Am I the Karen? Coffee Cup Showdown in Vancouver

By Elke Porter | Column: Am I the Karen? | April 22, 2025

Welcome to the first edition of Am I the Karen?, where we unpack the small but mighty conflicts that simmer in shared spaces — from offices to storefronts to coffee shops. Today’s drama unfolds in a sleek glass high-rise in downtown Vancouver, inside the shared office of a boutique law firm.

Meet Anna and Jill, two accomplished lawyers in their late 30s who joined forces to share office space and admin resources. Think: mahogany desks, a view of the water, and one very overworked Nespresso machine.

The issue? Dirty dishes.

Anna says she’s been washing both her own and Jill’s coffee cups for weeks. “We agreed at the start to each clean up after ourselves. But somehow, Jill’s mug — still half full of cold oat milk latte — sits in the sink like a courtroom exhibit. I don’t mind doing it once in a while, but every single day?”

She brought it up casually once. Then again via Post-it. And finally, in a shared Google Doc for “office protocols.” (Yes, she really did that.)

Jill? She says Anna is overreacting. “We’re not running a daycare. If a mug sits for a few hours, it’s not a federal offence. I’m in back-to-back court prep some days — I’ll get to it.”

The real boiling point came last Friday when Anna, frustrated, snapped a photo of the mug and texted Jill: “This is what I’m talking about.”

Jill called it passive-aggressive. Anna says it’s just evidence.

Now they’re barely speaking unless it’s to argue about case files — or cups.

So we ask you, readers:

Who’s the Karen here?

A) Anna – For enforcing unspoken rules like it’s a Supreme Court ruling?
B) Jill – For being the Mug Offender and dodging cleanup duty?
C) Neither – Just two overworked professionals in a mug mess?
D) Both – Time to hire a cleaner and call it a draw.

Vote in the comments, and if you’ve got a story of your own (yes, even about passive-aggressive Post-it notes), leave a comment below.

#Office Drama #Karen Debate #Workplace Conflict #Vancouver Lawyers #Shared Office Woes #Professional Pet Peeves #WBN News #Coffee Mug Wars #Am I the Karen #Elke Porter

Connect with Elke at Westcoast German Media or on LinkedIn: Elke Porter or contact her on WhatsApp:  +1 604 828 8788