Auburnophobia: what's wrong with having red hair?

While some people’s religious sensibilities are protected by existing blasphemy laws, and racial slurs are rightly outlawed in many contexts, it seems to be open season for redheads these days. And this from supposed post-alternative comedians rather than wannabe Les Dawsons. The worst anti-redhead abuse I’ve experienced to my face was one or two shouts of ‘Oi ginger!’ when I was a kid. But the frequency with which sad television comedians attack red hair is amazing. If it were some other genetically-based feature such as skin colour that they were mocking no doubt there would be an outcry. And for most redheads, at least until they go grey or bald, this is a significant part of their identity. I expect some children are getting bullied or at least losing self-confidence as a direct result of this, and that is sad.

Why the sudden targeting of redheads? Some of the jokes are funny, but not many of them. Where does this auburnophobia spring from? I suspect part of  the answer may be that some comedians are getting scared off one of their usual targets  - religion - because of  public debates about new legislation against inciting religious hatred. Comedian Rowan Atkinson argued publicly about the self-censorship that might result from the law as it was originally proposed. Redheads are probably a safer target for television comedians. But this can't be the whole story…No law against inciting hair-colour hatred seems imminent…

Comments

[Gail Renard]

SIMPLY RED

There’s nothing wrong with having red hair as Van Gogh, Stan Laurel and (I cannot tell a lie) George Washington will tell you. But there’s plenty wrong with having lazy, bad and uninventive comedians which is what you’re describing. All the best comics and satirists will always take risks, which is what nature intended and one of the grandest rights a free society can afford. This is a noble tradition stemming from Aristophanes, via Swift and Twain, to Borat. But let’s look at arguably the bravest stand-up of them all: Lenny Bruce. He believed in repeating obscene and objectionable words in his act so often that they became meaningless sounds which lost their power to wound. As with most things in life, intention is everything and Bruce never intended to incite hatred but provoke enlightenment. His goal was to debunk and deflate words considered degrading, rendering them redundant, which he did better than any Religious Hatred Bill or politician. So perhaps that’s the route you should be prepared to take with redheads. Arm yourself with clever, well written, dare I say gingerly chosen material, and I for one will applaud you at the Palladium.

Of course there’s nothing more heart-breaking than a bullied child, of any hair colour, and I feel for you as a self-professed redhead , but I doubt there’s any conspiracy theory calling for the attention of Oliver Stone… and I believe Sherlock Holmes found the League of Red Headed Gentlemen a bit of a damp squib as well. I think you have far more to fear from being bored by untalented comics than you have of being taken away in the dead of night by Auburnophobics to be tarred, feathered and Clairol-ed. So hold your redhead up high, and be glad you’re not left-handed as well… oops! Or are you?

[Oneb]

In response to your question "Where does this auburnophobia spring from?", I think it's the archaic and superficial association of fair skin/ginger hair with weakness and sickness, or in other words - the translucency of skin determines the proximity of the essential blood to its potential loss, and a full head of black hair may change to the colour of ginger if that man has not seen food for many days, or sees nothing more frequently than but a usual meagre portion.

[matt]

im a ginger and were friggin awesome people just have a problem with things that are different

[melissa]

i think people are just jelous wen they call you red head ir ginger minger just say get over it that is what u do

RED HAIR IS AWSOME all you people outt there that make fun of them are stupid and jelouse red heads are sexy and gorgeous so back off of them its just a hair colour how would you feel if red heads pickd on blonds or blacks or bruinettes? you wouldnt like it so STOP NOW!!!!! its childish.

[Tilly]

I'm left handed and i have red hair :S

[Nigel Warburton]

Good combination! I'm auburn and left-handed too - perhaps we should start a society of left-handed redheads...Nigel (aka Virtual Philosopher)

[Katherine]

I'm a red head (the blond copper version) and would like to pass on some thoughts. The people who normally 'joke' about red hair are in-fact just being plain nasty. They will normally find something bad about most peoples' appearance in order to get an applause. Think about it, most people look rough at some time in the day (or permanently!) including us redheads. Its during those 'rough' minutes the jokers can concoct their notes! So what! We could make notes too (big nose, pug face, beady eyes, hairy nostrels,corned beef skin etc etc). We could 'start' on these nasty people but we don't.

The fact is all shades of red hair are stunning, adding colour and vibrancy to one's appearance as though the sun were illuminating it. Titian and Rossetti knew all about the beauty of red hair. In an age where Streaks, gel and all that is fake are 'in' red hair will, for now, be overlooked.

One thing that puzzels me is that none of us can help the colour of our skin, and there are laws to protect us all from discrimination. Since hair is dead skin why are us redheads not protected from abuse since, well, its inherited from our 'RACE'

[Becky]

I am left-handed. I am Female. I have treacle-coloured red hair. I am a 'Fire-horse in the Chinese horoscope. I am a Leo, with Leo ascending, and I am an Artist, and I have Romany ancestors. I am everything that is considered unworthy, in this culture and others.
I have been put through the mill, but I'm still here. Ugliness comes from within, whatever colour you are.

[Bridgette Carroll]

I'm not a redhead,but i really want to be! I will be getting light aubrun put in my hair on my birthday! At the moment i have reddish brown hair,natural red highlights,and freckles.For some reason,i am ashamed to have freckles.I really hate it when people tell me my hair looks reddish.REALLY HATE IT! I don't like people joking around with me because of that.But,surprisingly,people have not made fun of me for it.Lucky me! People don't joke around with me like that often.One time someone at my high school told me,"You have red hair.".So basically i wear a red wig until i officially get aubrun or copper red put in my hair.