Fire, Heat, and Ginger
All my friends give me crap about having red hair (gingerness). I take it. I like to think it makes me a better person, and anyway, it's all lighthearted. I get plenty of comments about fires and heat, which I thoroughly enjoy, and take part in frequently. I make jokes about other gingers. I personally don't like my hair color, but it's not going to change, and there issues of much higher importance in my life, like just about everything.
I was unaware that discrimination against gingers has become a serious problem in Great Britain. Along with the usual chav beatings after school, there are the ginger beatings (to use a friend's quip “injure the ginger.”) I am approaching this with tongue-in-cheek, which is probably inappropriate, but I find the notion that it is such a large problem in England rather comical. I had never even considered being discriminated against because of my hair color before South Park aired “Ginger Kids” in 2005, although that may have been because I was just young and ignorant. From this highly controversial show, I learned that I was a Daywalker (as I am not freckly nor particularly light skinned.)
Last year there was an incident in which several kids were suspended from school in Canada. “Kick a Ginger Day” was promoted by a Facebook event that thousands 'attended.' Several kids were kicked, resulting in the typical school-mom overreaction. The story was even worthy of television news. Although this was one incident of little importance, many such acts have taken place in England:
While there has been at least one report of a serious anti-red hair hate crime in the UK - a 20-year-old stabbed in the back in 2003 - it's unclear whose responsibility it is to monitor discrimination.”
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6725653.stm
This 2007 BBC article talks extensively about “Gingerism” In the UK:
Some claim it could be a throwback to anti-Irish sentiment from the 19th Century and before when the Irish, with a greater prevalence of red hair, were regarded as ethnically inferior.”
Maybe Gingerism is a problem. But a hate-crime?
Comments
Griffin, I usually don't
Griffin,
I usually don't make a habit of talking to gingers, but I think this is an opportunity for outreach. I think any one who acts on anti-redhead sentiment is taking it too far. The jokes are only funny because in most people's minds they aren't associated with actual acts of discrimination. In an attempt to increase appreciation of gingers, I think an ad campaign might be in order. It could focus on historical gingers, like the ones mentioned in the article from the BBC you cited:
King David, Queen Boudicca, Pharaoh Ramses II, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and Sir Winston Churchill. Or it focus on more mythic gingers, like Thor...
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...and Venus
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Or if that doesn't work, gingers could form an exclusive Red-Headed League as they do in the Sherlock Holmes short story.
http://www.answers.com/topic/the-red-headed-league-story-2
Hey Griff- I feel ya. I
Hey Griff-
I feel ya. I feeeel ya. Great post though- I actually did one about red heads and their discriminatory issues as well. You should read it. I really enjoyed your post, though, because you included some recent incidents that took place in England, which, although meant all in good fun, are kind of offensive. Anyways, awesome post. Keep it up.
Lexie