JACKIE ALBRECHT NEWS EDITOR
A few years ago I was caught off guard by an accusation from one of my friends. He alleged that I was a Ginger, and therefore had no soul.
Although taken aback by what I considered to be quite the extreme falsity, I explored the rationale behind his unwarranted statement.
I learned that I supposedly had no soul (solely) due to characteristics beyond my control: my fiery red hair, pasty white skin color and plethora of freckles.
Some may see the correlation as an epitomic logical fallacy (and I wouldn’t disagree), but the association of redheads having no souls is the result of a 2005 episode of “South Park”, in which a character theorizes that redheads, or Gingers, are soulless, inherently dumb, disgusting and unable to survive in the sunlight.
While that’s definitely not the nicest theory I’ve ever heard, I can’t say it has truly offended me.
One, I’ve become habituated to the term due to the frequency of which I hear it. Two, I don’t feel the people calling me a Ginger are truly saying it to be demeaning. Three, I know that I do, in fact, have a soul and have been able to survive almost 21 years in the sun.
Even though it doesn’t bother me, I do think it sheds light onto what our society has become accustomed to in regards to the regular use of offensive language.
Individuals use the word ‘Ginger’, or harsher names, knowing full well what connotative definitions encompass them.
Indirectly, I assume they also realize their word choice could be demeaning to a particular group of people. Yet these words are still used in conversation.
In high school, if someone were to call me a ‘whore’, this Ginger probably would’ve snapped at someone. Yet now, I just assume people are being sarcastic.
When did it become OK to casually call someone a ‘whore’ or ‘slut’ in everyday conversation? People use these words (and others far worse) as though they hold no connotative meaning.
Although your close friends may understand you are kidding, what if you say it to someone who takes it personally?
What can you say to remedy that? “Oh sorry, my bad”?
I think society needs to be more cautious with what words we allow into our own personal dictionaries.
To echo a lesson we all learned in Kindergarten, name-calling just isn’t nice.
In the fast-paced world we live in today, we need to stop and think. We need to think about the context of our conversations, think about the people who will hear our word choices and think about the effects it could have.
Like I previously mentioned, I don’t take offense when I’m told I have no soul, but other redheads may, just as others could be offended with a different word you choose to use.
Whatever language you choose to use is your own decision. I just urge you to think before you speak.
Now... as far as Gingers are concerned, you should be nice to us anyway. Supposedly we’re going to become extinct by 2100. Enjoy having us around while you can. We add some spice (perhaps of the ginger variety) to the world, don’t you think?