Call Me Karen
Call Me Karen questions why Mary of Nazareth, a Judean-Palestinian woman from the Middle East, is always depicted as a white woman?
I remember the good old days when the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormon boys weren't afraid of my house. They used to come calling, desiring to spread the Good News with lies and ignorant misinformation. Unaware of my religious background and education, they were caught off guard. They'd hand me pamphlets with images of Jesus Christ glowing with divine light and I'd ask,
"Why is this Jesus white if he was from the Middle East?"
They didn't know.
"Why does this Jesus have blue eyes?"
They had no idea. They'd look at each other like deer caught in the headlights.
Most of my questions went unanswered as I stared back in fake confusion demanding clarification with my piercing eyes. I could have given them the answers, but I preferred to watch them squirm and regurgitate the dogma they had memorized in preparation for encounters with heretics. Much of the promotional materials handed out by these religious groups now feature a diversity of people which is a step in the right direction, but Jesus is still always looking very pale. Even the front page of this card, baby Jesus has strawberry blonde hair!
Lately, white women are being called out for bad behaviors. Not that they've been well-behaved in the past, but now in our culture where everyone carries a phone with a video option no one gets away with anything. "Karen" is a derogatory term describing a woman who is entitled, privileged, bad behaving and white. The Virgin Mary is perceived as entitled and privileged since she is the Mother of God. Was she bad behaving? There is some question on her claims of virginity, but she was considered to be the epitome of goodness. However, I doubt very much if she was white. I have yet to come across a Christmas card with a person of color representing Mary.
Until now....
Size: 4 1/2 x 6 1/2, bound
This adorable little girl is featured on a Christmas card from ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid), an organization that helps refugees in Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan. I can't be sure if she is Palestinian, but she's about the same age as Mary since girls in the first century were betrothed and pregnant earlier than what we now consider normal. I think she makes a perfect Mary.
I remember the good old days when the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormon boys weren't afraid of my house. They used to come calling, desiring to spread the Good News with lies and ignorant misinformation. Unaware of my religious background and education, they were caught off guard. They'd hand me pamphlets with images of Jesus Christ glowing with divine light and I'd ask,
"Why is this Jesus white if he was from the Middle East?"
They didn't know.
"Why does this Jesus have blue eyes?"
They had no idea. They'd look at each other like deer caught in the headlights.
Most of my questions went unanswered as I stared back in fake confusion demanding clarification with my piercing eyes. I could have given them the answers, but I preferred to watch them squirm and regurgitate the dogma they had memorized in preparation for encounters with heretics. Much of the promotional materials handed out by these religious groups now feature a diversity of people which is a step in the right direction, but Jesus is still always looking very pale. Even the front page of this card, baby Jesus has strawberry blonde hair!
Lately, white women are being called out for bad behaviors. Not that they've been well-behaved in the past, but now in our culture where everyone carries a phone with a video option no one gets away with anything. "Karen" is a derogatory term describing a woman who is entitled, privileged, bad behaving and white. The Virgin Mary is perceived as entitled and privileged since she is the Mother of God. Was she bad behaving? There is some question on her claims of virginity, but she was considered to be the epitome of goodness. However, I doubt very much if she was white. I have yet to come across a Christmas card with a person of color representing Mary.
Until now....
Size: 4 1/2 x 6 1/2, bound
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