An Opinion On the Karens of the World

Dieriel Asencio, Staff Writer

Unreasonable Customers are popping up left and right, almost like a virus hopping from one generation to another. Each day a teenager or new fast food worker is belittled or disrespected with nothing that they can do about it.
Should rules be put in place to protect the jobs of fast food workers when Karens or angry customers threaten the workers jobs and well-being for a simple mistake.
Encounters with Karens are happening every single day, every single place in this world, especially fast food establishments. Karens are usually individuals who ask to get the manager or fight when they do not get their way, almost like adult children. This subject needed to be brought to light because this mistreatment shouldn’t be normalized especially when people’s lives are being affected. Karens became more mainstream due to the fact that restaurants usually have to do what the customers say because they wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for customers wanting food and giving money to companies.
There wasn’t a time where someone hasn’t complained about something, either a rule or the smallest inconvenience that they may encounter. What isn’t fair is when someone directs their anger towards someone who has no control over the situation or the cards that they have been dealt. Billions of people around the world depend on fast food jobs to support their families, or even to get through the day, that is why people work. Is it fair to yell that someone is fired just because of a mistake they made or if they didn’t understand a question? When you have nothing to do with a company or are just annoyed, it is not appropriate to make demands. If employees of a company are made to follow rules and regulations, customers should too. If you were in their shoes working many hours in greasy and sweaty environments the last thing you want to deal with is a Karen. “They don’t carry themselves with enough self respect to be kind to the people making their food,” said Sierra Collucci assistant manager of Taco Time. Sierra Collucci has worked at Taco Time for several years working closely to Karens everyday, she has experience and is someone who has the patience to deal with difficult situations.
Fast food restaurants are not perfect, it’s fast food they have to be set at a certain standard. There have been many instances where the workers are at fault. Mistakes happen and mistakes should be kept to a minimum when working with food however, when even the highest of service and the highest of standards are not enough for normal everyday civilians, that is when workers have to take a step back and understand that it isn’t their fault. Ask any fast food worker and they will have a story about a Karen they encountered while working. Will change happen and will rules be put in place to help aid and protect fast food workers’ jobs when Karens or angry customers threaten their jobs?