After a ‘human rights activist’ attacked the chef of a Karachi-based restaurant, Pakistan’s elite has once again grabbed headlines.
After a “human rights activist” slammed the chef of a Karachi-based restaurant for “violating her constitutional right” by asking for her vaccination certificate, Pakistan’s elite have made headlines once again, just ten months after a video of a restaurant staff being humiliated on camera went viral. On social media, the woman was dubbed ‘desi Karen,’ and she exposed Pakistan’s deep-seated snobbery.
The little diner ‘Test Kitchen by Okra,’ which is located in the centre of Karachi, has garnered a lot of support online after netizens mocked the client for her classist behaviour.
A mask-less lady can be heard yelling at the restaurant employees, particularly the chef, for invading her “medical privacy” in a rumoured viral video. As the lady continues to videotape the confrontation, the chef, Asad Aamir Monga, can be heard constantly explaining and requesting for confirmation of Covid immunisation. She then accuses him of requesting her “medical confidential data” and calling him a “idiot for wearing a face mask.” Monga pulls out his phone, apparently to call for assistance, but the woman turns away to gather her stuff, threatening him with being “recorded.” “I am a human rights activist,” she shouts as she walks out of the eatery.
The workers can be heard repeatedly explaining to the woman that they are obligated by government standards to ask for her immunisation proof.
Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui, a Karachi administrator, was one of the first to criticise the “rude” behaviour. He went on to praise Monga for his “assertiveness” as well as the sandwiches.
The woman was quickly dubbed “Pakistani Karen” or “desi Karen” when the video went viral. The slang term ‘Karen’ refers to an arrogant, prejudiced, and frequently middle-aged white woman who brags about her privileged status in order to get her way or disparage others.
Swineryy, a comedian, developed an animated figure to represent the woman. Her claim to be a “human rights activist” is mocked in the video graphic.
