Is it offensive to call a redhead a "ginger"?

Is it offensive to call a redhead a “ginger”?

Yes, quite possibly, but the offensive word isn't ginger, it's a.

If you say He's ginger. you're describing a distinctive physical feature. Useful if you want to recognise him on your blind date.

If you say He's a ginger. you're suggesting that his gingerness is his most important quality. This is rarely helpful and, in light of the recent spate of gingers-have-no-friends jokes, best avoided.

If you say He's a “ginger”. with quotes around the word ginger ... well ... that's just off the scale! ;-)

Of course, context is everything:

• For our April issue, I think we should use the ginger for the front cover and the blonde for the centrefold.

OK

• I thank the ginger delegate for the interesting points he raised about the Child Poverty Action Plan.

facetious

Thanks for the question, I think it's a good one. Here's what I think:

1. Alternatives: "Redhead" is right, I think - it seems to be the analogue of "blonde" or "brunette". What you'd be looking for is a straightforward descriptive term, and that would be it. A term like "ranga" obviously has a large (derogatory) evaluative (value judgment) flavour to it: "you've got red hair, and that's a bad thing"; which is obviously the analogue of "you've got black skin, and that's a bad thing."

2. If you follow such an analysis then there is still a case for considering "ginger" to have a strong evaluative flavour. The usage I'm familiar with is "he/she is a ginger" and almost never "he/she has ginger hair." So the implication is a conceptual reduction of the person to "a ginger" rather than someone "with ginger hair". It says "what you are is a ginger." Like saying someone is "a black", and defining what they are by the colour of their skin. Of course, on the same analysis, "ranga" is a terrible word - which is indeed common currency here in Australia (like "bunga", for the indigenous).

But certainly, context is important. As someone mentioned, the history of oppression of darker skinned races makes discriminating along those lines much more severe than discrimination along the lines of hair colour. Still, the analogy between the two is pretty significant. I would certainly never use the word...

It appears to be getting more offensive, and the amount of offence caused seems to be geographic. I think the offence really depends where you are in the world.

After that, it's quite a subjective question.

Here in the UK, it's still quite widely used, but politicians / celebrities that use the phrase (or phrases like it) get criticised. The criticism isn't enough to get someone fired, but an apology is probably needed.

See the recent news article about Harriet Harman calling someone a ginger rodent.

BTW, there's also a fair bit of pushback against how offensive the use of ginger is in comparison to other racial slurs. There's no history of slavery associated with red hair, and this fact is increasingly mentioned in conversations about "ginger".

I don't think this gets to the root (ha) of the issue here in the UK though. Ginger hair is associated with the underclasses. If that association gets stronger, then maybe the word will be seen as being more offensive.

I think the best I can give you is "We'll see".

I know it has been mentioned earlier here, but in the US people really do not use the word "ginger" to describe a person with red hair; that word only became known to Americans because of Harry Potter so it is fairly recent (Trey Parker and Matt Stone ruthlessly capitalized upon it in South Park, but it was around before that thanks to Rowling's books: they did not edit it in the US edition.) More commonly on this side of the pond you'd hear the phrase "carrot top" or ”Titian haired” to describe a redhead, and neither are pejorative.

Another favorite American term is ”firecrotch”, but this term subscribes more to an old cultural belief that redheads are sexy, wild, and vivacious (you'd say it to your lover to flirt or talk dirty; whatever else it should NEVER be directed at someone else's mate lest said mate try to rip you to shreds.) For decades, in stark contrast to the UK stigma, the smoking hot redhead has been a staple of American movies, comics, and cartoon for generations. Jessica Rabbit, Christina Hendricks, Poison Ivy, Rita Hayworth, Ariel the Mermaid, Nicole Kidman: they are proof Americans worship fiery locks (Jessica Rabbit's sizzling rendition of Why Don't You Do Right? launched many a young American lad into puberty and 20 years later their adult selves still peek at it, drooling.) Several Hollywood actresses have payed thousands of dollars to get that coppery cascade of curls, among them Amy Adams and Emma Stone, and lately the boys have been getting in on the action: one of the sexiest men in Hollywood right now is Damian Lewis, who women swoon over.

Yes, use of the term ginger is offensive. As a natural redhead, I am highly offended at the use of the word ginger, freck (referring to freckles), red, carrot top, ranga or any other term that people may come up with to refer to us. Verbal abuse is never ok....