"Ginger boys are just ugly"

CherryPicking

Totally agree

This discrimination hierarchy is very strange... To take it to it's logical extreme you could say that it's 'insulting' to think black people suffer racism as if considered over the period of human history or so, the sufferings of the Jews have been far greater!.... though this of course would be preposterous and idiotic argument to make!

My fiancé is ginger and is the best looking man I have ever known! I'm pregnant with my first and would love a little ginger to pop out

"Racism can happen to anyone"

Prejudice can happen to anyone. I've been beaten up for my hair colour. At the time it's happening, no, you don't really distinguish between that and being beaten up for your skin colour. BUT, I also know that my job chances aren't affected by my hair colour. I'm not going to be shot for it. There's no history of anyone claiming I might be a different species and that therefore it's OK to enslave me. It's shit and it's nasty but IMO it's not racism.

So having the crap beaten out of you for being ginger and living in daily fear of it happening as a pp's son is up thread, is somehow less serious than having the same done because of your skin tone? That's not right at all. Racism can happen to anyone.

I actually only had any negativity as an adult when I joined the police. Where all 'banter' is game. And the place was brimming with immature dicks. it bored the fuck out of me. A fellow redhead colleague pointed out that it's the last bastion of discrimination. Until that point I can only think of a handful times I was called ginge or my hair commented on in a negative way. I've always loved being a redhead.

I'm an Irish redhead and I think I've only had one negative comment in my life on my hair, lots of positive ones.
I must say I despise the word "ginger," even more so when used as a noun "she's a ginger," and triply so when abbreviated to "ginge". It just sounds vile.
It's just creeping into Ireland a little now I think; before this we were referred to as redheads and the bullying imo was minimal if it occurred at all. I think it's very much an unpleasant British thing.
Interestingly, in those who breed horses professionally, there is a slight anti-chestnut bias which is also associated with irritability or temper!

Is it anywhere near racism? No. Don't be insulting and frankly stupid.

I find your argument 'frankly stupid' if I'm honest.

It's a bit like saying... 'You can't possibly say you're tall if you're 6'6.... As I know someone who's 6'9!'

Senpai

I'm not for a moment saying that the amount of discrimination suffered by people of black African origin equates to that suffered by redheads... But that's not to say that where discrimination occurs based on hair colour that there isn't an equivalence between the same type and level of discrimination based on skin colour.

By your logic 'racism' against say, Arabs, isn't really racism as it doesn't match up in severity to the scoresheet of wrongs experienced by black Africans....

Absolutely respect what you're saying, senpai, but wonder if you'd feel different if you had redheaded children (apologies if you have).
Another thing that really drove me insane was every time one of my DCs had a normal toddler strop, it would ALWAYS be followed by a stranger telling me it was the fiery temper of a redhead. And "ginger whinger" has been mentioned, too. That is what I call ignorant. It can drag you down after a while and may seem very petty compared to the very valid points that senpai made but it can really affect people's lives.

I've has more comments re: colouring than my ME DH.

Senpai - those examples only real apply to people of African origin - for example I think studies have shown that in many walks of life Asian people are positively stereotyped, or were up until 9\11. And I think it still holds true for people from China and Japan - and yet obviously you don't need to be black to experience racism more generally, so I'm not sure what those examples prove. If being pale and ginger is the white equivakent of bring black and 'too dark' I don't think its offensive to say so.

I'm not sure why you're splitting hairs here. Are you trying to say victimisation based on hair colour is less serious than if it were based on skin colour?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

Ginger kids are not:

• Followed around just for shopping
• Pulled over just for driving
• Shot by the police at a disproportionate rate
• Hired less and given less job opportunities.
• Look at with fear and suspicion when a big group walks by

Nor have they had the position of being disadvantaged the last 100 years that they are still pulling themselves up (and failing) by the skin of their teeth.

Is it wrong to pick on anyone? YES.

Is it anywhere near racism? No. Don't be insulting and frankly stupid.

No, it's not racism, because having ginger hair is not a race.

Having brown skin isn't a 'race' or ethnicity either.... Yet in common understanding discriminating against someone based on skin colour is racist.

I'm not sure why you're splitting hairs here. Are you trying to say victimisation based on hair colour is less serious than if it were based on skin colour?

I always assumed it was the 'fiery' associations rather than the colour?
But I am happy to stand corrected.

I'm glad somebody else has queried the word ginger as I've wondered for a while why it's being applied to redheads.

My fresh ginger is brown on the outside abd yellowish in tbe inside, and the powdered stuff is brownish. And don't get me started on carrot tops (which are, in fact green).

Ginger or my personal favourite a ginger (what am I, an effing cat?), is usually used as a derogatory term. 'Ya auburn minger' doesn't really have the same ring, does it? I would merrily yank every hair out of the scalp of whoever first rhymed 'ginger' with 'minger'.

Haha yes cherry good point

In that case I'm even less inclined to find it offensive as its so wrong!

I don't think ginger is even descriptive... Grey on the outside pale yellow inside, pale yelliw when dried, isn't it?

HAM69

My point is my aunt didn't like ginger children and then ended up with three. My ldeal child would be ginger with curls, I had 2 with curls but brown haired.

My DS2 has strawberry blond hair, approaching ginger, and he is gorgeous. My brother shaves his head now he is an adult. He is a real ginger and my mum used to grow his curls as a littly because she thought it was cute. He hated it and being mocked. How ridiculous that ginger hair is a thing to laugh at.

I don't think ginger is in itself derogatory though, it's descriptive.

I agree to hating the term "ginger" and "a ginger". I've just got so used to that term now. Think I'll revert back to using "redhead". Ginger does sound offensive though not sure why. Maybe I associate the word more with bullying.

I hate the germ ginger. Really hate it.

You couldn't call a larger person lardarse or tubby without jaws dropping could you? Remember the hooha when that designer called Adele fat? It wasn't very nice but it would just raise a titter if he had bitched about her having fed hair (which I know she hasn't).

I've even boycotted a kids shampoo because it had a supposed quote from a child on the back - sonething about living on the moon and people having weird hair colours - like blue or orange.

It's shitty, its crap and in some cases gets violent and physical. But hey, its just a laf isn't it? Just a joke, bit of fun?

I'm just off to tell at the mousey browns in tbe park. 'Oi you effing brown squirrel, why don't you eff off back to Italy where you belong? Call that a fur colour? Bland, you are blaaaaand!'

Our youngest is a red head. We've never called him ginger or allowed anyone else to. We prefer copper haired but are okay with red. He's never been teased about his colouring.

By 'internal' I mean happening within that ethnic group