A Tsunami of Rage and Hate Is Upon Us

by Phyllis Chesler

At this moment in history, you’re lucky if you do not get shot down, knifed, or rammed with a truck, defamed, or fired as a function of your race, religion, national origin, or sexuality.

That’s the macrocosm. Here’s the microcosm. Everyone has their own set of stories. Here’s one of mine.

Wherever one turns, if you’re “white” you’re automatically guilty of racism. If you’re an employer you’re automatically seen as “oppressive,” and as unfairly “privileged.”

If you dare accuse a person of color of a crime, or simply of wrongdoing—you’re reflexively condemned as a “racist” a “Karen,” and as “anti-immigrant.” You may be locked out of your own online neighborhood group for four days for having “violated community guidelines” which include “racism” and “bullying.”

This just happened to me and I’m slightly in shock, a bit haunted, somewhat depleted, and afraid for us all. This is not only happening to a few of us. This is way bigger than just me.

What happened? I had a terrible experience with a former employee, and wanted to warn other people in my neighborhood not to hire this person, lest something similar happen to them. So I posted about it on an online neighborhood group. This was where I had found this employee—someone had recommended her.

Mind you: I said nothing about my former employee’s race, religion, immigration status, or national origin but I did share her name. How else could I warn the hood? 

Nevertheless, one woman actually wrote: “Wow, this post! Sorry lady, you sound like a classic Karen. This woman isn’t here to defend herself and tell her side of the story.” 

Wow indeed! How does she know what the color of my skin is or what my own immigrant status might be? 

Another woman chastised me: “No one is lesser…we are all God’s children.”

Someone else attacked me for having potentially interfered with this woman’s future employment. Some people said I—or the Neighborhood group—should be sued for this reason. 

Someone else told her to “Get lost. You are the problem with this city.”

Someone wrote: “It’s sad that some people here are blaming the victim. She is not a Karen for trying to warn us about this woman. Karen’s are people who act like they are victims and throw hissy fits if they are not quickly taken care of quickly…”

Another woman “reached out” to share a “very strange experience she had with this same women. She borrowed money from (her). She said that her sister had passed away and she needed $1,400.00 and would pay me back….She eventually paid me back but (not when she had promised to do so). She then wanted to get more. So awkward. Sorry for any poor feedback you are getting here because I think your warning to the community is warranted.”

But mainly, my neighbors starting fighting with each other. Some people on the site noted that New Yorkers had become very crazy, over-the-top nasty, filled with rage and politically correct and oh-so-righteous assumptions.

I’ll say. 

One hundred and fifty comments later and I was locked out.

And this is only one very small incident in a world that is rapidly spinning out of control.