Ginger

Mock someone's ethnicity, religion or sexuality and you could be hauled into court.  Make fun of someone's hair color, though, and it's a harmless joke.


I don't understand, but harassment of male redheads -- gingers -- is rampant in the UK.  This is not some quaint custom from 20 years ago, but alive and well today.  I had the TV tuned to a random channel, and a sitcom repeatedly referred to one of the characters as a 'ginger tosser.'  I found it absolutely repugnant, but this is not only tolerated, but encouraged in the UK.


Nobody seems to know why they are singled out, although red hair is much more prominent in northern Europe than the rest of the world.  Perhaps it's because it's rare enough to be different, but not rare enough to be special--I don't know.  Perhaps it's because red hair is associated with Irish ancestry--and we know how the English have treated the Irish.  In any case, other countries in northern Europe don't have this issue.

So in praise of gingers, here's a link to a project called Ginger Snaps, with some very lovely photos.  (Skip over the first ten or so. The baby in the bathtub is classic.)