Karens… They’re entitled, they think they know better than everyone else, and worst of all, they’re everywhere. You can be minding your business at the most random of places but they’ll still find you — and take issue with whatever you’re doing.
While sometimes Karen’s antics can be considered somewhat amusing to those not involved, other times they’re just straight-up insensitive. In this particular case, it’s unfortunately the latter. In a TikTok posted by someone named Katie (@serviceaussiebailey), we can see a stranger come up to her while she sits on the floor at JCPenney’s with her service dog. According to Katie, the lady had already been glaring at her from a distance for some time, but it was when she approached that things turned sour.
Instead of asking if Katie needed help (like anyone with a heart would’ve done when seeing a person on the floor with a service dog), she asked her to move, as she was “kind of in the way.” Despite Katie’s attempts at explaining that she was having a medical episode and could not move, the lady doubled down on her request: “You can’t sit anywhere else?” That, by itself, is a wild question to ask someone having a medical issue, but it gets worse.
At some point during their conversation, the stranger belatedly remembers to offer to call 911, but much like Katie, anyone who watches the video can tell this Karen isn’t even slightly concerned for her well-being. The lady states that Katie doesn’t look like she needs a service dog — because, apparently, you have to look a certain way for people to believe you have health problems — and later tops it all off by claiming the situation is bothering her because she’s allergic to dogs. No, this isn’t a skit, in case you’re wondering, but I sure wish it was.
Naturally, this TikTok has evoked a plethora of angry comments, with most people expressing their shock at the situation. “The RAGE I felt for you… She’s lucky I didn’t overhear this interaction,” one user wrote, while another expressed their sympathy for Katie: “Oh my god. My blood is boiling. I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Among so many messages, one person remembered to ask “Where is an employee?” making all of us wonder the exact same.
One user, clearly fed up with situations like this, took it a step further, saying Katie should “show their faces. They don’t deserve privacy if they are going to treat you that way.” This led the TikToker to make a follow-up video, explaining that she wasn’t in a condition to do that. Even if she was, pointing the camera directly at someone harassing you is not always a good decision, as it could escalate the situation.
These are hard times for service dog owners, as some people completely disregard how essential these animals are. This is not the first incident in which someone showcases how little they understand (or care) about the service such dogs provide. Sadly, getting kicked out of certain places just for having a service animal is not something new to owners, as it can happen at your local store, as reported by The Daily Dot, or even at your doctor’s office. In this case, though, fortunately the lady eventually stopped the harassment and left.
Out of all the wild stories involving Karens to be found on TikTok, this is certainly one of the most disrespectful ones. Alas, it likely won’t be the last time we hear about such stories.