’re making ME depressed
Pink_Sprinkles_Party
However, not all commenters sided with the singer and the crowd as there were some that thought that the male boomer Karen had a point. One user chimed in with, “There are rules that specific areas of the park are “quiet zones” which forbid music – and especially amplified music! And this area is indeed under that rule“.
Still, while there may be rules for buskers, the male Karen’s behavior does seem to go a little overboard in this clip. It’s plain to see how happy the audience are watching the talented singer, so it just seems particularly spiteful to get in the way of that. I mean, how can you get so irate and angry over other people’s happiness, right?
