Decoder Ring examines the rise of The Karen, Barbecue Becky, Permit Patty, and the history of names as code words.

Apryl Williams joins Slate’s “Decoder Ring” podcast to discuss “The Karen” meme.

“Most of the time, it’s a white woman who is using her power to sort of police black bodies in public spaces," she says. "It wasn’t just a meme to be funny, but people were actually sort of extending the movement in a way, in particular the Black Lives Matter movement, because they were saying, look, these Karens are calling the police on black people.”

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