Are you offending red heads without even knowing it?

Gingerism.com exists to raise awareness of red head prejudice. It's a problem red haired people suffer on a near-daily basis (and definite-daily if you're still at high school). It's easy to find examples of red head prejudice (commonly referred to as gingerism) within mainstream society and the media. What's more difficult, however, is educating non-red heads of their own use of gingerism.

When the Royal Navy commissioned a recruitment advertisement focusing on the job of a weapons engineering technician, I'm certain they had no intention of insulting red headed people. The reality is somewhat different. See if you can spot it.



Did you hear it? If you're a British red head you probably did and you're likely to have made a mental note of it. Non-red heads will probably miss it, or hear the comment and dismiss it as a friendly greeting. Still don't hear it? The Engineering Technician asks "Keeping busy, ginge?" to his red headed colleague.

"Ginge", - or to give its complete form - "ginger" is commonly used as an informal greeting to a red headed friend. It is also the most likely word in any verbal attack. On an insult scale of 1 - 10 it's around a 6 or 7, with ranga, fanta-pants and the god-awful ginga (pronounced with an almost silent second g) occupying the top spots.

The problem is, non-red heads don't seem to realise that calling someone ginge or ginger is actually very insulting. When you call someone ginger, even if it's entirely innocently, they will be reminded of the thousands of times in the past that the word has been used as a jibe.

An individual's use of the word ginger may be innocent, but the connotations tacked onto it by modern society are not. When Tim Minchin recounts ex-girlfriends asking him "can they call me ginge?" in his brilliant song Taboo, he replies in a fast paced, nip-that-one-in-the-bud tone "And I say I don't think that's appropriate!"

Or to hammer in the point more strongly, when my Grandmother's 90 year old friend stated "I don't mind the niggers" she wasn't trying to be offensive, not in the slightest.

Tim Minchin Taboo lyrics and video

Here's the lyrics:

In this modern free spoken society,
There is a word that we still hold taboo.
A word with a terrible history,
Of being used to abuse, oppress and subdue.

Just six seemingly harmless letters,
Arranged in this way will form a word.
With more power than the pieces of metal,
That are forged to make swords.

A couple of Gs an R and an E, an I and an N,
Just six little letters all jumbled together,
Have caused damage that we may never mend.

And it's important that we all respect,
That if these people should happen to choose,
To reclaim the word as their own,
It doesn't mean the rest of you have a right to its use.

So never underestimate,
The power that language imparts.
Sticks and stones may break your bones,
But words can break hearts.

A couple of Gs-Gs, unless you've had to live it.
An R and an E, even I am careful with it.
An I and an N in the end it will only offend,
Don't want to have to spell it out again.

Only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger.
Only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger.

So listen to me if you care for your health,
You don't call me ginger 'less you're ginger yourself, yeah.

Only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger, yep.

When you are a ginger live is pretty hard,
The years of ritual bullying in the school yard.
And kids calling you Ranger and Fanta Pants,
No invitation to the High School dance.

But you get up, and learn to hold your head up,
You try to keep your cool and not get het up.
But until the feeling of ill has truly let up,
Then the word is ours and ours alone.

Don't you know that,
Only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger.

So if you call me Ginge I just might come unhinged,
If you don't have a fringe with at least a tinge of the ginge in it.

Only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger, yeah yeah.

Now listen to me we're not looking for sympathy,
Just because we're sensitive to U.V.
Just cuz we're pathetically pale,
We do alright with the females.

Yeah, I like to ask the ladies round for ginger beer,
And soon they're running their fingers through my ginger beard.
And dunking my ginger nuts into their ginger tea yeah,
And asking can they call me ginge?

And I say I don't think that's appropriate.

Cuz only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger, yeah.

And all the ladies they agree it's a fact,
That once you gone ginge you can't go back.

So only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger.
Yeah go ginge, go mother fucker go.

You can call us Bozo or Firetruck,
You can even call us, Carrot Top or Blood Nut.
You can call me Matchstick or Tampon,
But fucking with the G word is just not on.

If you're a gingerphobe and you don't like us,
We'll stand up to the fight if you wanna fight us.
But if you cut yourself you might catch gingervitis,
So maybe you should shut your fucking mouth.

Yeah, only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger, yeah yeah.

So if you call us Ginge you can't winge if you're injured,
If you don't have a tinge of the ginge in your minge.

Only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger, yeah.

And I know my kids will always be clothed and fed,
Cuz Pappa's gonna be bringing home the ginger bread.
And they'll be pretty smart because they'll be well read,
And by read I mean read and the other kind of red, woo!

Only a ginger, can call another ginger Ginger.
Just like only a ninja, can sneak up on another ninga, yeah.

Only a ginger, only a ginger, only a ginger,
Are you listeninger? I'm not pointing the finger,
I'm just having a singer. I am just reminding ya,
That only a ginger can call another ginger Ginger.