At a workshop discussion last night, this video was mentioned.
Shot during a plane flight, it shows a female assailant berating, punching, spitting on and scratching an old man for not wearing a mask - despite the fact that he was eating at the time and her mask is down...
I’ve written before about attackers goading you to get you to say something that can then be used as the justification for the physical attack that they want to carry out. A socially taboo word is best as they can draw on crowd disapproval to then seem like the victim and “defend” themselves.
This is a set up for assault just like other more physical tactics that are used to sucker punch you.
If you crave this power over others, it’s even better if you can draw on things like mask laws, being on the perceived side of the majority and protecting everyone else with your behaviour as an excuse.
She uses command language throughout “Mask up!” “Stand your ass up!” etc.
Being in a seated position and experiencing threat is especially difficult on a plane where you are being commanded to stay seated.
Being able to raise the arm rest and putting a foot into the aisle would be an advantage to aid standing at the first sign of this developing but this isn’t always possible on flights. The same goes on other forms of public transport.
Having his hands in some sort of disguised “fence” as she got nearer to him would have been even better - hand on head rest in front, hand touching neck/jaw (faking discomfort) etc would’ve enabled him to interrupt her lashing out at him.
The man’s biggest mistake here was engaging verbally in any way with her. He’s playing right into the script. Stay silent.
This is not a person that wishes to be reasoned with or “de-escalated”.
He gave interviews afterward where he said he felt cool for knowing what a “Karen” was. It was the use of the word “bitch” though that triggered her physical assault, a trap he carelessly played right into. Walking into (while sitting…) being slapped, spat on and scratched isn’t cool.
Again, say nothing. Let it play out.
The only thing that means anything is physical contact or the belief that it's about to happen.
This behaviour is no longer rare.
The self appointed spokesperson of morality steeping in for the greater good. They are usually angry and adrenalised already when they do and therefore, possibly, not in full control.
Remember that some will use it as a chance to act out other agendas:
“The surest way to work up a crusade in favour of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behaviour ‘righteous indignation’—this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.” - Aldous Huxley
VIDEO:
https://rumble.com/vrexeo-karen-assaults-elderly-man-over-masks-on-flight.html
The only way I can ever make much sense of behaviour like this is if I consider that the “trigger” for such an overblown reaction is something other than it appears. A little like the way a small child having a massive meltdown over the “wrong colour cup” or having to wear a hat isn’t really about the cup or hat, it’s about a loss of autonomy, a sense of being unsafe, unheard, unseen, or just overwhelm that the child doesn’t have the resources to deal with. This pandemic and the responses to it have certainly been polarising and divisive. People appearing to break “rules” can trigger massive indignation, however unrighteous or unjustified. And as you say, this behaviour is not becoming less common these days. Conflict for the sake of conflict seems to be becoming an ever more comfortable place for some people to hang out.