OP
OP
People with red hair are seen as lesser people. You in Ireland? Read this:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-28872927
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Please don't use the term "Ginger" for people with red hair
- Thread starter Hollywood Duo
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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-28872927
Not sure exactly what you mean by a positive context, but just from a quick google of ginger hair here are some that are at least neutral
http://hotforginger.com/love-ginger/
http://metro.co.uk/2015/04/18/14-things-you-only-know-if-youre-ginger-5155820/
https://www.sofeminine.co.uk/unders...inger-guys-are-gods-amongst-men-s1002420.html
http://gingerparrot.co.uk/facts-and-myths-about-red-hair/
https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-69864,00.html
https://www.theguardian.com/artandd...-portraits-of-redheads-in-russia-and-scotland
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/emmakelly/redhead-facts_b_4781153.html
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1102819
I just don't like the word ginger it's an annoying word. Eliminated the word ginger from people's vocabulary is a good idea op. Redhead is a neutral word use that.
This is exactly it. All my red head friends makes ginger references as an empowering means within conversations.
I see it on Facebook as well
OP
OP
Yes after suffering bullying their whole lives they are co-opting it. Hardly the first time this has been done.
Pure gingers have two mutated versions of the MC1R-gene (one from each parent), those who can grow a ginger beard but have for example brown hair only have one.
OP
OP
You think gingers get shit? Try being a blonde.
Also, I'm not stopping using "Ginger". It's the name of a fucking colour.
Also, I'm not stopping using "Ginger". It's the name of a fucking colour.
I don't mind it, outside of the "oh, we are still using this years old South Park joke..." lameness. But, the use of it that prompted this thread was certainly odd.
Yeah the quote from that teacher is pretty fucked. I'm from Dublin, maybe there wasn't too many redheads in my class. I certainly haven't noticed as an adult. The word definitely shouldn't be used as a pejorative but I don't think it should be taken out if usage altogether. Its still a descriptor.
Case in point. Substitute ANY OTHER genetic trait in this post and you'd be fucking banned. There'd be a smoking crater where your account used to be.
But you're making a ginger joke. So it's a warning.
This is what we deal with. That's the essence of it.
OP
OP
I'm not trying to play the oppression Olympics here. I don't support insulting anyone.
Also, please show me what colour you think Ginger is or give me the HTML code for it.
My roommate in freshman year of college gave herself the nickname Ginge, and my sophomore year roommate often used the term ginger (although she was more strawberry blonde). I'm not going to stop using it just because someone I don't know IRL is a little bit bothered by it.
What would your prefer?
For some reason growing up I used to grow very red beards. I got called ginger a lot, but it never bothered me. Not to say my experiences are equal or greater than yours. I do remember a lot of gingers at my school getting angry at the use of "red head", though that was usually from the fetishist angle, so I can understand why.
The real problem i had was horrible acne growing up, so maybe that's why I didn't have it worse.
I wanna chime in one more time and state that I understand OP's concerns even though I am not personally offended by the term in question. I have been under the impression that the US treats it differently than other English speaking countries (namely AU based on friends of mine who are from there). There is a lot of facetiousness in this thread over something that does happen and does affect people and it's always important to be considerate even if I'm gonna be lighthearted based on my own experiences. I'm sorry you had to grow up being bullied for your hair, HD. I might have just been lucky.
Seriously tho wtf is fantapants
Seriously tho wtf is fantapants
I don't think anyone is arguing that red-haired people suffer no form of prejudice, but it's not the word ginger that is the problem. The "joke" would be just as offensive if he said red-haired kids instead of ginger kids.
In all my 33 years I have never, ever heard of the word ginger being offensive. Maybe because I'm in the UK and it's different here, I don't know.
OP
OP
The ultimate problem isn't necessarily the term itself is that people with red hair as viewed as lesser members of society in general. Ginger is just the most common word used to insult us. There are many others as well.
I'm a natural red headed girl. From what I can remember, I've never been taunted or called any terms. The only time I remember was when I was at recess and a group of kids through a Vollyball at my head and claimed my head was on fire. I turned around and through the Vollyball at that kids face and that was the last time anywhere ever made fun of me.
OP
OP
It's not different there. You are telling me no one you know has ever made fun of Prince Harry for his hair color?
Hmm, seems entirely subjective and really not a big deal from my perspective. My girlfriend of 3 years is a redhead and she uses the term all the time and could care less if other people do. So I'll continue to use the the word Ginger, but thanks for your input OP.
I've never heard it before, but I'm guessing its a reference to the colour of standard orange Fanta and ginger pubes.
Evolved1 Or short kids. Skinny kids. Fat kids. Black-haired/blonde/brown kids. big nosed/small nosed kids. big-eared/small-eared kids. stinky/good-smelling kids. Any of those would have gotten a warning too.
Ancedontly, I've only seen him get admiration and people fawning over him. He's an attractive dude.
Your son possibly being bullied has nothing to do with hair color. Children will use hair color, weight, clothes, you name it to bully. Even names. Got a normal name, they'll twist it into an insult. This has less to do with an 'offensive' term, and more to do with assholes being bullies. I love my gingers and don't want to give them or the term up.
it's sort of grasping at adversity straws to equate that the same as what the LGBT and racial minority communities face, though... especially in the case of Prince Harry who is pretty universally loved (other than people who seem to hate the royals for whatever reason)
OP
OP
I lived through it and it sucked but I am a strong person now. I am scared for my son because I know what its like to be bullied endlessly as child.
OP was bullied when growing up, doesn't want the same for his child who also has red hair. Empathy?
I guess I can be mindful of it. But I'm probably still going to call people gingers. There are actual important words that need to leave our lexicon. This one is gonna be pretty low priority for me.
This is being overly sensitive imo. Its just like blonde or brunette, just describes a hair collor. Come on, man lol
This is me experience as a non red head from france, and to an extent I agree with OP.
There were a lot of jokes against red head in my youth that were meaner than your typical blonde joke. Mainly I think because red head are rare here, and it would be easier to single out the one red head student and start bullying him.
I think however that younger kids didn't mock red head, that became a thing around puberty and I'd argue most kids didn't understand they were being mean. That was an also age of calling everything gay, etc.
The bit about finding red head women not attractive is interesting and also must be more widely experienced than some of us think. I did remember being shocked at 12 year old when hearing friends making jokes around that, like red head women stink and so on - which was i remember specifically reserved for women. That was my first experience of red head discrimination.
Red head Boys being seen as less sexually desirable is also definitely something that I know lot of people think. And compared to mocking red head girl, this one sadly sticks in adulthood (again my experience)
There were a lot of jokes against red head in my youth that were meaner than your typical blonde joke. Mainly I think because red head are rare here, and it would be easier to single out the one red head student and start bullying him.
I think however that younger kids didn't mock red head, that became a thing around puberty and I'd argue most kids didn't understand they were being mean. That was an also age of calling everything gay, etc.
The bit about finding red head women not attractive is interesting and also must be more widely experienced than some of us think. I did remember being shocked at 12 year old when hearing friends making jokes around that, like red head women stink and so on - which was i remember specifically reserved for women. That was my first experience of red head discrimination.
Red head Boys being seen as less sexually desirable is also definitely something that I know lot of people think. And compared to mocking red head girl, this one sadly sticks in adulthood (again my experience)
OP
OP
Old article but still relevant:
http://www./news/article-467665/Prince-Harry-Im-bullied-ginger.html
The only time I hear that term in real life, if you could call it that, is sports talk radio referring to certain quarterbacks, and usually it is used as a pejorative or at least as a winkingly loaded descriptor.
OP
OP
First of all, I never said I suffered anywhere near as bad as those people. I can dye my hair, minorities and LGBT people are who they are.
If anything there is a strange stereotype that redhead women are sex fiends or something. I wouldn't call that sexually undesirable, but certainly an unneeded and potentially negative stereotype.
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