Being Ginger

 

I know that all of you reading this would never dream of making abusive comments about someone's colouring, but this post is more to attempt to inform you about what it's like to grow up with ginger hair. Bullying, abuse and even acts of extreme and unprovoked violence take place because of it, and while we can all have a laugh about ginger pubes, there's a line. Today I read an article by Barbara Ellen of The Guardian, in which she argues that we are getting our "PC knickers in a twist" by being unable to call someone "ginger kid" on their pizza receipt, and this (almost hilariously unfunny) post is my response.

As many of you will know, I am a ginger fellow. My hair isn't particularly red, or rusty, or orange (sadly) but it is definitely more ginger than blonde. I like my hair now, and I get comments like "oh isn't your hair a lovely colour" to which I say thanks, I grew it myself. But for every one comment in favour of my colouring, I get ten negatives. From strangers, from people on the internet (you'll notice that most gingers use black and white photos to get around this one) and from the people who used to beat me up at school.



According to Barbara Ellen of The Guardian, (who does NOT have red hair) the whole ginger issue is being taken too far, as she investigates the reaction a young boy had to being labelled "the ginger kid" on a Pizza chain's receipt. She argues that ginger-related abuse is not the same as other appearance based bullying, because look! Look at the little ginger guy! Isn't he hilarious! Oh don't be over-sensitive, it's just hair, little ginger guy, we're just having a laugh at your expense.

Whether you like it or not, redheads are a minority. No, we're not a race, or a sexuality or a religion, but for every 100 Europeans, there are four gingers, and in the world, we make up 1%. Naturally, thanks to dick-ish human nature, this makes us a target. But thankfully it's all just light-hearted banter, isn't it? That's definitely how it felt when I was being dangled over a stairwell by my ankles because of my hair colour. Ha ha! Oh you guys know sure know how to have fun.

When I went to South America, I wasn't allowed out after dark in built up areas. Why? Because of my hair. I was already stared at wherever I went, but if I had been out at night, I'd have been the most obviously muggable or kidnappable person in the whole of South America. My local friends were almost frantic in their worry to get me home before sundown, and I felt like an anti-vampire.

It's not just South America though, when walking or travelling in London at night, I usually attempt to cover my hair because I know it could (because it has in the past) make me a target. As one woman says of her experience on the Underground:

"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."

But it's just a bit of fun, right? We should stop being so sensitive. A quick search of Youtube brings up hundreds of videos of redhaired kids being bullied in the playground, of insults being thrown, of punches and kicks being used. A quick search of Facebook brings up numerous hilarious groups about people with redhair. A quick search of Google brings up numerous websites and news stories dedicated to the abuse redheads receive at school and in the wider world.

Barbara Ellen in her piece in The Guardian argues that:

"It's horrible to hear of children crying, but was "ginger kid" in this context malicious? The whole tone of the story is that Ross suffered some kind of sub-racist, or otherwise discriminatory, attack – almost on a level with "spaz kid" or "paki kid""

I would now like to direct your attention to James Brown (the hair-stylist, not the late singer) who recently launched "racist abuse" at a man at the BAFTAs. As the victim said afterwards,

"He thought he was being cool and edgy and I explained to him that it was an attack."

James Brown may not have meant to cause harm or emotional distress with his words, but thanks to the language he used, he did. And since 11-year-old Ross Wajtknecht has been bullied at school about his hair colour, it seems understandable that he wouldn't want to be reminded of this when he goes to buy a pizza. Words like "spaz kid" and "paki kid" are offensive because we as a society see those words as terms of abuse. The only reason society doesn't feel the same about "ginger kid" is because it's SO DARN AMUSING. To everyone but the ginger kid, that is.

M.I.A recently released an amazing video for her song "Born Free" (ten minutes long, but utterly brilliant, violent, and found here) in which young red-haired men are rounded up by the police, transported to a minefield, and made to run across it, exploding in the process. Despite being more a metaphor for her own feelings on oppression, I can't help wondering what the public's reaction would be if red haired kids really were all made to run across a minefield.

"Hahaha! Oh stop moaning, you're so sensitive! Don't get your PC knickers in a twist, it was a joke!"

 

Links

"We all know a ginger whore"

The "Kick a ginger" campaign

The "kick a ginger" campaign goes beyond a joke (according to The Guardian)

Is gingerism as bad as racism? (BBC News)

Why surgeons dread redheads (a heightened sensitivity to pain. Lucky us)

Tackling Redhead harassment

Prince Harry asked for counselling due to ginger bullying

Schoolgirl withdrawn from school thanks to bullying

Schoolboy bullied over red hair hangs himself