There is much talk in modern society about “Karens” and white women who look for the manager in order to complain. Most of this analysis is severely flawed and incomplete, as it misses a significant aspect of this phenomenon. The AWFL, or Affluent White Female Liberal, is the epitome of the energy that observed when attempting to call out “Karens”. There can be things in common regarding the two, but it is very important to understand the distinction.

The term AWFL was first coined by American social commentator Scott Greer after observing the combination of smugness and idiocy which is exuded by this creature in its natural habitat. A brief search of the trends section of Twitter will give one a good look into this phenomenon, be it calling mobs on their own kin or decrying their own whiteness while living in a million-dollar home in a 95% white neighborhood. In truth, there are two kinds of AWFL, the True Believer and the NIMBY.

The true believing AWFL is arguably the most dangerous kind of this species, as there is no limit to the damage it can incur. One example of this was the recent story of Martha McKay. In 1996, Travis Lewis murdered Martha’s mother and cousin in an act of cold-blooded murder. While a normal person would be satisfied that such a killer is locked away, Martha is not a normal person, she is an AWFL. Not only was Martha able to secure parole for the man that murdered her mother, she gave him a job working at her mansion. When Martha noticed $10,000 missing (she just has that type of money laying around), she confronted Mr. Lewis. Travis would stab her death, thus completing the tragic tale of the true-believing AWFL. Martha died for her beliefs, like believers of all faiths are called to do. The True Believer is the left-wing equivalent of the Japanese Kamikaze pilots, without the honor that came with it.

The second type of AWFL is the Not-In-My-Backyard AWFL. This kind of AWFL is the most detestable, as they preach on Twitter but in their own neighborhood do not practice the same views. In order to truly understand this type of species, it is necessary to breakdown the “Karen” phenomenon. The American sociologist Scott Greer describes the relationship between the two as follows “A Karen is someone who complains about the bums at her son’s soccer games, an AWFL writes a hit piece on said Karen”. The NIMBY AWFL can undergo a metamorphosis from an AWFL into a Karen when the situation permits. This kind will preach about justice and equality on the internet but will robustly enforce the rules of her 95% white community regardless of who is offended or excluded. The NIMBY AWFL would write a hit piece on someone who does the exact same thing but in a different community, without realizing or even caring about the cognitive dissonance at play. This kind is the most detestable because their internet preaching is solely for virtue signaling even though they do not actually hold these views.

The Karen term was dead-on-arrival because of its lack of specificity. On any given day, one can witness people from either side of the spectrum calling anyone who holds opposing views a Karen. The coronavirus lockdown was a perfect exemplar of this. One can see both women arguing for and against the lockdown being called a Karen, essentially making the term simply a woman who complains about anything. The AWFL, however, is a specific term that accurately describes a strange phenomenon occurring in leftwing circles. When one uses the term, it immediately brings to mind a specific type of creature that is present in modern American Culture. If she fits the description, she isn’t a Karen but rather an AWFL.