Kick a Ginger Day Sparks Police Investigation

by Roger Sinasohn (Subscribe to Roger Sinasohn's posts) Nov 23rd 2008 1:00PM

Categories: Teens & tweens, In The News, That's Entertainment

First there was the "Hit a Jew Day" and now, sadly, there is "Kick a Ginger Day". Based on a South Park episode wherein a character describes redheads as evil and soulless, the idea was launched as a facebook group by a fourteen-year-old Vancouver, B.C. boy. The group has more than five thousand members.

The boy has apologised and said it was only meant as a joke, but that is likely small comfort to those who suffered attacks because of the site. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is investigating incidents and says that kids who took part could face charges. "We do treat this sort of thing seriously," said RCMP Constable Tammy Douglas. "This is sort of inciting hate. It's a hate crime, really."

I have to agree with Constable Douglas. This sort of thing is thoroughly unacceptable and if kids are unable to distinguish the difference between a satirical cartoon and what is acceptable in the real world, then they are simply not mature enough to watch a show like South Park. Period.

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Comments (8)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

2Joys 11-23-2008 @ 8:51PM

As a redhead I am completely shocked by this! I am relieved that no one tried to kick me on that day. I will never understand how people can be so mean to fellow human beings just because they have a feature that makes them unique.

Anthony Carlyle 11-24-2008 @ 8:07PM

I'm a redhead and the day was amazingly fun. Jokes are jokes, nothing serious about it.

ginger Liu 11-30-2008 @ 5:53PM

I'm a redhead and growing up at school in England is tough for a "ginger." We suffer relentless name calling and teasing that pours into adult life with repeated shouts of "Fergie." I learned to be tough at school. In America, redheads are loved. All bullying is wrong. Yes, I do have a sense of humor but there are plenty of children out there who suffer daily at the hands of school bullies. There should be no tolerance.

hall monitor 11-23-2008 @ 11:25PM

Kids are great at being able to belittle classmates for absolutely no justified reason.

Hall Monitor
http://detentionslip.org

Kirstie 11-24-2008 @ 2:44PM

I can't see pressing charges against the kid who started the joke. South Park is a popular show, and ginger hate is a common joke ... emphasis on joke!

I'm a redheaded freckled ginger kid myself, and I often make jokes about having no soul .. but then, my friends and I all enjoy South Park, and I highly doubt any of my friends would kick me in any real seriousness. I got a kick or two on Thursday from my roommate and my boyfriend, but I was certainly not victimized .. none of us are thirteen, though. We're (slightly) more mature .. I guess . .

caleb 11-25-2008 @ 8:24AM

im a red head to and personally this is bull i mean just because the color of the hair people get to kick us red heads

caleb 11-25-2008 @ 8:30AM

i mean sure i can see it a like a joke but when a red head has brusis from it like theres the point where it is still a joke and theres a point where is not anymore

Larry 1-06-2009 @ 2:52AM

Bias against red-heads is so strange! I guess it's just the primal instinct to find somebody "different," and gang up on them, like a hen "pecking party" (where they arbitrarily choose one chicken to gang up on and peck to death). Or maybe it's plain jealousy?

I once knew a girl with red hair -- a GLORIOUS redhead -- who fretted about what to say when her classmates taunted, "I'd rather be dead than red in the head." I told her to taunt them right back, "I'd rather be red, than dead in the head." I don't know if it helped.

Bullies are bullies, I guess. But I think redheads are beautiful. Mark Twain liked them too (he was one). He once mentioned a girl he knew who had "Corinth hair" (or some city -- I forget). Thay asked him what he meant, and he said, "You know -- Corinth. It's about twenty miles past Auburn."

Those girls with hair "20 miles past Auburn" -- they kill me.

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