Gingerism

During a recent telephone call with my sister, I casually used the word “gingerism.” She had no idea what I was talking about. Of course, she’s brunette, as are her children, husband and grandchildren, so it’s not surprising the term is news to her—and maybe to you, as well?

Urbandictionary.com’s most popular definition of gingerism is: “a form of discrimination that is considered racism by some. This form of racism is still acceptable by societies [sic] standards and is just as wrong as discrimination against Blacks, Asians, Hispanics [or] Middle [E]asterners.” Wiktionary.org defines the term as “prejudice or discrimination against people with red hair.”

Gingerism has recently reared its parti-colored head in mainstream news media. According to the Los Angeles Times, on November, 30, 2009, three 12-year-olds in Calabasas County, California, were arrested “in ginger attacks.” They’re accused of beating up at least seven red-haired schoolchildren in honor of “kick a ginger day.” And in British Columbia, Canada, the RCMP recently arrested 20 teens for attacking redheaded kids.

Some trace the origins of the word to a 2005 episode of South Park called “Ginger Kids;” but in England, particularly, gingerism predates the show by several years. A 2000 NPower ad showed a red-haired family under the header: “There are some things in life you can’t choose.”

Say what? Why, I oughta . . .!

But it gets worse. Canada.com cites a BBC report of the first “serious anti-red-hair hate crime” occurring in 2003, when a 20-year-old Yorkshire man was taunted by a crowd and then stabbed three times in the back simply for having red hair. Numerous suicide attempts have been attributed to the bullying some redheaded teens have suffered at the hands (and kicking feet!) of “gingerists.”

As you may know, my two children, four grandchildren and I are all genetic redheads; so, I may be especially sensitive to the problem. But don’t think for a minute that it’s not a problem for you, too. Apparently, the idiot faction is running out of acceptable minorities to hate. So, what’s next—will society experience a real-life version of Jane Elliott’s Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Experiment? Don’t tell me: those of us with green eyes will be considered inferior to browns, blues and hazels. Will merely freckled people be next, or will future inferiors be those with beauty marks, eyeglasses or high cheekbones? Stabbings over big feet, bald heads, bad posture and big butts can’t be far behind. So to speak.

Redheads represent only about 1% of the world’s population, red hair being the rarest natural hair color; and I realize that world-wide gingerism isn’t a new phenomenon by any means (my other redhead blogs touch on a few centuries-old stereotypes and prejudices held against the copper-maned).

It’s thought that modern-day hatred of redheads stems from the fact that the coloring is primarily a Celtic trait and the English historically have disrespected, disenfranchised, enslaved and warred with Scottish, Irish and Welsh peoples. The fact that redheads are a small, very visible minority, even in the UK (at about 4%), makes it that much easier to single them out for abuse.

And titian hair certainly does stand out, much like a dark face in a white crowd.

You might even notice that the “G word” is an anagram of the “N” word. Coincidence? Who knows; all I know is that the next time I hear the word “ginger,” and there isn’t an Asian dish, a plate of cookies, or a bottle of Canada Dry nearby, the speaker had best proceed, shall we say, gingerly.