Well, surprisingly as someone obsessed by the majority obsession with how awful ginger hair is and the incessant negative media led attention especially by the British Bigoted Broadcasting companies that I missed these latest derogatory jibes. Possibly because I have been laughed off/driven off the streets of my country and my countrymen still think it is a joke. Yes my countrymen[especially other women] are having a big laugh but it is not a joke they are sharing with me but with my sexual rivals & competitors who like to calll redheaded women sexually demeaning and degrading names. It is a fact that their obsession about bringing hair colour into every conversation had with or about redheads is some form of their mental illness yet I am the one certified and drugged by them. Their right to demonstrate their prejudice is deeply entrenched & ingrained and the bullying and bigotry is adult led - you cannot blame children for this one. Yes there are worse things going on in the world that politicians are not solving and the current crew seems incapable of solving yet this 'racism' could easily be solved by including redheads in colour, race, creed legislation without any great difficulty. The majority 'pooh pooh' the idea that it is equal to racism by saying we redheads are not a 'race' yet the always describe us as 'separate' as a 'ginger people' stereotyping us as 'a people' that are all the same, that are all ugly, silly looking people. I don't care if the majority don't like me. I don't care if the majority think I'm ugly. I just don't see why they confer on themselves the right to keep telling me so. Really they should have better manners and more respect for difference, for diversity.
8 comments:
To the anonymous emailer. I've never been embarrassed in my life. The reason most redheads don't complain is the accusation that we don't have a sense of humour and that silences most who might complain. It is the bland & the mousey, the average & very ordinary who never stand out enough to be noticed, to be the joke, who like to ridicule those who through no fault of their own do stand out. I stand out 'cause I've got a big mouth and the social stigma of being certified insane - embarrassed - that ain't my problem.
Gingerism is not Racism.
Madassa... many people could argue that to suggest Gingerism is racism is outright racist. Not to mention the numerous groups your likely to offend.
I'll explain further in my next blogg. I'll write my next blogg about the race topic with you in mind Madassa, I want you to simply understand my view, as I seek to understand yours.
Gingerism is not Racism.
I don't know how appropriate it is to call Redheads a Race of people...
ON RACE...
I spell 'R'ace with a capital as I currently understand it to be as arbitrary as a name. My understanding of Race (which I have to stress is the opinion of a non-arbiter) is that there is a case for group classification within medicine, through evidence based research that a such and such a group is more susceptible to such and such a symptom and disease. In general the groups are best described as having common phenotypic or genotypic traits and coming from certain geographical and cultural locations. It can be a grey area and rocky terrain as frequently it can be found these groups experience these symptoms and diseases because of environmental and cultural factors such as varying dietary intake or cultural habits... Not enough is ever know to safely assume any idea or ideology of race... My current understanding is that POPULAR IDEAS OF RACE HAVE NO SCIENTIFIC BASIS.
My understanding (which again I have to stress is the opinion of a non-authority or non-arbiter) of some of the current popular politically correct view is this...
View One: All people are apart of the 'Human Race'. Even if I write describing different racial sub-groups with no intention that I infer any ideas of superiority or inferiority of any kind, the very idea of Race infers separation. Why separate? Ask yourself why you want to separate, what is the need to separate? You'll find your ideas are a part of a social construction with their own web of political agenda. A person is not apart of any Race, but a cultural group with a set geographical location.
View Two: 'Race distinction' or 'Racism' is forced by an ignorant third party who continues to separate in terms of Race. For instance an employer has two candidates one of the candidates has darker skin and based on that dark skin colour the employer chooses the other candidate.
But even the above similar views are highly problematic, only time will tell realistically whether that even the above politically correct view is not socially explosive with Racist connotations as a persons differing cultural and geographical position is potentially denied employment or a home loan based on the idea that their culture and location respectively doesn't fit the company or department culture or has a cultural habit/s unfit for repaying a loan. The underlying equity issues of the 'Human Race' may still remain, but culture is potentially homogenised by/through chosen equity indicators... to whose ends? There is still a view out there that this 'race denial' is not a good thing and is born out of the political view that 'race promotes racism'. The idea of 'race denial' is contrary to biological evidence... My current understanding is that POPULAR IDEAS OF RACE ARE HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC.
ON DISCRIMINATION...
Below are four different forms of 'Wrongful Prejudice and Discrimination' (p&d). The list/levels are no where near definitive, and in my non-arbiter/non-authoritative view I understand maybe only slightly above popular ideas of discrimination. The list/levels are practical as a guideline to my understanding.
In my view all forms of p&d are WRONG.
Levels of Wrongful Prejudice & Discrimination: Each of the levels as a stand alone p&d has varying relative levels of social impact severity for the 'individual' being victimised.
LEVEL ONE – Verbal Taunts & Harassment as Personally-mediated P&D
A general attitude towards a group or minority of prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping, omission, devaluation and dehumanisation.
Redhead relative examples: Calling a redhead a 'ranga' once, which has relatively low social impact on the individual; versus continual harassment against a redhead/s, or joining a group dedicated to physically assaulting a redhead, or stereotyping redheads, or ridiculing redheads in an advertising campaign.
LEVEL TWO – Internalised P&D
Where many in the stigmatised group or minority begin to believe the negative perceptions of them.
LEVEL THREE – Institutional P&D
The failure of institutions both public and private to ensure that minorities are not disadvantaged in employment and in rights to professional services. General examples: Certain neighbourhoods are out of the economic reach to many minority groups in the U.S.; Being forced to accept less pay than somebody else doing the same work; Forced to sit on the back of the bus, drink from specific drink fountains, go to separate schools or be banned from specific commercial properties and buildings.
LEVEL FOUR – Violence as Personally-Mediated P&D
Acts of violence or Acts that incite violence carried out based on p&d towards a group or minority.
General examples: From drunken idiots, to outright riots or attempts of genocide.
Partly Explained:
- Level ONE is the least severe form, through to level FOUR as the most severe form of p&d in terms of social impact for the individual.
- Each level does vary in the relative levels of assertiveness and aggression that the p&d is fought by the victim and by society; based on beliefs of peer and societies perception of previous p&d.
- When levels ONE becomes the social norm it is a concerning indicator for serious investigation of levels TWO and THREE not just for any individual affected that are making their voices heard, but by serious research spanning the greater minority (Note: especially if perpetrated by adults).
- Levels ONE, TWO and THREE can be direct/open and indirect/subversive forms of p&d. Level FOUR is the only level that is a completely direct form of p&d.
ON REDHEADS...
Not many in Australia or the UK would seriously dispute that redheads, do not have to deal with a lot of level ONE p&d and many redheads would have experienced level TWO at one stage or another of their life, if they are not stuck there.
I know that as a Redhead I have felt the p&d of all the levels. I have been verbally harassed, when I was younger felt ashamed to be a redhead, I have felt employment discrimination and I have been physically assaulted as a redhead.
Still don't know if you or would or wouldn't classify the discrimination against redheads as based on race? Here's a thought, those that discriminate against redheads don't believe we are of a different race, just different and not a race and therefore... fair game. I would support the idea of protecting redheads with physical appearance discrimination laws as are set-up in Victoria, Australia by the 'Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission'.
Gingerism is not Racism.
Whoa, very technical talk Nate. I only argue race in that we are described as a 'separate people' and a 'separate people' is a race. Do I worry about offending people who happily deride my colour while ensuring their colour is protected from ridicule by law? I argue for equality - if I can be called a 'ginger bastard' I don't see why much larger majorities should be protected from such abuse especially when they dole it out. I argue that I am an individual and should have the right to be treated as such. I don't like that hair colour is the total focus of how people see me and having to listen to the same 'name calling' & 'jokes' neither of which is/are funny. My worry about offending people who offend me is non existent. To me Nate you are arguing semantics - the effects of gingerism & racism are the same. Kelsey & Adam are dead because they were bullied because of their genetics, the colour of their birth. The guy stabbed in an earlier blog was stabbed because of his genetics, the colour he was born.
Madasa,
A 'separate people' is not a race. By your logic. Women are a different race. This makes no logical sense.
The discrimination redheads face and the complete ignorance of many that deny the discrimination can be really frustrating. It is important to not over exaggerate the nature of the discrimination, because of this frustration.
Cheers
I just looked up if red heads were a different race. It lead me here. There is research about the medical differences. How we react to drugs illegal and legal. How we react when under anesthesia. I was horribly teased at every school I went to. Kids wouldn't be my friend. I was teased and harassed so much I would go home and cry to my mom to change my hair so I could be normal like everyone else. It didn't get better in middle school and high school. I was teased verbally by male teachers and male students who were more than mean. They sang songs about me (every song with red in it surprisingly their are many). Latter in High school I was more than once sexually assaulted by the same males who harassed me daily. Later in life I blossomed into a "sexy red" and if I would go out older dirty men always would approach me and asked does my carpet match. Most would share there secret desire to have a redhead. It would gross me out. In every movie, film, even cartoons the redhead female is a sex object.I fear when with a group I am left alone with men even men with wives and girlfriends cuz they hit on me and whisper sexual crap at me. I hate it. Every where I go people stare at me. When people meet me as they shake my hand they ask are you a hot head or have a temper or other similar stereotypes. I think people relate to me as hostile. if I say please stop talking to me in that manner it escalated their anger at me. I have had a man call the cops on me because he told me to fuck off and I stuck my ground and calmly told him that was rude and uncalled for. He freaked out called the cops and told the cops I was crazy. One of my friends was their and finally saw and believed my stories of how I am treated. Today on Face book a woman used Haole ginger pale faced crazy Chucky doll based on my profile pic. She didn't even know me? If that isn't derogatory and based on what I look like I don't know what is. I'm a loner and feel misunderstood and left out still to this day. It is hard to feel part of a group or community when no one not even your family looks like you and you are verbally and physically abused because of it. I don't know whether we are a different race or not it really doesn't matter. What we suffer mostly alone should find some compassion. If you aren't one of us it's easy to blow us off but white people have blown off Black people forever. Our people are such a small population studies aren't really conducted to prove or document how we are affected. It would cost too much for such a small population.especially that research is now writing how we will be extincted soon. WOW think if any other group of people were written about like that. I time to time look up my genetic background just to find a reason or make sense to the hate. If people tell you, you are different and not the same as them and don't belong what are you then??? Sometimes I wonder how it would feel to be in a room full red heads. I think I would feel relief and finally home.
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