Ginger: A human with pale skin, freckles and red hair
More by Shelby PenfieldNEIRAD enilno edition
“Ginger kids are born with a disease which causes light skin, very red hair and freckles. This disease is caused by ‘Gingervitis’ and it occurs because ginger kids have no souls.” Ever since November 2005 when “South Park” first aired this episode poking fun at redheads entitled “Ginger Kids”, teenagers all over the country began to add fuel to the fiery redhead jokes. Red hair is a minority in society, meaning that it is a trait far less common than blonde, black, or brown hair. While in some school districts bullying against redheads is a light-hearted joke, there are many schools all over the world, where redhead bullying is a more serious problem.
Last November at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas, Calif. three boys were arrested for bullying redheaded students on what was supposed to be “Kick a Ginger Day”. While no one was reported injured, Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said that, “two 12-year-olds were arrested for suspicion of misdemeanor battery, and a 13-year-old was booked for misdemeanor cyber-bullying”. However these boys were later released to their parents. It was found that not only were these three boys suspected of bullying, but a total of eight boys attacked seven redheaded students.
Similarly, last November on “Kick a Ginger Day”, it was reported that a group of kids in Vancouver, Canada spent the day actually kicking and punching “gingers”. A total of 20 kids were suspended from a middle school in this large Canadian town. On Newser.com a 13-year-old redhead named Aaron Mishkin admitted, "I was amazed by the amount of people that kicked me.” He claimed that he had been hit about 80 times as he was walking in the halls from class to class.
Although DHS doesn’t face a problem this pressing when it comes to teasing gingers, Neirad Enilno was curious as to how some of our school’s very own redheads felt about their unique characteristic.
“I don’t know any different. What is it like to not be a redhead? I don’t know,” junior Geoff Hubbard said.
Junior Regan Bolotin said, “We don’t decide what allele we receive in the womb. It’s not our fault we are a recessive failure.” Many may notice that along with their fiery red hair, many redheads often have a humorous side to them as well. Neirad asked the familiar senior James Shanley how he felt about his red hair and he said, “It's like being the only hot kid at a party.”
While it is probably true that his noticeable red hair draws attention in public, Shanley as well as our other fellow DHS redheads know how to laugh at the jokes and comments they receive from their peers daily about their hair.
While there is definitely a witty side to these DHS gingers, a few redheads agreed, “I feel like the first thing people notice about me is my red hair.” Bolotin added, “They need to not judge a book by its red cover.” Freshman Sam Meyjes also claimed, “I feel like people are always looking at me. Sometimes seriously but still joking at the same time.”
Since the airing of “South Park’s” ‘Ginger Kids’ episode, gingers have grown accustomed to being unique. As humans, we often notice what is different, and with redheads making up from two to four percent of the United States population, many often look at this populace with wonder. A solution as to why these DHS redheads feel as if they are constantly being looked at is simply because their red hair is different from more ordinary colors of brown, black or blonde.
Although redheads seem to be a minority in the US, Meyjies claims that “Gingers rock! One day we will rule the world.” Who knows? Maybe one day redheads will dominate the American population.
