Honestly: The Real Story of "The Central Park Karen"
Amy Cooper was not the internet’s first “Karen” — the pejorative used for a demanding, entitled white woman. But as the Central Park dog walker who went viral for calling the police on a black birdwatcher last year, she quickly became the paragon of the archetype.
Within 24 hours, Amy Cooper had been doxxed, fired from her job, and surrendered her dog. She wound up fleeing the country. She hasn’t spoken publicly since last summer. Until now.
In a wide-ranging interview with Kmele Foster, friend of Honestly and co-host of The Fifth Column, we revisit the story of what happened in the park that day. We show what the media intentionally left out of the story. And we examine the cost of mob justice.
Thank you so much for this podcast. The truth is nearly always so much better than fiction. And what our media gave us was a complete fiction. It's clear to me that not only the press and the public, but the legal system as well got caught up in a mob reaction that was started and maintained by the fictional scenario given us by the press and social media. There is nothing more poisonous, more destructive, than a human mob. This incident should have never, ever become a news story. It should have been handled discreetly and quietly, then dismissed. That this didn't happen illustrates the tremendous destructive power of social media - and what has become its echo chamber: mainstream media. Shame on the journalists, police, judge, the public, and her employer. And shame on Mr. Cooper for not being forthcoming about what really happened, instead preferring to play the victim and get a measure of fame and even money for shamefully allowing this mob action to proceed.
The discussion and Amy Cooper's responses only reinforce my view of Amy Cooper as a jerk. She had her dog off the leash. Christian asked her to leash the dog. She refused as far as I can tell and then became aggressive, striding up to him and getting in his face and waving her finger in his face. To classify his statement that he was going to do what he likes, and she wasn't going to like it as a threat is a big stretch. Tit for tat verbal spat at best. I'm a middle-aged white woman who spent much time in her younger years jogging and exploring, and never on any planet would I be approaching a male (of any color) that I felt was a threat. Her claim she felt threatened as she proceeded to get in his face is utterly laughable. The previous incident between Christian Cooper and another dog walker, Jerome, showed the dog walker who refused to leash his dog was the aggressor, just like Amy Cooper. If I heard correctly, Jerome pushed Christian to the ground, and I don't blame Christian for being fed up with the entitled people who bring their unleashed dogs into the Ramble. Also, from what I've read, recording someone in NYC is legal. So is being "physical" as she described him, and so is holding a bike helmet. I have no idea if she is racist since I am not a mind reader, but I myself have been the target of males and females of various colors who like to play the victim while they harass others and do whatever the heck they want, and they'll use whatever they can to manipulate the narrative. I despise mobs and mob justice, but I don't feel sympathy for her. I wish all sides would stop with the "if the situation was reversed" mantra. She gave the mob the torches. and in this age of technology, not a good idea. Our worst selves are made public. My view was reinforced at the end when Kmele asked her what she thought she might say to him and she responded with "you scared me," and Kmele said you scared me is not sorry. She wanted the "dispute" addressed between 2 people but Amy Cooper is the one who brought in law enforcement.