Is gingerism as bad as racism?

[bad_cheque]

By Finlo Rohrer
BBC News Magazine

A red-haired family claims to have been driven from their Newcastle home because of abuse. Why is the harassment of redheads dismissed as just harmless fun?

Here's a joke. "What's the difference between a terrorist and a redhead?"

Here's the punchline. "You can negotiate with a terrorist."

Is this offensive? If it was made in your workplace, within hearing of a redheaded colleague, would you make a fuss? Probably not.

But mock someone's ethnicity, religion or sexuality and you will attract the beady eye of management. Make a sexist joke and prepare to be dismissed as an antediluvian relic.

Verbal abuse

Carrot-top, copper-top, ginger-nut, ginger minger, bluey (among Australians), Duracell, Ronald McDonald, Simply Red, Queen Elizabeth. And so on for hours and hours of the typical redhead's life. No wonder some gloss over their hair colour as "auburn" and "strawberry blonde" and even "titian".

Photographer Charlotte Rushton has been chronicling the UK's redheads for a book, Ginger Snaps. Of the 300 she snapped, only two have been spared bullying because of their hair. She herself has suffered verbal abuse from complete strangers.

"I was on the Tube, pregnant, and I was really humiliated by this drunk yob. He was shouting 'do the cuffs and the collars match?' He got right up into my face. You don't do that to other people."

She believes the phenomenon is long-standing and uniquely British in its most virulent form.

"In other countries redheads will get teased at school but it stops when they become adults. If you are a woman you are fiery and alluring, beautiful."

In adult life, women get stereotyped and red-haired men take much of the worst abuse. Treatment of red-haired children in school ranges from mild taunts to grim persecution.

Michele Eliot, the American director of British children's charity Kidscape, regularly has significant numbers of red-haired children in courses on coping with bullying.

"There is nothing like this in the US where having red hair is not a precursor to having someone abuse you. Red hair is considered glamorous."

Bullies at school and in later life may sense that ill-treatment of the red-haired will not be treated as seriously by the authorities as persecution of other groups. ..............


Read the rest here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6725653.stm

I think this is a British thing.

We actually had a redhead (or reddish-head) in our school in India. She even had freckles.

[Space-Cowboy]

I honestly didn't even know of the 'anti-redhead' sentiment until I saw that episode of South Park.

[bad_cheque]

Originally Posted by Space-Cowboy

I honestly didn't even know of the 'anti-redhead' sentiment until I saw that episode of South Park.

Well, I had kind of heard from Brits before....

[fragiledoll]

i came to know abt skinheads few days back and im scared to visit London!

[soladylike]

Originally Posted by Space-Cowboy

I honestly didn't even know of the 'anti-redhead' sentiment until I saw that episode of South Park.

Me either.
But I had heard that red heads should not wear red. That is a no no. Fatal fashion faux pas

[chicano_desi]

kg is anti-ginger.

[graphicDESIgner]

Originally Posted by soladylike

Me either.
But I had heard that red heads should not wear red. That is a no no. Fatal fashion faux pas

They tend to look good in black.


Debra Messing has such a pretty smile.

[taleb]

Originally Posted by graphicDESIgner

They tend to look good in black.


Debra Messing has such a pretty smile.

your av looks like a mug shot , lol

or were u going for that look?

[graphicDESIgner]

Originally Posted by taleb

your av looks like a mug shot , lol

or were u going for that look?

It is a mugshot. I was recently brought to prison, got out for medical reasons, and now I'm back in the clink. This is my one hour of free time.

[sWeEtnDsOuR]

Originally Posted by Space-Cowboy

I honestly didn't even know of the 'anti-redhead' sentiment until I saw that episode of South Park.

i didnt know until right now...

[kiran19]

i didn't know about these "gingers" either...yeah i guess its just as bad as racism

[LaFarzi]

a good friend of mine is a redhead :giggle: i make fun of him all the time