A now-viral video of a Georgia police officer having an emotional reaction to her McDonald's order has caused quite the conversation online. Officer Stacy Talbert, who's worked on the force for 15 years, uploaded the video to Facebook Live while in the McDonald's drive-thru when she was asked to pull forward and wait for her order, an Egg McMuffin.
The video came amid widespread civil rights protests calling for an end to police brutality and a drastic reformation of police departments. As the protests were entering the third week, which had already resulted in numerous documented incidents of excessive force displayed by police on the scene, tensions were raised after the death of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, who was shot by an officer in a Wendy's parking lot. Following Talbert's post, which many believed minimized the anxiety that black communities have been feeling for years, she was dubbed "Officer Karen," among other nicknames.
In an interview with Buzzfeed, Talbert said that she found the countless reactions to her clip "funny," she thought that in going viral, the meaning of the fear she felt amid the protests was lost in the shuffle. "It really had nothing to do with McDonald's and the food. That was just what triggered it," she explained. "This feeling that we have in law enforcement constantly. You're always looking, we're arching our necks to make sure everything is safe, not just for you, but for everyone else." With that in mind, here's a snippet of some of the more scathing comments made in response to Tablert's three-minute clip.