I hissed at a man on the train. Don’t judge me, there are two types of Karens

Lifestyle

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Opinion

Claire Heaney Writer November 2, 2025 — 5.00pm

I have sympathy for so-called Karens because with each passing day I realise I’m turning into one.

I haven’t sent a half-eaten meal back to the kitchen, complained that my decaf soy latte with sweetener tastes awful or asked to speak to the manager – if you don’t count last week when I tried to make sense of my stroke-inducing gas bill via a Philippines-based call centre.

But I’ve chided an older man on the Quiet Carriage of the train as he worked his way through the minutiae of his life on speakerphone.

I’ve reported dumped trolleys, delayed putting my bin out so neighbours don’t corrupt my carefully sorted recycling (even though in my heart I doubt the contents are recycled) and