Author: ARLnow.com

“Karen” has been making the rounds again in Arlington.

The slang term, popularized after a 2020 incident in New York City that got national attention, refers to “a middle-class white woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal,” according to Wikipedia.

It was brought last week in the context of the Democratic primary.

From an ARLnow article Friday morning:

[Political consultant Ben] Tribbett was more blunt about what he saw as the electoral dynamic, citing the geographic distribution of votes in the Commonwealth’s Attorney race in particular.

“It’s the Karens versus the non-Karens,” he said. “Clearly, there’s a divide in the community that jumps out at you.”

“When that divide crosses over into multiple races and they follow the same pattern of results, even when fought on different issues… it tells you this is a lot more about different visions for the community than it is about any individual issue,” Tribbett added.

That did not sit well with some segment of our readership.

“Karen” in that context is generally considered a pejorative term, but at least one reader saw it as a slur, and wanted its use — including by those in the comment section — banned.

From an email we received:

Please STOP allowing ArlNow commenters to call women who are concerned with deteriorating quality-of-life in Arlington, and speak out about it, “Karens”.

The meme “Karen” has evolved over several years into borderline hate speech directed against middle aged White women who are unhappy with deteriorating quality of life here (e.g., crime in their neighborhoods) and call ACPD when, for example, they see suspicious behavior.

Charles, Arlington

Do you agree with the emailer that the term “Karen” is offensive? Or something more benign?

Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash

The Democratic primary has come and gone and, while the County Board results have yet to be tabulated, Tuesday was largely a victory for incumbent and incumbent-endorsed candidates.

The implication is that a majority of voters — at least Democratic primary voters — are largely satisfied with the way things are going in Arlington.

Of course, that’s not to be confused with universal support for the status quo. Nearly 45% of voters filled in the bubble for the Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate who highlighted rising crime as an issue in Arlington. Additionally, the initial County Board results show a split between candidates who support and oppose the recent Missing Middle housing changes.

Arlington still has its share of problems — soaring housing costs, high commercial vacancy rates, rising crime and police staffing challenges, a lack of mental health treatment, and opioid overdoses.

But there are also hopeful signs: Amazon is reportedly planning to build Phase 2 of its HQ2 after only a short delay, new mental health treatment options that just opened or are in the works, and there are promising opioid addiction treatment and overdose prevention efforts. Plus, while stats showed a rise in crime in 2022, anecdotally that seems to be moderating a bit over the past couple of months. The several month carjacking spree that started the year, for instance, has not continued into the late spring and early summer.

This morning we’re asking readers: all things considered, are you more or less optimistic about the current state and future direction of Arlington than you were at this time last year?