“If your young red headed child was rudely called a “ranga” (which I have recently learned it is not a nice word) by someone walking past them on the sidewalk, how would you tell them to? You don’t want them to be beat up by responding, but no response might not be good either.”

This question was recently asked by an American lady living in New Zealand to which several people gave their point of view.

The word “ranga” is an Australian colloquial reference to an orangutan. In Britain red haired people are called ginger and in America red, or carrot top in English speaking countries

Whatever the reference, calling people with a derogatory way for their physical appearance, race, ethnicity, or culture is a vulgar insult and a sign of crass, insensitive ignorance as well as arrogance. It’s basically verbal bullying like calling someone shorty, fatty, skinny etcetera.

Or, demeaning persons for their race such as: nigger or negro for black people, Japs for Japanese people, chinks for Chinese persons, “spick” for Spanish or Mexicans; gringo or yank for Americans, yid for Jews, frog for French people and so on, There lots of such mocking words in many parts of the world, always uttered by people who contemptuously feel superior and in their view: “better”.

Going back to red haired people up to quite recently in the USA and Britain the chances of ginger-haired children being adopted by families were rare just because their hair were red. Luckily this attitude lately has died out with red hair orphans being even welcome by families. A situation also helped by some red-haired people having become rightly famous and prominent in their fields.

However, demeaning red-haired people is only one the many discriminations for a physical trait, or appearance found all over the world.

In Africa, especially in the Sub-Saharan region, native albinos have always been persecuted tortured and even killed or dismembered for the superstitious belief that the brought bad luck.

In the Middle Ages very tall women were tortured and killed because they were accused of witchcraft, while people with disabilities were thought that their condition was a God’s punishment for sin. Even up to the 1930s they were treated unsympathetically or marginalized in many parts of the world.

In Nazi Germany tall Arian people with blond hair and blue eyes were considered the ideal dominant master race, which is odd, considering that Hitler the initiator of the belief, was neither tall, blond or blue eyed and rather unattractive too.

In extremely radical Muslim countries women are rated as second-class citizens that should be seen only by their family, only useful for making children and do house chores. So much so that in public they must be fully covered from head to feet and are even denied education. A rule that is against the teaching of their Koran that stated that women should only cover their heads and shoulder and be able to get education just like men.

Such extreme discrimination it’s a total dehumanization of women that is absurd and regarded as evil by civilized people of other nations

The poisonous attitudes against people with characteristics that deviate from what is commonly regarded as “normal”, or of different gender are the result of prejudices, superstitions, obtuse ignorance and fear of what is seen different. Indeed, they are the very sources of racism, misogyny, ageism, and ethic or gender discriminations

So, to answer the original question of the American New Zealand lady mentioned at the beginning, what is the best way to respond to someone who insults another for the way she or he looks or are?

What the person uttering the insult is expecting is an angry reaction from their victim in order to escalate the situation with further arguments, or even violence.

Therefore, if the insult is uttered by a passerby, as in the case of the question put by the lady at the beginning, the best response is to ignore it and walk on. After all it’s only the insult of a very ignorant person with a bullish behavior, therefore an arrogant coward, since that is what bullies are as they only insult, talk down to people or attack when they feel physically stronger, of socially higher status, or when they are in groups.

If, however is said at a workplace, or school, is to report it to the management or a teacher of head teacher, or if there is no response from them to threaten the insulting person with a court case. To which in all cases they will immediately back off.

As for the receiver of the insults ignoring the abusers develops an immunity to such offences or stoicism, when taking into account the old adage that says: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words don’t hurt me.”

______

From the Book: ‘Women’ Rights and Other Issues’ by Pierrot Armanno.