# Were redheaded infants ever systematically murdered?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-redheaded-infants-ever-systematically-murdered/522917>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 29, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-redheaded-infants-ever-systematically-murdered/522917 "2009-12-29T16:15:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![MJinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MJinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJinks)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-redheaded-infants-ever-systematically-murdered/522917/41 "2009-12-31T14:31:01Z")

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Redheads were commonly targeted for bullying when I was at school in the 80’s/90’s. Kids can be very cruel but I’m sure they were just copying adults. Hopefully most of them outgrew it when they realised how stupid the whole thing was but I’m sure some of them are still around, probably calling people ‘fags’ on forums.

Since leaving school though I’ve never witnessed any anti-redhead sentiment.

I’ll choose to interpret the anti-British comments as tongue-in-cheek though if that’s okay.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-redheaded-infants-ever-systematically-murdered/522917/42 "2009-12-31T17:49:44Z")

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> [@Condescending\_Robot](#):
>
> Given that racism of various kinds and anti-gay bigotry are so prominent in the US, not just among private company but as tools of political discourse, we often forget how far ahead of the backwards European societies we really are. The idea of the British Barack Obama (someone of Indian ancestry, perhaps) rising to PM at this point is ludicrous. Similarly, yes, it really is the case that you will be shut out of prestigious jobs, marginalized in politics, and perhaps even physically assaulted for having red hair in England. We want to believe that this is all “ironic” or joking because we can’t fathom it being true, but just like the Africans who, to this day, murder people for being “witches,” the British really are that uncivilized. It’s something those of us with the tendency to idealize the “progressive” Europeans need to come to terms with.

[Moderator Note]

This kind of broad-brush attack on an entire nationality is out of place in GQ. No warning issued, but let’s keep responses factual.

Colibri  
General Questions Moderator

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**Author:** ![brix11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c37758/32.png) [@brix11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brix11)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-redheaded-infants-ever-systematically-murdered/522917/43 "2010-01-04T16:02:57Z")

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According to family lore, my paternal grandfather had such an aversion to my father’s red hair that he always kept it cropped really, really short. Because of this, he was known as “Butch.”

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