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A GOP group called a conservative columnist a 'Karen' for complaining about its aggressive, soliciting texts

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  • Conservative columnist Kurt Schlichter tweeted at the National Republican Congressional Committee, calling out the organization's demanding fundraising texts.
  • The NRCC responded, arguing that the text was effective at raising money and calling Schlichter a "Karen," a term broadly used to refer to white women who are accused of exhibiting entitled and racist behavior.
  • Conservatives including Tucker Carlson condemned the NRCC's use of the word, with Carlson calling it an "ethnic slur."
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Conservative organizations, as well as the president's reelection campaign, have come under fire recently for sending incensed, demanding fundraising texts. As Business Insider's Jake Lahut reported, the Trump campaign's recent fundraising communications have gotten "very in-your-face and awkwardly personal," and other conservative groups like the National Republican Congressional Committee have apparently adopted a similar playbook.

Today, conservative columnist Kurt Schlichter addressed the NRCC in a tweet, attaching a screenshot of a text from the organization that reads, "We texted you TWiCE. Why did you let your 500% Trump House Patriot match expire AGAIN? We'll give you 1 more chance. 500% match for 1 HR." In his tweet, Schlichter asked a simple question: "Hey @ NRCC — WTF is wrong with you?"

As the Daily Dot reported, others joined in with Schlichter in the comments of his tweet to comments on the text. "They must've hired someone with experience working in extended car warranties and credit card refinancing," a tweet from @RJGeezer reads. "Grifters gonna grift," another tweet from @d0c_z1ck reads. 

The NRCC responded in turn, claiming that it had raised nearly $200,000 from the text in question. "But we'll pass your complaints on to our manager, Karen," the tweet also read.

"Karen" is a contentious moniker that's now sometimes applied to white women accused of exhibiting entitled or racist behavior in public. Over the course of the past several months and amid the pandemic, "Karen" incidents have continuously gone viral on social media as people post clips of women hurling racist epithets in public or refusing to wear masks. The meme's roots trace back to the "can I speak to a manager?" archetype, which appears to be the way that the NRCC invoked it on Twitter in response to Schlichter's complaint.

Some have criticized the term, calling it sexist or equating it to a slur. After the NRCC's tweet, that criticism came about once again.

Fox News host and conservative pundit Tucker Carlson quote retweeted the NRCC's tweet, asking "Anyone know why the NRCC is using ethnic slurs?"

As The Daily Beast reported, Carlson has condemned the "Karen" moniker before. Others echoed the sentiment in the replies of the NRCC's tweet, with Republication Illinois representative Adam Kinzinger saying that the "Karen thing" was "way overplayed."

Many, however, argue that the "Karen" title isn't racist or sexist, arguing that, in the words of Bitch Media's Rachel Charlene Lewis, it's a "critique of entitled white womanhood."

"Calling the Karen meme the new n-word or asserting that it is a sexist slur only trivializes actual violence and discrimination that destroy lives and communities," Karen Attiah wrote in The Washington Post.

Insider has reached out to the NRCC via its online contact form and Facebook message for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

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