"Ginger boys are just ugly"

Red hair is as much a Scottish trait as an Irish trait so it would be a bit odd if Scottish people in general were anti red hair because of being anti Irish.

I think the Celtic variety of red hair is related to fair skin and living in northern climates where you need to max out on vitamin D.

I think some people are just twats.

Um...I would not say no if Prince Harry were to roll into my bed...

I think its disgraceful that those women were saying that. X

Mitzy who is that man you posted on pg 8? He is the sexiest man I've seen in years.

I always wanted a ginger child. I never even knew until a fwe years ago that ginger was not okay. I always thought it was one of the prettiest hair colouring there was as I grew up in the NE/Northumberland Is it a new thing that people don't like it? I don't remember it growing up at all. It may depend where you live. I suspect it's not an issue in the more Celtic areas.

Happened all the way through my pregnancy. I have red hair, and was bullied horrendously for it, even into adulthood. I used the "excuse" of being hormonal and pregnant to really lay into people who thought it was ok. Replace "ginger" with "black" etc.

When DS was born, someone actually said to me "Gosh, he's cute. For a ginger". At 2 months old. However since I moved to the Birmingham area people are much, much kinder and more complimentary about both of us.

Was watching the gymnastics this week - and Daniel Purvis has glorious colouring - and what a super talented strong, brave lad he is. (Love the gymnastics - it takes some guts to do that)

carabos is absolutely awful for your DS. My own DS is in Manchester at the moment and shaved his head about a month ago - it's nothing new he's done it before but after reading this thread last night I have wondered if part of it was because of his hair colour.

Lonny I hope that heckle featured the word "Twat"

I do hope you did!

My read headed friend had a blonde baby. At her wedding the best man (groom's brother) made a crack about dodging the ginger gene in the speech.

I may have heckled.

When eldest DS was born everyone congratulated us on missing the red gene in the family

DD is a beautiful Auburn, but that seems more acceptable as she is a girl.

DS2 is 6 months old and looks like he will have the same hair and eyes as DD - i'm really pleased. I have had lots of stupid red hair comments though someone may get punched in the face soon but I just laugh and brush it off.

Mitzy, dh was born ginger and his hair faded to blond and is now the colour of actual ginger rather than orangey. His beard is much redder, though and some of his body hair is very bright orange!

There's also quite a profile of red-headed Africans. If you visit southern Egypt/north Sudan you'll see lots of ginger-headed Nubian people. Indeed some evidences point to the Pharoh Ramses II having red hair.
There's also a profile amongst Somalis too.

Quite a long way from Scotland/Ireland so the chances of cross breeding over the centuries are slight.

I never really had this as a child (in Scotland) but actually had a couple of drunken arseholes on town try it a couple of weeks ago.

It caught me by surprise so I just wheeled around and yelled (channeling Rab C Nesbitt) 'what the f? Are you f* me?'. Luckily the got all embarrassed and shuffled off with everyone gawping.

I wouldn't advise rising to the bait but after almost 50 years of not having anti-red bollocks it caught me on the hop. It seems to have become more of a thing in the past few years from piss taking to positively vile bullying and violence.

Personally I don't like pale blue eyes, but I can't say that I've ever threatened to drown a pale blue baby or rip someone's eyes out because I didn't like the color.

Quite right crazy

Very rude. Nothing wrong with ginger men.

It's as though people adore having something to be prejudiced about, and ginger is the one thing they think (wrongly) is acceptable.

I would like to thank this thread for introducing me to Max Martini.

I don't think anything more is necessary.

carabos

I would also like to be very clear that ginger-bashing isn't just an 'English' thing. It happens plenty in Scotland, where an awful lot of ginger people live. After reading the thread I'm guessing that it's linked to anti-Irish prejudice from way back? I've not personally witnessed bullying but have heard lots of anti-ginger comments along th lines of the op.

tobysmum no. They ran off leaving him on the pavement where he was found by his friends. He said that he'd nipped to the loo as his group left the pub, so he was separated from them for a few mins. The thugs were across the road, started shouting to him, which he ignored, then they charged him.

It's so bad that normally when he's out with his mates, he walks at the centre of the group and they are all hyper-aware that things could kick off at any moment. DS1 was once in the same bar and had to wade in to rescue him from an assault - he said it was like a saloon scene from a western movie, chairs being thrown, the lot. That was because one of the bullies he'd been at school with was giving out. You'd think they'd grow out of that, but apparently not. We live in a very nice small town, but low life scum are everywhere and thuggery knows no class boundaries.

Make no mistake, this is an ordinary young man trying to go about his ordinary life.

The reasons different cultures hold suspicions are often lost through generations so people hold views but have no idea why.

Judas Iscariot is portayed as a red head and red hair has been associated with witchcraft and vampirim. So though the ignorant have no real idea why they hold these awful prejudices this is the subtext. Europe was still executing women and men as witches only a few hundred years ago. When we think of 400 years ago when these persecutions were still taking place its a long while ago but if each 100 years is approx 4 generations thats only 16 generations for folklore, tales etc to be passed down. Chidren still sing ring a roses about the bubonic plague from that era.

So these prejudices really stem from terrible times.

Its horrible, did the police catch them?

tobysmum You are probably right about the gay-bashing. They were just vile thugs looking for a victim, but my point is that redheads, like gay people and other minorities, are too often that victim.

Btw, DS2 is not good-looking. He's not ugly, he's just ordinary of appearance apart from his colouring. He's more Ron Weasley than Damien Lewis. I can't take my eyes off him, but I'm his mother, that's my job. .