Gingers and prejudice.

[Jordan]

Scrabtrapman, you are being a cunt at the moment. This forum should never be shot down for discussing issues, there's always a place for different topics and views. The ones you have suggested have not been created just yet. If you want to talk about them, make a topic, nobody is stopping you.
Besides, I think this topic can be evolved beyond just ginger people, but the boundaries of jokes in general. I find that more interesting to be honest.

[Wings of Fire]

Did I mention I hate the word 'Spaz'?

Because I do.

[STM]

Scrabtrapman, you are being a cunt at the moment. This forum should never be shot down for discussing issues, there's always a place for different topics and views. The ones you have suggested have not been created just yet. If you want to talk about them, make a topic, nobody is stopping you.
Besides, I think this topic can be evolved beyond just ginger people, but the boundaries of jokes in general. I find that more interesting to be honest.

Eh, can't much help being a cunt, nevertheless, I think the topic does need to go beyond gingers to be worthwhile. When a person 'demeans' a ginger person the extent to which it is possible seems to be calling them ginger, which is more an observation than some sort of witty prejudiced remark. Or someone might say they have no soul...if you're religious that might have a minute amount of impact but the existence of the soul is certainly up for debate in itself.

I think that for the amount of hardship people have been through in the past, calling someone with red hair ginger does not qualify. That being said, an interesting concept is the growth of empathy, people now are (in the majority) more empathetic than they were say 400 years ago, if this empathy keeps on growing, eventually, there might perhaps be a massive decline in the overall level of prejudice. And we're going to have to get on with it and love one another eventually, it's not like we can viably segregate every race, social class, ethnicity, age, disability, religion or sexual orientation. That being said you'd think that in multi-cultural areas we'd eventually get more tolerant of one another naturally but when I worked as a labourer in east London the same old shit cropped up: the blacks didn't like the whites, the Poles and Albanians didn't get on so well with the established English demographic and the English had a thing against the blacks and Muslims. It wasn't rampant but it was there, I mean, I lost half my wages because I got caught up in some racial tensions I had nothing to do with, (a long story.)

[Sekto Springs]

The bottom line for me is;
Gingers have never been forced into slavery, made to drink from separate water fountains, called a threat to traditional family values, or been the subject of mass protest by religious proselytizers - at least not by extension of being gingers.

Of course, having red hair used to be a trait associated with jews, and they have been persecuted to that end.

But I simply do not agree that there is enough legitimate prejudice against gingers for "ginger" to be considered a hurtful term. As for the accusation of soullessness, it is so outrageous and baseless that, regardless of hair color, anyone whose feelings are hurt by it need to pay a visit to their dermatologist for a thorough skin-thickening.

[T-nex]

I don't consider 'ginger' a hurtful word... it's just a word like any other, and it doesn't really have any nasty history behind it(it is a yummy spice though :3).

If I ever used the word 'ginger', it was never with malice.

But that's not really the beef I have with this whole deal either.

[skychase2rebirth]

In high school, I used to be bullied sometimes for being a "ginger" and I hated my hair color. I dyed my hairs black until I started accepting and liking being red-head, no more problem now. If you make a ginger joke about yourself before they do, they stop...

[MeechMunchie]

I used to be picked on horribly for my big nose. You know what? I just had to live with it. People are dicks, it's the way of the world.

[Nate]

I read a news article recently saying this boy had to be removed from school for being bullied about his hair colour.

In my mind that means one of two thing. Either his parents were hyper-sensitive and took him out of school straight away instead of trying to deal with it or - and I think this option is far more likely - the kid was generally being bullied and being called ginger was only one aspect of it. As in, he'd still have been bullied if he'd had brown hair, they'd just have picked on him for some other reason. So the media are focussing on only one aspect of a far more troubling story.

Of course, having red hair used to be a trait associated with jews, and they have been persecuted to that end.

That's news to me. I did know that King David and Jesus supposedly had red hair though.

Did I mention I hate the word 'Spaz'?

Because I do.

I have a theory about that. Given that no-one uses the words 'Spastic' or 'Retard' to refer to mentally handicapped people any more, their only true dictionary definition these days is as a slang term for someone who has acted stupidly. Thus, people should stop complaining about them being used in that sense.

[Wings of Fire]

I have a theory about that. Given that no-one uses the words 'Spastic' or 'Retard' to refer to mentally handicapped people any more, their only true dictionary definition these days is as a slang term for someone who has acted stupidly. Thus, people should stop complaining about them being used in that sense.

That would work if I wasn't known as the spastic head boy for years of my life.

[moxco]

In high school, I used to be bullied sometimes for being a "ginger" and I hated my hair color. I dyed my hairs black until I started accepting and liking being red-head, no more problem now. If you make a ginger joke about yourself before they do, they stop...

Actually now skychase mentions it I can think of quite a few red-heads at school who died their hair because they were teased for it. It probably wasn't too tormenting, but it obviously made them feel uncomfortable nonetheless.

Of course, having red hair used to be a trait associated with jews, and they have been persecuted to that end.

What? Red hair is a recessive trait usually found amongst Celtic peoples, how it came to be associated with Jews (who originate from Palestine) I don't understand.

[Sekto Springs]

That's news to me. I did know that King David and Jesus supposedly had red hair though.

"In European culture, prior to the 20th century, red hair was often seen as a stereotypically Jewish trait: during the Spanish Inquisition, all those with red hair were identified as Jewish.[16] In Italy, red hair was associated with Italian Jews, and Judas was traditionally depicted as red-haired in Italian and Spanish art.[17] Writers from Shakespeare to Dickens would identify Jewish characters by giving them red hair.[18] The stereotype that red hair is Jewish remains in parts of Eastern Europe and Russia.[19]"

From Wikipedia.

[Bullet Magnet]

For years there was this disparaging word being thrown about my school. "Ginger". Pronounced with a hard "g" at the start to rhyme with "ringer". It took me years to realise that this had anything to do with the word "ginger" with two soft "g"s, even though it was only ever applied to red-haired students (it only ever conjured in my mind the similar sounding insult "minger").

But there was no doubt that it was cruel. The point is the intent, not the word itself. The intent is clear from the tone, social situation and accompanying jeers. It's not the word itself that has the effect, it is the outright statement that you are rejected by your fellow students for nothing more than the genetically-determined colour of your hair, and that they are gleefully pointing out this fact and reinforcing the imposed social status.

It doesn't matter what the word is. It could be "Jabberwocky" for all it matters, but no bully is going to come up with that, they're going to focus on the particular trait that they deem makes one a worthy target. There is nothing inherently offensive about the word "mucus," but that did not make it hurt any less when I was reminded of they name my classmates had given me.

[Sekto Springs]

You know what I have to call you from now on then, don't you?

[Wings of Fire]

But

I always thought you were dirt blonde and Wil had brown hair, I've even met Wil.

I'm so confused.

[Bullet Magnet]

They didn't call me "ginger". I witnessed it.

It's funny, I've always considered my own hair to be brown, but it's frequently described as variants of blonde by others. The sun certainly bleaches it that colour.

[Nate]

That would work if I wasn't known as the spastic head boy for years of my life.

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that it was in any way polite or even socially acceptable to use those words. Just that the words should not be considered taboo because of their previous (and now redacted) definition. Even within the world of my theory, they're still insults.

[Dixanadu]

A Chinese slur for white people also means 'red hair'.

[Crashpunk]

Did I mention I hate the word 'Spaz'?

Because I do.

I fucking HATE that term. The last person to call me a Spaz got a kick in the shins.

People may or may not know that I have a speech impediment (Stammer) My speech slipped one day and this guy called me a spaz. It wasn't nice at all, it's really offensive. .

[STM]

I get called a retard a lot...I call people retarded a lot, because there isn't an inherent relation to a disability as such any more, rather it's just a way of saying, 'mate, you're fucking stupid.' At the end of the day, if you're worried you're going to be offended, sit inside your house all day and roll yourself up in bubble wrap. Or you could take it on the chin and learn to laugh at yourself like most people do.

Hell at the very least anyone generally being a dick to you will get bored and fuck off.

[MeechMunchie]

I call people retarded a lot, because there isn't an inherent relation to a disability as such any more, rather it's just a way of saying, 'mate, you're fucking stupid.'

I disagree. I always considered it an abbreviated way of saying "What you just said/did was so stupid only someone with a mental disability would have said/done it; You must be mentally disabled."

[Wings of Fire]

I get called a retard a lot...I call people retarded a lot, because there isn't an inherent relation to a disability as such any more, rather it's just a way of saying, 'mate, you're fucking stupid.' At the end of the day, if you're worried you're going to be offended, sit inside your house all day and roll yourself up in bubble wrap. Or you could take it on the chin and learn to laugh at yourself like most people do.

Hell at the very least anyone generally being a dick to you will get bored and fuck off.

The difference being I was being bullied because I was/am disabled. Like, three times over.

And that's not on.

[MeechMunchie]

Oh yeah, Blindey McStagger, right?

[Wings of Fire]

I have ocular motor dyspraxia which is sort of like your body being dyslexic. It means bad hand eye coordination.

I have cerebellar hyporplasia, a malformed occipital lobe which I was born with so thankfully my visual system worked its shit out by the time my brain lateralized. Still means my balance is horrible and I can hardly run or do sports without tripping over.

And lastly, I have a minor irritable form of epilepsy which leads to occasional white outs. Mistaken quite a bit when I was younger for day dreaming (Which I also do a lot of, coincidently).

[OANST]

How do you explain the rest of it?

[MeechMunchie]

Didn't know the last bit. Okay, your new name is Blindey McStagg-*Mime seizure*

[OANST]

Blindey McStaggershakes rolls nicely off the tongue.

[MeechMunchie]

Blindey McStaggelepsy? Nah, too many Y's.

[Manco]

captain philoso-fits

[OANST]

How much do you think WoF is enjoying this?

[MeechMunchie]

Diminishing returns.