The Karen archetype has taken on a new life amid social distancing orders. 

Not long after nonessential businesses temporarily shut down shop and the CDC recommended masks be worn in public, social media was flooded with childlike antics from white Americans resisting such protocols. Protests against safety measures put in place by state and local leaders throughout the nation have been astoundingly embraced by this particular brand of American.

Loud and entitled middle-aged white women, unaffectionately dubbed "Karens" by the internet, have been seen comparing quarantines to slavery, starting fistfights over wait times at Red Lobster and getting arrested for coughing on people.

All of these activities have been caught on camera, highlighting some of the worst examples of entitlement, selfishness and blatant racism. 

Here are the five Karens we've had the misfortune of being introduced to during quarantine:

1. "Can't Be Masked" Karen

Gretha Stenger was photographed holding a wildly offensive sign that garnered significant anger online. 

In photos captured by a local blog called Redheaded Blackbelt, dozens of protesters are shown in front of the Humboldt County courthouse on May 16 complaining about measures taken to protect people from the spread of COVID-19.
Two women are pictured holding a sign with the words, “Muzzles are for dogs and slaves. I am a free human being” next to a photo of Escrava Anastacia, a Brazilian slave who has become a revered saint among Brazilian Catholics and Umbanda practitioners.
The photo of Stenger drew thousands of comments on Facebook and Twitter, with many saying it highlighted the offensive trend of white people using African chattel slavery as an allegory for quarantine and stay-at-home orders.
Stenger, who directs plays for North Coast Preparatory Academy in Bayside, California, sent a tepid apology to The Times-Standard.

“Holding that sign up at the lockdown protest was a grave mistake and I ask forgiveness from all those who I have caused pain. As I had no sign of my own, it was handed to me by another protester and a photographer took the picture before I considered the racist implications," Stenger said. "My intent was to take a stand for the freedom of all human persons and I mistakenly held a sign that conveyed the opposite. Please know that I respect the dignity of all people and I sincerely regret any suffering it has caused."

The apology did little to quell the anger online about how Anastacia was being used by white people. But the controversy has not stopped hundreds of white women from continuing to protest against public health measures.

2. "My Cough Is Your Cough" Karen

There have been a disturbing number of stories centered on white women who thought it would be funny or cute to cough on people during a pandemic. Thankfully, most people have not taken kindly to the act, but that has not stopped multiple women from being arrested or caught on camera intentionally trying to cough on people.

In one video, a white woman is seen sitting down in a restaurant booth despite the food establishment's pivot to exclusively doing carryout orders. When she's told to leave, she coughs in the manager's face before doing so.

Another woman in Pennsylvania is facing charges after coughing on $35,000 worth of food, according to CNN.

3. "Cheddar Bay Biscuit" Karen

The Karens came out in full force for Mother's Day when Red Lobster made a mistake with their online ordering system and accepted more orders than they could fulfill.

Police departments in towns across the country were forced to respond to reports of near-riots because Karens were angry they would not be getting the food they wanted as fast as possible.

One woman visiting a York, Pennsylvania Red Lobster ended up physically attacking one of the workers because she was frustrated by the long wait.

That Karen got a taste of her own medicine when the employee struck back. 

4. "You Caught My Entitlement On A Bad Day" Karen

Not satisfied with simply fighting or coughing on people, some Karens have taken to spitting on people in public, an act which can have deadly consequences in the middle of a pandemic.

A white woman from Philadelphia was arrested after she spit on a waiter and one other person, declining to apologize but admitting to a news outlet she "was acting like a little b***h that day.”

The woman has since been arrested and charged, but she has expressed no remorse for her potentially dangerous actions.

5. "I Want To Speak To Your Manager" Karen

While the country has seen widespread protests against measures to protect people from COVID-19, there has been a particular anger at the insistence of some businesses that everyone wears masks when entering.

This quintessential Karen, who identified herself as Shelley Lewis, was caught on video saying her tribe's signature line: "I want to speak to your manager" when she was told she couldn't enter a Gelson's Market in Dana Point, California, without a mask. 

Lewis claimed she had a health condition (which she did not want to share) which would prevent her from safely wearing a mask. When the manager offered to shop for her, her indignation held strong. 

"This is Shelley Lewis, I'm at Dana Point Gelson's," she's heard saying in the video. "If anybody wants to shop here, you have to have a mask, and here are the policies, which state that they will shop for me, take my money, my private credit card, and utilize that. I'm gonna just let them go do that? So, no, I'm not gonna do that."

The anger has even spilled over into Congress, where some Republican Karens have also refused to wear masks.

You've truly outdone yourselves, ladies.

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