Redhead World on Facebook and Twitter

 

You can now join our to show support for the site if you happen to be on there.  It's primarily a portal for getting existing Facebook users to our site, but we will try to keep our news updated on there as well.

 

Redhead World now has a too.

Photographers once again gather in London to protest being treated as Terrorists

 

I've been meaning to spread word about this for a bit.  There is a fairly scary movement in regards to some of the overcompensation paranoia of terrorism that is targeting photographers, press, and free speech in general.  Laws in the U.K., U.S. and elsewhere are eroding the rights of photographers, both press and citizen.

 

Today, January 23, the website "I'm a Photographer, not a Terrorist" (http://photographernotaterrorist.org/) is holding another protest in Trafalgar Square at noon.  So if you're a Londoner with a camera and want to preserve free speech, please support this movement!

 

The gathering is similar to one organized last year in front of Scotland Yard to protest additional laws to Section 44 of the Terrorism Act making photographing the police or PSCO's illegal in the UK.  This obviously puts the public at risk against police brutality and misbehehavior.  It also jeopordizes the press's ability to do their jobs in covering news and acting as a watchdog.

 

This year's event is particularly in response to several of the high profile cases that have occurred such as "detaining an award winning architectural photographer in the City of London, the arrest of a press photographer covering campaigning santas at City Airport and the stop and search of a BBC photographer at St Pauls Cathedral and many others."  This is all in addition to daily stopping, detaining, fining, and even arresting of citizen and tourist photographers in the U.K.

 

You may wonder why a U.S. citizen is keeping such a close watch on this U.K. news.  Sadly, the U.S. is using the U.K. as an example and drafting it down this civil rights hole.  Photographers on both continents are well aware of this growing myth, purported by our governments, that taking photographs is somehow "wrong" or "suspicious," even of normal tourist destinations.

 

Carlos Miller is a photojournalist in the U.S. who's blog focuses on the eroding rights and sentiments towards photographers and journalists.  He also delves into other freedom of speech / first amendment cases and police misconduct.  He was recently interviewed on a Chicago radio station in regards to new dispicable Chicago Transit Authority posters that tell riders to "call 911" if they see "excessive photography/filming" - whatever that is.  This is despite the CTA's own website specifically allowing photography.

 

I could go on-and-on, but instead I'll leave you with a list of blogs for more information.  I will however, add one more example.  Last year, a man was arrested for photographing Amtrak trains.  Why was he acting so suspiciously?  He was a railfan photographing trains...for an Amtrak photography contest to win a trip on Amtrak.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Nailed 'Em - Amtrak Photographer
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

 

 

Photography Rights Websites

• http://carlosmiller.com
• http://photographernotaterrorist.org/
• http://www.nycphotorights.com/ - War on Photography blog
• Photography is not a Crime Flickr Group
• http://discarted.wordpress.com/
• http://thomashawk.com/

 

When is Hug a Ginger Day?  Ginger Awareness Day?

Redhead Counter-movement is Passionate but not Unified

 

In my past blog, I noted how despite growing redhead movements and events, the worldwide community of redheads is still quite scattered.  Word has barely gotten around about a new redhead scholarship.  Roodharigendag / Redhead Day in the Netherlands has attracted thousands of redheads from countries around the globe, but your average redhead on the street probably hasn't heard of it - depite media coverage.  And those few who are familiar with Roodharigendag probably have not heard of previous redhead festivals in Russia or elsewhere.  I was even surprised myself by finding remarks of redhead conventions as far back as the 80's.

 

Recent blogs and passionte comment threads on the Gingerism blog demonstrate there are many differing opinions on even what gingerism or "redism" is.  Is it racism?  Is "ginger" itself a deragatory word?  There's apparently quite a bit to discuss in that regard, but I'll save that for another article.  I want to focus on simply bringing together all redheads to the same table first.

 

Redhead World has been hit by search queries asking "when is 'Hug a Ginger Day' 2010"?  Sadly, we've gotten queries still searching for "when is 'Kick a Ginger Day'"?  If you're not already familiar with "Kick a Ginger Day," it's a day originating in Canada on a Facebook group in 2008 ().  November 20 was picked as a day to kick anyone with red hair.  The inspiration comes from the "Ginger Kids" episode of "South Park" by completely ignoring the very moral the episode teaches.  A brave redhead took over the Facebook group and converted it to "Hug a Ginger Day," a day to celebrate people with ginger hair, rather than kick them.

 

Universal Multiversal Hug a Ginger Day - November 20

The as discussed in the previous Hug a Ginger Day blog took over the November 20 day in a straightforward way.  It seemed a good way to turn a negative into a positive, and the group gained over 1,500 members.  There was also significant media coverage in 2009 after the beatings, arrests, and harassment that took place that day.  Redhead World reported on it as well.

 

Facebook Group

 

Hug a Ginger Day - December 8 (2009)

Violence spread on the 2nd annual Kick a Ginger Day in 2009, particularly the more severe redhead beatings in Calabasas, California where arrests were made.  Clearly, some did not get the message of the day being overtaken by Hug a Ginger Day.  So another Calabasas high school senior, Andrew Cohen, created a Hug a Ginger Day on December 8 with a Facebook event gaining over 3,000 attendees (the event has since expired).  This event got a lot more publicity following the violence, and gave a breather for redheads and supporters needing to regroup after November 20.

• KTLA reports on Hug a Ginger Day couter-movement
• A shirt printing business with many redhead staff joined in on Hug a Ginger Day
• Daily News reports on Hug a Ginger Day

 

Facebook Groups

 

National Ginger Awareness Day - February 22 (Scotland - U.K.)

As I was researching the news on what I thought were the top two contenders for Hug a Ginger Day, I found one from the U.K. - National Ginger Awareness Day on February 22.  Ginger Awareness Day has even made it to Urban Dictionary, with only a little support.  The origins of this day are a little murky though.

 

Facebook Group

Facebook Events

 

Other Contenders

There's a couple of bloggers who have or .  There's also a small parade of YouTube videos of students celebrating Hug a Ginger Day on several other days in December 2009 and January 2010.  This all goes to show a day or two need to be picked to focus our efforts.

 

Redhead Festivals as Redhead Awareness Day?

The big redhead festivals can't be forgotten in a discussion of redhead awareness days.  After all, the biggest to date, Roodharigendag, means "Redhead Day" in English and showcases a lot of redhead love.  This gathering having grown to 2,000+ redheads per year from the first celebration of the first weekend in September started in 2005.  Then there is the other September of the Udmurt people of Russia, "Рыжий фестиваль" - the "Red Festival" or "Redhead Festival."  The annual festival in Izhevsk has been held since 2004 among the ethnic group who may counter the Scots' claim of "most redheaded people in the world."

 

But these festivals are perhaps left best as big celebrations of redheadedness.  Roodharigendag is a weekend festival too, and school students - who are feeling the brunt of Kick a Ginger Day - can't raise awareness on a non-school day.  Though Roodharigendag has reportedly been listed on some calendars in the Netherlands, so maybe the Friday before or Monday after could be celebrated in school?

 

When is Hug a Ginger Day 2010?

So with 2010 already well under way, I think the redhead community needs to decide on a day.  Perhaps each country will have their own day to focus on, but the events of Kick a Ginger Day were felt beyond Canada and the U.S. in 2009, so an international day might be observed.  In terms of raw media coverage and Facebook support, it would appear December 8 has the largest following already.  As I can't follow non-English sources as closely, do you know of any other redhead awareness days?  What do you think should be the day?

 

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And if you aren't a member of Redhead World - Join Today for Free!  You can stay informed on redhead news, redhead gatherings and festivals, and make new redhead friends.

The legendary Redhead Scholarship for red hair is not a myth - at least not anymore.

 

There are a few things I do find frustrating.  One is the fragmentation of the redhead community worldwide, but that's getting better everyday through big-name events, redhead days and festivals, and media coverage.  Another is urban myths, especially ones that can be harmful.  Fortunately, some redheads of the online community will help bust some redhead myths in late January.

 

 

The Former Myth

One persistant urban myth or urban legend over the years has been the elusive "redhead scholarship" or "scholarship for people with red hair."  Oh, you could scour the search engines.  All you would find is a bunch of redheads asking, "where is the redhead scholarhip?"  That question has gone all over Yahoo Answers.  There's blogs and forums full of comments and conjecture.  Some people proposed that the myth was grounded somewhat in reality; that people referred to scholarships where the surname was "Redhead" (and indeed there are such scholarships).  A formerly prominent redhead social network even says in their FAQ that a red hair scholarship is a myth.

 

 

The Hunt

So as I came across an article and newscast clip with the sensational title "Redheads, air guitarists can find college scholarships in Colorado" I was mixed between hope and frustration.  The scholarships mentioned, such as left-handed people and air guitarists, are very easy to find, but no where did they say where the redhead scholarship was.  I checked the site that the news centers on, www.collegeincolorado.org, and searched for anything red-related I could think of.  Nothing.

 

A letter soon followed to their PR department, perhaps heaping it on a bit with "in an age of growing gingerism" that jerking around redheads for media sensationalism is not good, though "I'd be tickled to be proved wrong" about a redhead scholarship.  Well, I commend the College in Colorado site's PR head for getting back to me (and promptly at that).  Though they did not know where the redhead scholarship was either, they did provide additional help in searching their database and another example of a left-handed scholarship.  They also referred to the news station, as it is the reporter that mentions "redhead" and not the CiC member in the interview.  Still no redhead scholarship in their database though.  Perhaps there could have been one in years past, but as they say on Wikipedia, "citation needed" or in other words "show me the money."

 

It charged me up though.  I felt ready for another go.  I had a bit more failure at Google-fu.  But I remembered my rule, when Google-fu fails - use Yahoo-fu, because Yahoo will index even the most obscure pages on the internet.  A few searches and pages on this latest attempt at Yahoo and I found that blue hyperlink that almost glowed.

 

 

The Redhead Scholarship

So after all of this fiasco, it comes as no wonder that I was greeted by these words by the author and scholarship creator on the site: 

"There are scholarships out there for everyone! There are even scholarships for Redheads and left handed people!". Well, with hope instilled in me by the scholarship authorities, I scoured the internet in search of the infamous Redhead Scholarship. Well guess what? My high school days are over and I have yet to find this scholarship. I even tried to find to find loopholes in the minority scholarships.

 

Being similarly hacked off about the situation and full of redhead love and ginger well-being, the creator decided to go and make their own redhead scholarship.

 

Redhead Scholarship Website

 

Requirements: The requirements are pretty simple.  You must be a junior or senior in high school in the United States.  Grades above 2.0 are acceptable, but there will be some focus on academic standing.  There are two main criteria.  You must submit two photos proving you are a natural redhead.  The most important criteria is to submit something describing what being a redhead means to you - "academic essay, drawing, or YouTube video."  This component is anything goes and creativity and redheadedness are the important things. 

Amount: $250

Deadline: March 31, 2010

Winner Notified: May 1, 2010

 

So give it a go all U.S. high schoolers and please spread the word to any redheads you know or parents of redheads!  We'll make this a hard choice to make.

 

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And if you aren't a member of Redhead World - Join Today for Free!  You can stay informed on redhead news, redhead gatherings and festivals, and make new redhead friends.

The News Tribune Follow-up Shows Experiences of Redheads

 

You may recall Chazz's blog awhile back that pointed to The News Tribune call for experiences of being a redhead, the good and the bad.  Well, I found the follow-up article and have finally gotten around to posting it.

 

"From the Mouths Of Redheads"

The article contains about 30 people's responses with about 2 quotes per person.  The men, women, and children range in age from 6 to 90.  And, totally making my day, the responses are overwhelmingly positive.  There's a few "well, I got teased" or "there's a downside to red hair" but it's always followed by a big "but."  The attractive allure of red hair is not in short supply either.  These redheads really love their locks!  Quite a good read.

 

Now if we can just let them all know about our community. 

Newspaper Ad is Second Recent Instance of Media Gingerism

 

Britain was forced to ban a newspaper ad that implied dating a redhead was a losing proposition by implying they are unattractive.  The ad is for a TV show.

 

Full article at The Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/16/britain-bans-anti-redhead_n_394494.html

 

Adam Savage & Kari Byron must be working to bust some redhead myths!  They want 25 natural redheads from the San Francisco area that are available for 4 hours on January 21, 2010.  No payment, but they will get a free t-shirt.

 

The fact that they are also looking for women who have done natural childbirth around the same time makes me wonder though, are they looking into the pain myths that have been studied recently by scientists?

 

There's been quite a lot of retweeting and some enthusiastic responses, even by redheads outside San Fran.  But they insist, you must be living in their home base.

 

Twittered on the , January 5, 2010 - 18:00 GMT 

MB needs 25 NATURAL REDHEADS. 18yrs + & avail in SF 1/21 for 4 hr. No $ but free T-shirt. (Email contact removed.)

 

UPDATE: MythBusters Pain Episode with Redheads airs April 28, 2010 with possible Redhead World member appearance 

Help a Redhead Escape Prison to be Home for Christmas in new Flash Game

 

A new redhead flash game for 2009 features a redheaded, troubled heroine.  She wants to escape prison to be home for Christmas.  Follow the clues, search and pick up needed items, and unlock the puzzles to distract the guards.

 

Hint: Redheads are easy to remember!

 

Redhead Prison Escape

This week through December 15, the U.K.'s "Strawberry Bus" gives free fare to those with red hair!

 

A family-owned bus company created to connect three cities northwest of Liverpool, England, United Kingdom is not only making commuters smile since its debut November 16, 2009.  Starting this week through December 15, 2009, the Strawberry Bus is offering free tickets to ride for redheads! 

 

The Strawberry Bus's 1-line of service provides connections from Warrington, up to St. Helens, and ending at Skelmersdale.  The trip is about 90 minutes end to end with several stops along the way.  It operates for most of the day, Monday-Saturday.

 

 

Another article on the Free Redhead Rides:

• Free Bus Travel for Gingers

 

Last year on this U.S. Thanksgiving day, a certain redhead performed the ultimate Rick Roll.

 

Yes, the terrific 80's performer and redhead, Rick Astley, brought us the hits "Never Going to Give You Up" (which became #1 in 1988) and "Together Forever."  As I'm sure all of you know by now, his big hit was turned into a somewhat strange internet meme courtesy of the crazy people at 4chan - the "Rick Roll."  And if you've been under a rock for years, a "Rick Roll" is where someone posts a link to something tantalizing in description only to find the music video, or some derivative of, "Never Going to Give You Up."

 

It spread across the internet, in places such as Fark.com threads.  As it's popularity grew, you found new forms and humor regarding it:

 

xkcd comics:

But Rick Astley can always get you back:

 

 

On April 1st, 2008, April Fools Day, Youtube did the best to date, posting this video on the front page:

 

BUT, the ultimate was yet to come.  In the greatest meetup of internet meme and pop culture, that 2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade topped the whole event - the greatest Rick Roll in history, performed live by none-other than the redhead 80's icon himself. 

 

I'll back up for a moment though.  I'm sure most of you already know the story of Thanksgiving in the U.S. (celebrated a month earlier in Canada), giving thanks for survival of the pilgrims, coming together of different peoples in peace, etc.  Well, the U.S. Thanksgiving is marked 1st by togetherness and family, 2nd by turkey, and 3rd by the Macy's parade in New York, featuring floats, performers, and lots of gigantic helium balloons.  So when the following happened:

 It was truly Rick Rolling the whole United States, and through the power of the internet, the whole world!

 

Thank you Rick Astley, a redhead who created a #1 hit, that through very weird circumstances, will never be forgotten.

 

Happy U.S. Thanksgiving, Redhead World!