COMBATING BIGOTRY & HATE | NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Bullying By Any Other Name… Is Still Bullying

It’s November, and one of my least favorites days is right around the corner… annual “Kick a Ginger Day.”

Now, let’s just establish this right up front: no one kicks me and gets away with it. I’m a redhead after all and I’m done taking crap over the color of my hair.

And believe me, I’ve taken a lot of crap over the years!

Two readheads — Photo by Ruud Morijn Photographer/Shutterstock.com

Bully: Carrot top!
Me: Carrot tops are green, stupid.

Bully: Pennyhead!
Me: Means money is in my future. What does your brown hair say about yours?

It has been a delightful surprise to see more natural redheads being born, especially because being red was so rare when I was growing up. And even more surprising after reading and hearing for years that the redhead gene will go extinct in a couple hundred years.

All these statements about a hair color. Superstitions, silliness, and downright bullying.

Which leads me back to Kick a Ginger. Wondering what stupid ass came up with this ridiculous day, I did a little research. I was not surprised that this is the stunted brain child of Matt Stone and Trey Parker who are famous for South Park and Book of Mormon, and now Kick a Ginger. They’ve also notably taken a few swipes at my religion. Whatever, right? It’s satire. Satire is funny! Gingers have no souls. Come on, it’s funny!

Yeah, it’s super funny. Can’t wait to explain that to my five-year-old redhead, because I guarantee you some idiot will say something like that to him, and being a sensitive, sweet little boy, he will actually wonder if he is less of a person because of his hair color and because he “has no soul.”

Yeah, it was funny. To them.

An article about redheads targeted on the annual day — An article about kids targeted on the annual day.

So thanks, Matt. Thanks, Trey. Your satire is awesome. Really making a difference in people’s lives, improving the state of things…

Let me define satire: using ridicule, scorn, derision to point out human vice or folly with the intent to shame a person, community, government, or corporation to change.

So because I am a redhead, I should be shamed into changing? I should be given my own day where assault and battery is okay? And I should just laugh along with others when they joke about my having no soul?

I can deal. I’m a grownup. I’ve had forty years of this B.S. already and am well-versed in the redhead comeback. But my boys aren’t. And the kids who miss the satire don’t think twice about the impact that this bullying has on redheads… because it’s on TV… it’s funny, you know? It’s all just a joke.

Yeah, that’s what the bullies used to tell my parents when I came home in tears. Or the principal. It’s just a joke! They’d claim. It was funny, they’d go on.

Yeah, it was funny. To them.

But replace the word “satire” with bullying and the definition is the same.

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Jenny Good

Jenny Good is a Scientologist and professional writer. She was born in California, raised in Utah and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children.

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