'Ginger Day' ATTACKS: Boys Arrested For Bullying Redheads

CALABASAS, Calif. - Three boys have been arrested for investigation of bullying red-haired students after a Facebook message promoted "Kick a Ginger Day" at a Southern California school.

Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Monday that two 12-year-olds were arrested for suspicion of misdemeanor battery, and a 13-year-old was booked for misdemeanor cyberbullying. They were released to their parents.

A total of eight boys are suspected in the Nov. 20 attacks on seven students at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas.

Authorities believe the shoves and kicks were prompted by a message referring to a "South Park" episode satirizing racial prejudice.

Nobody was seriously hurt.

A message left for the school superintendent was not immediately returned.

Comments

[HBHB]

08:43 PM on 11/30/2009

How is this raciaI? People with red hair are their own race? That's total news to me. Do they have their own reIigion too? And what in the world is misdemeanor cyberbullying? Is that an actual crime written in the law books? These kids are 12-13 years old. Bullying is a natural part of childhood. It is, deal with it. In my high school they had freshman wedgie week. Everyone, no matter how "cool" you were got caught. It happened years before my time and still goes on today.

[who38]

08:50 PM on 11/30/2009

So, if these kids had been bullied for being Latino, Jewish, evangelical, they wouldn't have been charged with a hate crime? It would have been a natural part of childhood? You betcha.

Maybe if your high school had not had freshman wedgie week, you might have grown into a more mature person. Please help us out by naming your high school.

[Turtleposer]

09:25 PM on 11/30/2009

Race? No. However, we don't want folks being targeted for abuse for any reason. For that matter, picking on Volvo drivers isn't any more justifiable. I'd be pretty scared if I were the mother of a redhead.

[who38]

01:32 PM on 12/01/2009

I hope that they hire private security guards to monitor their children's safety at school. It would be a legitimate expense to be included in the civil suits to follow. With luck, and a good attorney, the civil suits of the victims involved will result in the perps' parents having a significant economic loss, maybe even enough so that they will have to move to a different community. That would solve the problem for those "gingers". Of course, the school district is in jeopardy as well.

[southwindow]

08:09 PM on 11/30/2009

This is why I don't watch South Park anymore. Their core audience doesn't understand satire, and simply emulate cartman and embrace the things that episodes supposedly lampoon. A recent episode involved the use of anti-gay slur in reference to annoying motorcyclists (a satirical attempt to de-legitimize the term). The irony is typically lost on middleschoolers, which is what happened here.

[gbee]

09:29 PM on 11/30/2009

Not true, most of their core audience "gets it," otherwise there would be way more of this stupidity afoot. What's sad is that there really ARE Cartman's out there, who only need the slightest excuse to direct their anger at ANYONE different than themselves. Next time maybe South Park should direct these fools' attention to something inanimate and red, like a brick wall - something that will hit back just as hard and as senselessly.

[schmuckwithearlaps]

08:06 PM on 11/30/2009

I think this subject is more serious than most people think. Throughout history, it did not take much of an excuse to get people to commit violence against a certain group that could be distinguished from the majority by race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. What is interesting here is that the "permission " given to the bullies was so small and absurd but it was nevertheless enough to peel off the thin layer of civilized conduct. Just a rumor, or something on the Internet that tomorrow is "beat up kids with glasses" or "punch girls who wear green skirts" is enough to move some people over that microscopic border between disclipline and savage behavior. This scares me when people like Glenn Beck are giving angry and confused Americans "permission" to engage in acts of violence against anyone Beck and the far right disagree with. That may be all it takes to cause a major tragedy.

[HBHB]

08:47 PM on 11/30/2009

If this was the case you wouldn't even have been able to type your comment because a mob would be breaking into your house trying to kiII you.

[ajiav]

07:28 PM on 11/30/2009

At first when I scanned the article I thought it said A.E. Waite Middle School *slaps forehead.*

[csmcmillion]

07:16 PM on 11/30/2009

redhead /= ginger

Ginger is actually the result of a mutation on the genome.

[Elizabeth75]

06:35 PM on 11/30/2009

As a redhead I just wanted to express my appreciation for the caliber of discussion here. Also the carpet matches the drapes. The carpet matches the drapes. The carpet matches the drapes. I'm not sure that I answered all of those questions but if any remain, please see above.

Why its such an issue, I'll never know. If that freaks you out, sleep with a brunette or a blonde.

Also the hair under my arms matches. So with my shirt off, I look like I have CarrotTop in a head lock:) Once again, if you're not into that, sleep with a brunette or a blonde. Or a woman who shaves her armpits.

On a more serious note, I have to ask - Should we really all look the same? Because that's what this is about. Diversity. Why are people bothered so much by someone who looks different? There are plenty of Carmen Electras and Pamela Andersons in the world. And there are plenty of us who think they look boring.

[VirginiaJeff]

06:45 PM on 11/30/2009

I think the overwhelming majority of guys think redheads are sexy.

As for picking on people who look "different," all a bully needs is an excuse -- someone who's dressed unusually, has a different soundeding name, has an accent -- within a given group. It's especially noticed in school ... and in presidential elections.

[pseudohuman]

07:24 PM on 11/30/2009

"Carpet matches the drapes"

pic or it didn't happen!

Also I miss the days of our vulnerable school children emulating Beavis and Butthead... those where the good 'ol day.

[Master Sensei]

06:16 PM on 11/30/2009

I don't find South Park funny or clever. It's exceedingly crass and it's for simpletons.

[Republicrat1776]

07:06 PM on 11/30/2009

either that, or it's so clever that its humor goes over the heads of simpleton viewers....just sayin'

[who38]

08:51 PM on 11/30/2009

Which pretty much describes the perps.

[csmcmillion]

07:17 PM on 11/30/2009

Which is a clear indication much of the more sophisticated humor is over your head.

[smacarol]

06:01 PM on 11/30/2009

Doesn't anybody see that using "ginger" was a way for South Park to talk about the N word that has the same letters in it?
Or does only Glenn Beck think about how rearranging letters can give new meaning, and links, to two words?
Of course Glenn Beck would have misspelled ginger and/or the N word.
The South Park satire had nothing to do with redheads really--I'm sure the creators were shocked that their satire was taken literally and redheads were attacked.
Mad world.

[overcat]

06:42 PM on 11/30/2009

I think you're wrong about that. South Park has been skewering virtually everyone and everything for over a decade now. It is not for the easily offended and is definitely not for children. They satirize on a "nothing is sacred" basis - race, religion, social class, gender, political affiliation, age, pop culture and on and on. While it is crass and sarcastic, I've never seen it as hateful. They seem to take special delight in making fun of hypocrisy and double standards, and they do so frequently. The Ginger episode was making fun of Cartman's all too common inability to empathize with and willingness to vilify people who are different in some way from himself, as are a good many other episodes.

It's not for everyone, and kids, who usually can't read between the lines and take things literally when they're not meant literally, really shouldn't be watching it. That's a parenting issue.

[pakaal]

08:11 PM on 11/30/2009

I've heard English people mock (albeit jokingly) "gingers" and I get the sense that's part of the commentary. But it's clear there's a broader meaning. Too bad the kids in the article didn't quite get it.

[VirginiaJeff]

05:53 PM on 11/30/2009

Considering the screening technology used by HP & other sites for comments, I don't understand why Facebook can't establish some basic screening of its page titles. Especially since this has happened before.

[who38]

08:52 PM on 11/30/2009

It is a common problem for many school districts. One student becomes the scape goat for whatever reason and often must leave the school in order to survive.

[jasonfebery]

05:30 PM on 11/30/2009

Seems a little bit excessive to arrest a 12-year-old for bullying. I'm certainly not justifying what the kids did, but I think the situation could have been handled better.

http://www.jasonfebery.wordpress.com

[DovS]

06:21 PM on 11/30/2009

A 12-year-old may not be able to bully you but they would have little trouble bullying someone their own age or younger. The arrest seems excessive but I have sometimes been shocked to hear just how extreme the actions of some children can be.

[alysheba 3]

08:01 PM on 11/30/2009

Sorry, but I don't think it is excessive. Obviously these kids see nothing wrong with attacking someone just because they are different. If anything less would have worked don't you think the message would have otten through by now with all the stuff out there supposedly working against these actions?

It's time that kids be held socially responsible for their actions.

[who38]

08:56 PM on 11/30/2009

If these youths were charged with a misdemeanor by this particular police force, you can be assured that they would have been charged with a felony most other places. This area is proud of its low crime rate which raises the real estate values. Lots of things are overlooked. Of course, this particular department is under scrutiny for "losing " a person that they arrested and released but has not been heard of since. That was a month ago.

[SonofLiberty1]

08:08 PM on 11/30/2009

You were never bullied.

[Elbrando]

05:07 PM on 11/30/2009

Who would let their child watch South Park? That show is for adults and I mean the emotionally competent adults.

As far as red heads go, they are hot hot hot HOT. Nothing puts a turbo-charge in my accelerator like a redhead.

[sloreader]

08:04 PM on 11/30/2009

muy infuego.

[who38]

08:59 PM on 11/30/2009

Overworked, negligent parents?

[RightWingMarine]

04:48 PM on 11/30/2009

cyberbullying makes as much sense as hate crimes legislation but is a more direct assault on our freedom of speech.

[hellameangirl]

06:00 PM on 11/30/2009

? I don't even know what that is supposed to mean.

[Sing Out and Slap Iron]

06:12 PM on 11/30/2009

He's a jarhead. He has a limited ability to articulate his meaning.

[muscleboundH]

04:45 PM on 11/30/2009

Kids beat up on other kids because their parents have FAILED them. It's the PARENTS who should be reprimanded here. People need to take responsibility for their actions or lack thereof: the child for beating up on other kids and the parent for failing to teach their child that beating up on other kids is wrong.

[MsGray]

04:35 PM on 11/30/2009

This smokin' hot redhead thinks it's probably just a jealousy thing.

[Politiqo]

04:35 PM on 11/30/2009

But does the carpet match the drapes?

[TheGuyontheCouch]

06:06 PM on 11/30/2009

OMG i wa totally gonn say the samething... Beaten to the punch again...

[sloreader]

08:05 PM on 11/30/2009

Are you as dumb as your doorknob?

[spilkus]

04:30 PM on 11/30/2009

Just one more thing. While I'm not completely red myself, I was raised in a redheaded family and we don't like the terms ginger, red-head, or carrot tops. We prefer the term Fire-Crotch.
And they are sick of being asked if the carpet matches the drapes.

[Politiqo]

04:36 PM on 11/30/2009

Fire-Crotch... BWA HA HA HA HA! Fanned.

[Turtleposer]

09:28 PM on 11/30/2009

LOL. Firecrotch.