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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be so offended by this?

76 replies

Pumpernickel10 · 10/06/2011 17:06

This article as been in several newspapers today
Ross Wajtknecht, 11 who was described as a 'Ginger Kid' on a receipt given to him at Domino's Pizza
A RED-haired boy burst into tears when hurtful Domino?s Pizza workers called him Ginger Kid on his receipt.

Ross Wajgtknecht, 11, has endured bullying because of his hair and is horrified that staff at the fast food chain also poked fun at him.

He was at the takeaway with two pals and they all gave their full names when they ordered.

When they collected their pizzas, his friends had their first names on their receipts ? but Ross couldn?t believe his eyes when he saw what was on his.

He said: ?I was really sad. I get bullied at school about my hair but you don?t expect it from an adult. I couldn?t stop thinking about it and brought the packet home because I wanted to show my mum.?

Furious mum Evette, 43, said: ?He is usually quite a strong and confident lad who doesn?t let comments upset him but reading that has really knocked him.? Ross? dad, Andrew, 45, called the Domino?s blunder ?totally disgusting?.

The builder added: ?You would not describe someone by the colour of their skin or by calling them fat so why is it OK to call Ross ginger? I think they picked on him because he is just a lad and they knew he wouldn?t defend himself. It is prejudice.

?They offered him a free pizza but the damage has been done and he doesn?t want to go back in case it happens again.?

Ross, of Peasedown, Somerset, bought the pizza from the Domino?s branch in nearby Midsomer Norton.

Manager Pat Bennet said: ?It was for the benefit of the person who took the order. It wasn?t meant to cause offence.

?I have apologised to the family over the phone and the member of staff concerned has written an apology to the boy. We will ensure nothing like this happens again.?

But Ross? family are demanding a full apology from Domino?s head office.

*
I was very offended by this so was DH who as ginger hair and so does our DH
Whats your views?

OP posts:
FreudianSlipper · 10/06/2011 22:11

ds is ginger (well golden ginger some say strawberry blond, but its ginger, beautiful colour quite unusual)

no i did not get upset about this, but felt for the boy. ds says he has orange hair and in photos it does look orange :o

confuseddotcodotuk · 10/06/2011 22:19

:(

I'm with those who say they love red hair, I would kill for naturally red hair! I've been dying mine red since I was 13/14 and have never managed to get that gorgeous bright red/copper colour!

Alconleigh · 10/06/2011 22:37

I am a redhead and went all the way through to university before I heard it commented on negatively......I think I must have been pretty lucky, when I hear some of these comments people have had.....

Friends of mine had a waiter pull a face and say "it's a shame, isn't it?" about their one year old's red hair - way to get a good tip there!

spiderlight · 10/06/2011 23:00

DS has glorious shiny ginger/strawberry blonde surfer-dude hair (the shade varies massively depending on the light). I love it, he loves it, people in the street say lovely things about it on an almost daily basis....and I am dreading him starting school in September in case it becomes something to be picked on and he starts to feel sensitive about it. Fortunately he's a very outgoing little lad and he has already set himself the target of being 'the funniest boy in the school', but I'm a little bit worried that he'll fall victim to the 'naughty ginger kid' stereotype in his teachers' eyes.

pigletmania · 10/06/2011 23:04

Manager Pat Bennet said: ?It was for the benefit of the person who took the order. It wasn?t meant to cause offence. If that was the case, why did they use the names of the other boys, and just singled out the boy with ginger hair on the receipt Hmm. You would not do this for skin colour or disability, this is no different. One free Pizza, they should give him a years supply of free pizza.

GrassCutter · 10/06/2011 23:08

I am very glad to read the comments on here. I have red hair. Iwas told by many people that my mother moaned prior to my birth that she didn't want her kids to be ginger like my dads family. We were. Then one of our little brothers was blonde and she has made a difference her whole life.

Some people cannot stand anything that stands out or is not run of the mill. My 3rd child has a reddish ness about her. I remember telling the midwife that it was 3rd time lucky for getting a ginger - my mother was horrified and said "oh i think she's more blonde..."

Big up the red heads - once met never forgotten ;)

pigletmania · 10/06/2011 23:16

There are some lovely redheads

Prince Harry
Lily Cole
Rupert Grinch (played Ron Weasley in Harry Potter)
Nicole Kidman

I am sure that there are many more, just add more to the list

somethingwitty82 · 10/06/2011 23:20

Its a south park reference!

thegruffalosma · 10/06/2011 23:42

Didn't see what you wrote somethingwitty but I loved the gingers episode - hope it wasn't something that got taken the wrong way. (I'm a daywalker btw - the worst sort!)

StrawberryTot · 10/06/2011 23:44

YANBU, being a red head myself i can understand what this poor lad has had to put up with and what he will have to continue to put up with. I have found that people's attitudes towards red hair is quite shocking and from growing up having constant derogatory (spelling) comments made about the colour of my hair i have found that i myself hate the colour and would not wish it on anyone and especially my dc's. I find this sad, but i most certainly don't want them growing up having to constantly defend themselves for something they have no control over, thankfully both my dd and ds were born blonde but in the sun you can see a red tint to my ds hair Sad

thegruffalosma · 10/06/2011 23:49

Lucky your son Strawberry! Sorry you had a tough time. I love my red hair and was a wee bit disappointed to have one blonde and one brown haired child because they look nothing like me! I've had it different colours but always ended up back red. It looks so much nicer with clothes and make up imo. I've only ever had positive comments about my locks but my sister got teased so I know people can be mean.

StrawberryTot · 11/06/2011 00:02

thegruffalosma, haha i get that all the time with my 2, they look so much more like thier dad and thankfully they have better colouring not the pasty whitewash my redheadedness has offered me Grin

I'm sorry i should point out that i did get many positive comments growing up but these always came from the older generation or men who state they have a thing for redheads (cringeHmm) but sadly the negative very much outweighed the positive, not to worry anymore as i'm now a nice shade of blonde Grin

thegruffalosma · 11/06/2011 01:00

To add to the lovely redheads - Isla Fisher and Christina Hendricks.

CurrySpice · 11/06/2011 01:14

I have truly never understood why red heads have to endure this stupid prejudice. I think red hair is lovely! Odd!

Chris Evans- not exactly gorgeous but has always bigger up his gingerness

CurrySpice · 11/06/2011 01:15

Bigger = bigs

LDNmummy · 11/06/2011 01:24

I actually like ginger hair. Not in an 'aww thats sweet way' but I actually get crushes on guys with ginger hair.

I currently think the twins with ginger hair on Desperate Housewives are really fit. www.teenidols4you.com/blink/Actors/charlesmaxcarver/charlesmaxcarver_1240939871.jpg.

Am I the only person?

I don't get the mockery of ginger hair.

TwoWeeSausages · 11/06/2011 01:36

My dad has red/ginger hair and, as children, me and my DSIS always told people that it was Irn Bru hair.

He's now known as 'Granda Ginge' or 'Granda Bru'.

DS2 currently had red hair (not that much as he's only 6mths) and I love it. Hope it doesn't change.

mummytigger · 11/06/2011 05:27

I love my hair, and always have done. I've always thought that the best way to deal with ginger-haters is to call them right back on it. A few years back there was a ringtone going around my sixth-form with "Warning: Ginger Alert!", and the one time it was ever played as a deliberate attempt to upset me I turned around and yelled "You can keep that ringtone as long as you let me change mine to "Warning: Incoming Lardarse alert. Ground may wobble - secure all valuables". It certainly shut them up!

I think that stuff like this is just weird and sad, why write that? You wouldn't write "To the blonde bint" or "To the black guy" on someones receipt, would you? So how is this any different? Redheadedness is something to be so proud of, and yet when we ARE proud of it, we're told that it's arrogant and wrong.

I will say though, there has to be some mediation. I have a broad sense of humour, so if someone makes light of the fact I'm a ginger I'll happily laugh along. I wouldn't think of doing an all-out campaign against the word. did anyone else hear of the incident where a Valentines Card was withdrawn because it was apparantly "offensive to gingers"? I RECEIVED that card, and laughed my absolute tits off, because I took it in the manner it was intended. We all need a good giggle, but to be downright insulting to a stranger goes beyond.

CheerfulYank · 11/06/2011 06:45

LOVE red hair. We don't really do the ginger thing in American. There's red hair in DH's family and I was so disappointed when DS didn't get it, though of course now I couldn't imagine him as anything other than a blondie. :) There's a little girl a few streets over who has really long, wavy coppery hair. People stop and stare at her; it's just so gorgeous.

Ray81 · 11/06/2011 07:16

YANBU at all the boy should not have been referred to like that.

I LOVE red hair DH was red when he was younger as are his mum and Dsis so when i was pregant with DD2 i prayed that she would be red. She is 1 now and there isnt much of it still and it looks dark but in certian lights it has a red/coppery look to it and i am still hoping it will be red. She is also very pale skinned with big blues eyes and i just know she is going to be stunning ( she would to me anyway). There is a girl in DD1s class at school they are 9 and she is red with pale skin and big blue eyes and again she is stunning as far as i know she hasnt been bullied about and i hope she doesnt although she seems like she could handle herself if she did.

One of my very close friends DD has red hair and she admitts that when she was born and she saw her hair that she said ' at least there are hats' i always tell her off for that i think thata an awfull thing to say.

Anyway as you can tell i like red hair Grin

valiumredhead · 11/06/2011 11:17

thegruffalosma Ha ha ha ha ha no not had comments like that because my dad and my MIL are red heads so very obviously on both sides of the family Grin

I have heard the phrase ' as hated as a red headed step child' on a few American films which makes me cringe like crazy!

LDNmummy Me too! I LOVE a sandy haired gentleman - Charles Dance back in the day, Damien Lewis, the guy off Green Wing. phwooooooar! Blush

LDNmummy · 11/06/2011 11:36

Valium I love the guy off Green Wing too sigh

I saw him once at a bar and was a bit drunk and embarrassed myself Blush

onagar · 11/06/2011 11:42

Do people really think that this was done to upset him and not just as a reminder of who was who?

If it was meant to hurt why stop there? they could have written "for the ginger kid and I hope he dies horribly". Also can we assume that this is the first time that someone with ginger hair has ordered from there? If not then where are the other complaints?

I can't help noticing a theme with this kind of thing. There seems to be an underlying message that having ginger hair/black skin etc is awful and you shouldn't mention it because the last thing the person wants is to be reminded of their affliction.

Personally I see nothing about this hair color or about having a different shade skin that justifies the horror most of you seem to feel when it is mentioned.

valiumredhead · 11/06/2011 11:54

Oh LDN do tell!!!! Grin