Kick a Ginger

[TK-421]

Kids can be incredibly cruel (and stupid):

'Kick a ginger' prank gets police seeing red


JOSH WINGROVE
Globe and Mail Update
November 21, 2008 at 12:38 AM EST


What started as a few Facebook groups instead became a nationwide police effort Thursday, as officers responded to a national “Kick a Ginger Day” that targeted red haired children.

In Prince George, B.C., a “ginger” – a redhead – was kicked 18 times before being allowed to go home, RCMP said.

And in Comox Valley, B.C., 1,000 kilometres southwest, RCMP were investigating the young man who administered the biggest “Kick a Ginger Day” Facebook group, which drew some 4,800 members. Messages on the group throughout the day included both pledges to follow through on the day – which advocates exactly what its name suggests – as well as rebuttals from redheads concerned for their own safety.

The whole ordeal appears to be inspired by a recent episode of the popular animated TV show South Park. In the episode, the potty-mouthed character Cartman delivers a class presentation on “ginger kids.” The episode refers to redheaded people as “nasty” and “born with a disease.”
School board officials across the country were familiar with the day's planned purpose.

Newfoundland's largest school board warned its teachers about the day. Tony Stack, a principal for St. Peter's Junior High School in Mount Pearl, said a few parents contacted his school to warn him after stumbling upon the Facebook group pages.

In Flin Flon, Man., an elementary school principal said he met earlier this week with a mother concerned for the safety of her son after he came upon one of the Facebook group pages.

In Ottawa, mother Juanita McNairn said she let her 13-year-old son stay home because he was so afraid.

“My son was beside himself,” Ms. McNairn said. “He was delaying getting out of bed and when it came down to the crunch he just burst into tears and told me about the whole ginger thing.”

Rob Frenette, an anti-bullying advocate in New Brunswick, says he was shocked when he found out about the group.

“We are very taken back that students would pick a certain group of people to harass due to their hair colour,” he said.

[sloweye]

I am a ginge, any of the little chavs round here get ideas they are in for a supprise cos i also have 2 black belts and 5 years kickboxing experiance.
and i wouldnt put it past them to have a go at a adult, most of them near me are 15year olds out to make themselvs look 'hard'.

*thinks for a moment*
maybe i should start a U.N. Red head army

[Ursa major]

Is it too much to hope that the fools who contributed to those facebook groups (and not only those who set them up) could have their stupidity recognised by getting a criminal record (or an addition to the one they've already got)?

Oh and its the perfect opportunity to land Facebook with a dirty great fine, if only to make them realise that they must bear some responsibilty for not taking these groups down as soon as they emerged. Or do we have to wait until they host something really nasty.

[sloweye]

HERE HERE Ursa!

technicaly its insighting violence and the site just dosent do its bit to stop this. they need to 'police' the site.

[The Ace]

Why not kick a yid or a n*gg*r while you're at it ? It's just as despicable.

[Tillane]

As a ginge, I have to say...simply...f*** off. Kick a non-ginge day will follow shortly.

There is no excuse for kick a non-ginge day. Which puts it on a par with the original page.

B******s.

[Wybren]

AH I wonder if this was why my radio local radio station did a "Rang-er and proud of it" thing, to counter against the facebook thing. On the way to work the otherday they had all these segments on great red heads and told kids that it was way uncool to pick on people with red hair and got anyone with red hair to call in and were giving out prizes and such.

I really hope that the people responsible and anyone participating in the cruel stunt are held accountable for their actions, there is no excuse for such a stunt and it is not funny.

[Wiglaf]

Why does the UK and the countries who were its colonies in the 19th century hate redheads so much anyway? I know they used to consider Gaels a separate and inferior race and that they were much more likely to have red hair. Is that it? Are you all the same color therefore it is the only way to speedily see a difference?
At least we don't have that problem here; it just seems stupid. I've actually seen beatings and one shooting over red shirts but never red hair.

[Lioness]

I love red hair. The kids who did this are stupid and bloody (sorry if I'm not allowed to say that) inconsiderate.

[pyan]

This was in the Googleads while I was reading this page...

Red and Proud

There's a list of all the things that a red-head girl has been called on that site...makes uncomfortable reading for the thoughtless:

Taunts

[Lioness]

I really can't comprehend what sick delight people get out of picking on redheads. One of my peer's brothers dyed his hair blonde because he was sick of being called 'ranga'
Once upon a time I wouldn't have minded dying my hair auburn but I don't think I want to anymore.

This really does disgust me.

[Wybren]

Yeah, I have never been able to understand it, though when I was a kid, no one that i knew of with red hair was picked on for it, and I always wanted to have red hair just like Frenchy in grease and was sorely disappointed that I had mouse brown hair and my sister got strawberry blonde hair.

[Parson]

I have to agree that no one I knew who had red hair was picked on. Although my wife's grandfather was called "Red" but I always assumed that was ok with him. Maybe not?

Kids will always pick on the "odd" person. Ask kid who is obviously overweight, or the wrong color. Some missionary kids I know in Africa (blond haired blue eyed little girls) have to endure endless touching and rubbing because they "must be black somewhere."

[The Ace]

Yes Parson, but it's unusual to give it official sanction. That's what we're on about here.

It isn't the discrimination, but the fact that a bunch of morons sanctioned it that's upset people, and rightly too.

[Ursa major]

Originally Posted by The Ace

It isn't the discrimination, but the fact that a bunch of morons sanctioned it that's upset people, and rightly too.

...and that Facebook, by doing little or nothing to stop it, has given it wings.





(And now they've made me write something that sounds like an advert for Red Bull ... which is, somehow, kind of appropriate. )