I don’t believe this thread got so far without someone linking to the Prejudice song. (Some NSFW lyrics)
I never noticed it being a major issue in my schools, despite ginger being a pretty common term- I had quite a few classmates who’d qualify, but they were all pretty popular, and it never got more than good natured teasing.
Kids who want to bully someone will choose whatever stands out. I’ve always found it odd that kids often get teased about something that - when they grow up becomes very desirable.
I’m pretty sure that the hair dye aisle has about 40% red shades, 40% blonde shades and brunettes get the last 20%.
Namcalb made me laugh. 
I’ll have to ask my mom if she’s heard the term ginger before. She was born redheaded, was left-handed, AND a step-child, all in back-woods Maine in the 50s-60s. She had no chance, and did get called ‘devil-spawn’ a LOT. She’s still left-handed, even though they used to tie her left hand behind her back in order to force her to write the ‘right’ way, but as soon as she could she started dying her pretty auburn hair black.
It’s a joke that I, who haven’t any red hair, ‘borrow’ hers when I colour it auburn.
But that’s been since I was <mostly> grown-up, and if anyone gave me shit for it back in school I’d have punched them in the nose. For my mom.
Haven’t heard that one - and a redhead would also be known as “Bluey”.
I’ve never heard that one.
Yes, I’ve heard of a few Blueys as well.
If you’re a ginger, sperm banks don’t even want you.
I agree with the posters upthread: It’s kids picking on a difference.
My kid hasn’t had Fanta, though I’ve heard the term. She’s auburn, so she gets “ranga” which she’s not fond of.
Here it’s hug a ginger day and she hates that too.
She’s lucky that she gets many compliments about her hair from adults outside of school that mitigate the negative attention from the kids. But she could do without either extreme.
It definitely got more popular after the South Park episode, but it’s been around for a long time as I remember it from when I was a kid.
It’s definitely different from redhead though. Well, more that all gingers are redheads but not all redheads are gingers. As ginger also tends to imply a very orangish color, pale skin, usually with lots of freckles.
I also disagree that it’s a slur. In that sense, it’s sort of like a word like Jew, where it’s only a slur if someone is using it as a slur. But in that sense, unlike anti-Semitism, it’s mostly just kids picking on obvious differences in other kids and most will grow out of that.
Very good point, with auburn hair, my kid very occaisonally gets called a ginger, but usually that’s held in reserve for the lighter hair colours and other kids will correct the name caller “No, not a ginger, a ranga.”
She gets included for hug a ginger day.
It’s often pronounced Ginga (hard G like gun), here, anywhere else?
Since I’m from the US and grew up before South Park (not completely, I think I was in high school when it started), I’ve never been called a ginger. I was made fun of for being a redhead though but it wasn’t so much due to my copper hair as it was due to the fact that I’m the ONLY person in my entire family with this hair. I have a cousin who has auburn hair but other than that, they’re all brown and blond. So for me it was more of a “YOU’RE ADOPTED!!!” thing (I’m not, btw).
I heard that from time to time growing up in Scotland. Or something similar.
I don’t have red hair, though if I attempt to grow a beard it does start turning red. My son is a classic ginger, I guess. He did have some problems with bullying at school, for a while at least, but I think that’s because he’s very small for his age rather than because of his hair.
Both of my kids have red hair, and my daughter hates it to the extent that she dyes her hair black. She has a light complexion so the hair color isn’t very flattering. Sometimes I can talk her into going for a brown with auburn highlights (very pretty) but her default color seems to be black. My son wanted to color his hair for a while due to teasing at school but luckily we were able to talk him out of that.
Our daughter is also left handed, so she was definitely unique. Her eyes are hazel or greenish, depending on what mood she is in. When she’s happy, her eyes take on more of a greenish tinge. I’m serious! She has her own little mood rings or something.
I hate the word ginger. Do you think it’s funny? It’s not. Think you’re being unique? Guess again. Both of my kids have heard it a million times, give it a rest already. They are the only ones on both sides to have red hair and DH and I have big families. Both of my kids need more pain relief (especially at the dentist, Lidocaine does not work well at all for either of them).
There is an international redhead day and I want to take my son. Daughter would probably be horrified by the concept, she always wanted brown hair. International Redhead Day 2011 - Internationale Roodharige… | Flickr
I never heard the term “Ginger” to mean “a person with reddish/orange hair” prior to the South Park “Kick a Ginger” episode. Not once in my whole life. The term was always “redhead.”
Since then “ginger” has been popping up. I’m completely convinced it was the show that made the term popular here.
thank you, Eve. I had no idea this went back so far, or how wrong I have been all these years.
Fanta-pants, rednut, bloodnut and ranga are also common
My goodness! Here I was picturing you as dark skinned and dark haired.
And maybe somewhat shorter than average.
And yet, here you describe yourself as copper-haired.
Well, I am only 5’2" but I positively glow with transparency and when I get into the direct sunlight, my head looks like it’s on fire!
I will never in a million years understand this. Red hair is gorgeous - I’d kill for natural red or ginger hair. And who doesn’t like freckles, they’re darling!
I’m reminded of this interview with Catherine Tate about trying to adopt a cat (sorry about the weird layout of the vid, it was the only one I could find): Catherine Tate - Kitten Problem - J. Ross - YouTube
It’s easy to understand.
Gingers are less common. Children can be cruel bastards and bully those who are different.
Nothing to do with whether it looks good or not.
Author Elinor Glyn (b. 1864, in England) was a redhead, and was teased so mercilessly as a child that she later went on to make many heroines of her novels redheads.
Oh! I just remembered another old song, “Red-Head,” sung by Irene Franklin in the 1910s:
“One night last week our brand-new house catched fire.
Pa says I set it off, but he’s a liar!
A fireman yelled, ‘There’s the flame, boys, see!’
An’ then he turned the hose on me . . .”