Redheaded racism?
September 28th 2010 03:36
No-one likes to think of themselves as a racist. Most of us would never dream of belittling someone because of their skin colour, or because they speak with an accent that is different to their own. And yet - in Australia anyway - so many of us seem to be perfectly comfortable with having a redhead as the butt of our jokes. Derogatory names (like the ever-popular "ranga", a shortened form of "Orangutan"), sleazy comments ("Does the carpet match the drapes?") and blatant mockery in TV ads are just a few of the ways in which redheads are being unfairly targeted, purely on the basis of their hair colour. But does this constitute racism? Or is it simply, like with "dumb blondes", another case of annoying - but ultimately harmless - hair colour stereotyping?
Let's look at the facts. Racism, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, involves "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race", based upon the belief that their own race is inherently superior. Stereotyping, on the other hand, involves "a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person".
While there is naturally going to be some overlapping of the two concepts, they do have one distinct difference: that to be racist, you must be inferring superiority over your subject. Are you inferring superiority over someone by calling them a red-haired ape? The obvious answer to this question is a resounding YES.
The problem that we run into at this point, however, is not that redheads "don't belong to one particular race", but that they appear to not be discriminated against in other arenas. As one (red-haired) journalist wrote, "Redheads are not over-represented in our prison populations, nor below the poverty line. There are no immigration quotas for the red-haired; they're paid the same as blondes. No religions fulminate against them; no politicians revile them. There's anecdotal evidence that redheads are easy marks on the playground, but this isn't backed up by any findings in the serious research into bullying. Redheads get called redhead names, but they don't catch half the grief of the overweight, the disabled, the poor or the foreign."
They're also not generally considered to be ugly, stupid, uncoordinated or lazy. Red-haired people have succeeded in a huge variety of professions, including politics - Australia's first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, can attest to that - and the trend of blonde and brunette women dyeing their hair red is as popular as ever.
But the fact remains that, whether it's in the media, the workplace, or in the playground, the targeting of red-haired people for an easy laugh doesn't seem to be letting up one bit. As far as I can tell, it's getting worse.
Now, I'm not a redhead myself, so perhaps I'm not the best person to comment on this issue. But in my humble brunette opinion, the bullying of people with red hair is not just a matter of stereotyping, but one of prejudice against a minority. To mock someone about their hair colour seems to be akin to mocking someone about their skin colour - something that undeniably constitutes racism. And yet, when it happens to the redheads among us, we simply stand by and watch. Isn't it about time we found something else to laugh about?
Mad Men beauty Christina Hendricks was not born with red hair. She chose it!
Let's look at the facts. Racism, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, involves "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race", based upon the belief that their own race is inherently superior. Stereotyping, on the other hand, involves "a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person".
While there is naturally going to be some overlapping of the two concepts, they do have one distinct difference: that to be racist, you must be inferring superiority over your subject. Are you inferring superiority over someone by calling them a red-haired ape? The obvious answer to this question is a resounding YES.
The problem that we run into at this point, however, is not that redheads "don't belong to one particular race", but that they appear to not be discriminated against in other arenas. As one (red-haired) journalist wrote, "Redheads are not over-represented in our prison populations, nor below the poverty line. There are no immigration quotas for the red-haired; they're paid the same as blondes. No religions fulminate against them; no politicians revile them. There's anecdotal evidence that redheads are easy marks on the playground, but this isn't backed up by any findings in the serious research into bullying. Redheads get called redhead names, but they don't catch half the grief of the overweight, the disabled, the poor or the foreign."
Australian actress and redhead Isla Fisher
They're also not generally considered to be ugly, stupid, uncoordinated or lazy. Red-haired people have succeeded in a huge variety of professions, including politics - Australia's first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, can attest to that - and the trend of blonde and brunette women dyeing their hair red is as popular as ever.
But the fact remains that, whether it's in the media, the workplace, or in the playground, the targeting of red-haired people for an easy laugh doesn't seem to be letting up one bit. As far as I can tell, it's getting worse.
Now, I'm not a redhead myself, so perhaps I'm not the best person to comment on this issue. But in my humble brunette opinion, the bullying of people with red hair is not just a matter of stereotyping, but one of prejudice against a minority. To mock someone about their hair colour seems to be akin to mocking someone about their skin colour - something that undeniably constitutes racism. And yet, when it happens to the redheads among us, we simply stand by and watch. Isn't it about time we found something else to laugh about?
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Comment by Margaret B
Old Soul
Doctoring The Soul
Comment by Journeywoman
Great Hair Style Tips
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Fashion Peach
That would explain the antagonism from women, but what about men?
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous
Hayley Williams is another example of an AWESOME REDHEAD.
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous
im ginger and i get a lot of compliments but after a while you have heard all of the mocks and now i can cast a blind-eye to it
i dont really think its racism to be honest- thats a bit far in my opinion but i HATE kick a ginger day!
and my hair is curly too so it is really unique and thats a good thing
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous