A Black driver involved in an apparent parking lot fender-bender with an Asian “Karen” could never have anticipated the woman’s wild reaction.
The driver endured racial profiling, false theft accusations, and threats of siccing police on her for using the F-word, all within the span of a few minutes.
The Sept. 30 Instagram Reel, posted by the appropriately named account “karenzgonekrazy,” has certainly earned its place in the canon of Karen videos.
It opens with the Black woman saying her personal space was being invaded and then spirals from there.
The driver filmed the exchange, and it’s unclear whether the other woman knew she was on camera, as she careened between screaming at the top of her lungs and expressing indignation over the driver cursing. She also demanded to see the driver’s registration.
“Do not say the F-word,” she told the driver, who flatly and calmly responded, “Get the f*ck out of my face.”
After threatening to call 911 over the “profanity,” the woman then claimed the driver would never say that word to her if she were white.
“How do you know that?” the driver asked.
“I just know it,” the woman responded, before falsely accusing the driver of stealing her own car and of not having car insurance.
The car never appears on camera, but both women implied it was very expensive. “I think you stole this,” the Karen snapped. “Yeah, seriously, I think you did.”
The driver urged the woman to take a breather in her own car, but she refused to back away. “You think I’m gonna drive off because of the color of my skin?” the driver said. “You don’t think I can afford this sh*t.”
It’s unclear whether the women ever exchanged insurance information. But for hundreds of social media users, that was beside the point. As one put it, “The petty argument isn’t the real issue, the hate for us is what’s on full display.”
The video raised an important question: What to do when a third party becomes aggressive. Many commenters said the driver was right not to hand over her information.
“She thinks she’s the police,” wrote one commenter.
Another agreed, “Why should she give her information to some maniac who’s yelling and spitting in her face for no reason, or should I say, because she’s Black and she obviously doesn’t like Black people?”
The driver in the video did several things right: she stayed calm, kept filming, and didn’t take the bait.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), drivers should exchange their name, driver’s license number, and insurance information with the other party.
Exactly what you must share, including whether you have to show your registration, varies by state.
With someone this hostile, though, the safest move is to call 911 and wait for police to arrive.
