Tesco Christmas card making fun of children with red hair

[Northernlebkuchen]

here

I can't believe they think they should sell something like this. So glad this woman got them taken out of our local tesco - now what about the rest of the chain?

I know two children horribly bullied because of their (beautiful) red hair. It's just the same as any other discrimination - breeds hate and misery

In other words, that's exactly what you are saying. Accept the jokes, suck it up.

Wow, if I had known my posting was going to cause this kind of riot I would have stayed in all day !!

On a lot of other sites people ( with ginger hair ) have come out in support of this card and seem to think it is highly amusing, could it be a characteristic of this site, must be something to do with reading the guardian, makes you lose your sense of humour.

Haven't read all the posts but to the person who said I personally haven't been touched by this issue, well no I personally don't have ginger hair but members of my family do, including my nan who's given name was 'ginger' because they thought it would be funny, which is probably why my family has a sense of humour about these things and don't consider themselves victims.

So Georgimama - is the thrust of your argument that a death or many deaths elevates persecution to a higher plane? Following that then if a child committed suicide because of bullying over this issue would that be enough for you to so elevate it? How many deaths do you need? Must they be directly related?

I believe the anti communist witch-hunts in 1940s and 50s America had a body count - in lives ruined and suicide if not in murders. Does the absence of actual murder diminish that situation. Should the people Mccarthy persecuted also just have laughed along with it because the body count wasn't blatent enough.

You can't use history to say something is more wrong than something else. It's either wrong or it isn't.

I still think it sucks. I can acknowledge the intellectual weight of the reasoning saying differently, but in my opinion those cards are just not on.

I am not really too worried about defining redheads or any heads as a group, for the purposes of discussion. However the thread wants to debate racism and discrimination and so on is interesting, but it hasn't changed the way I feel about that card.

I am heartened by the reactions of the red headed children who have been shown the card. That is great! I would urge a bit of caution to mothers of ginger kids, because for me the teasing started in puberty when everyone became interested in looks. Teasing obviouslt isn't inevitable, but thought I would just mention that.

' because for me the teasing started in puberty when everyone became interested in looks. '

My nan's answer to the teasing was always the same;

"yes but I can dye my hair where as you'll always be pig ugly"

Tree - both the kids I know who were bullied were bullied at secondary school, there is much in what you say.

Can I be very shallow (and probably kill the thread dead too) by saying that I am a little chuffed this thread is on 'discussions of the day'. That's never happened to a thread I've started before!

Can I ask, NorthernLebkuchen, if you have lebkuchen every year and if you are as big a fan of the stuff as I am?

We've got two boxes in the cellar, hidden from my greedy beady eyes.

Good answer nanna atlantis

Congratulations Northern! One I started got to volume II. I am still waiting for some sort of medal or certificate from the towers.

On the side issue of red hair and hair dye. What a PITTA!! It either looks no different at all, or goes orange. Pah.
My hair is going darker, it has a khaki thing going on at the moment. Not great.

Really, ginger jokes are not the same as Mccarthy's witch hunts either. Please stop the hysteria now.

Given my moniker, I felt I had to post

It took me many years to come to terms with my hair colour, and then to feel positive about it. Yes bullies will pick on some characteristic but I find it tiresome that those with ginger hair are considered fair game by many for derogatory comments. It seemed I could never get legitimately angry, iit always was attributed to my hair colour.

I once described myself over the phone as the short ginger one to someone who was coming to find my desk. My friendly colleagues castigated me for referring to myself as ginger instead of as a red-head. Tbh that seemed really strange - my hair is definitely ginger and what on earth is wrong with that?! I was told that north of the border ginger is an insult. Weird considering I'm so much less unusual here than in the south.

I'm glad this topic has been raised in the press but I doubt much will change.

Christ no-one go and see Jerry Sadowitz...

"Nelson Mandela, what a cunt. Terry Waite, bastard. I dunno, you lend some people a fiver, you never see them again."

"Hello moosefuckers! I tell you why I hate Canada, half of you speak French, and the other half let them." (a member of the Canadian audience knocked him out for that one)

Now, whilst I know these are incredibly offensive jokes (he is known as the most offensive stand up comedian), to me knowing that just makes them funnier. I don't know why.

I don't know why I don't find Bernard Manning funny. He's offensive. I think it might be because he's shit. I'm not sure.

The point is, can you really analyse what you find funny and why to the nth degree? And do people police their own reactions to the point that any joke which insults or offends anyone else/any group of people doesn't even raise a smile from them? Not even involuntarily? Really?

But why aren't they? You just keep failing to answer that except to say 'because I say so' and that is just not cutting it frankly.

Winky - just eaten a Bettys Lebkuchen polar bear.....yummmsk!

Oh well, Atlantis, I suggest you go back to the Daily Mail site. You should fit right in there.
I'll go back to the Guardian shall I ?

" Oh well, Atlantis, I suggest you go back to the Daily Mail site...

Hmm, there's an idea, haven't looked at that one today.. so less up it's own arse than the guardian.

Because no one is going to lose their livlihood because they've got ginger hair? Because no one is made to ride at the back of the bus, or not permitted to vote because they've got ginger hair? It's not because "I said so" it's because there is no comparison. Your analogy between the two is grossly offensive.

" ...or not permitted to vote because they've got ginger hair? ..

Maybe we should stop anyone without a sense of humour from voting that'll kill the P.C labour brigade off.

Sorry I degress.

Since she joined secondary school my 12 yo DD has been bullied horribly owing to having red hair. I asked her what she thought of the cards - funny or offensive? I was confident that I knew what her answer would be so I was very taken aback when she replied, "Funny! Can we go and buy some on Friday please? I want to give one to every one of the bullies, especially CI" (The worst of the bunch, CI calls DD a ginger cunt etc).

I looked at DD a bit old fashioned... why on earth does she want to do that? Before I could ask, she carried on, "You don't get it do you? Santa likes gingers, even if those idiots don't. I know who I'd rather liked me!".

Out of the mouths of babes....

"Maybe we should stop anyone without a sense of humour from voting that'll kill the P.C labour brigade off."

What would the Guardian readers do on election day?

" ..What would the Guardian readers do on election day?..

Hopefully emigrate.

Ok, so I visited the mail's website as suggested and here's a selection of the comments;

" As a ginger haired parent of 2 ginger haired children (now adult) we would all have loved a card like this when they were younger. My daughter used to be called duracell and my son ginger ninja and both thought that it was hilarious. In fact my daughter used to comment ( following the advert) that she could go on running when everyone else had stopped ans as my son did Karate he was proud of his nickname.

Mrs Phillips - encourage your children to be proud of their differences."

" Only ginger people with a big fat potato on their shoulder would find this offensive. As a ginge myself I can say I chuckled when I saw the card. "

" Crazy! My mates ginger mum sent this card to him and he is ginger - and he loved it and showed all of us!! -"

" I'm a ginger
I think it's high-larious"

" As a redhead i find this hilarious, i wonder if Tesco in Ireland still has them!! "

" Goodness don't you all look annoyed. I tell my red haired son its special to have red hair and big it up.
Get a sense of humour my dear. "

" Hahaha I think that is great!! Im a ginger and I want some of those cards to send to my friends and family!! "

" I'm a redhead, and I think the card is funny. She needs to get a life and stop whining. "

" As a ginger, i have to say - GET A LIFE!
and thanks for pointing the card out - I'll be buying a job lot to send to my predominantly ginger family."

" I had a chuckle at this article about the card, and yes, I have 'ginger' hair. ".

well I would keep going but my arms are tired, you get the drift.

Ah yes the Daily Mail, that well-known bastion of enlightened thinkers.

Nope. Still don't like them.

Not too worried that I don't agree with the masses on this one. The card feels wrong to me.

Well said Verylittlecarrot