Schools react to 'Kick a Ginger Day' joke

Schools react to 'Kick a Ginger Day' joke

South Park intolerance satire given a nasty spin

WINNIPEG -- For some, it's a joke. To others, though, it urges violence against a visible minority.
A movement called "Kick a Ginger Day" had many people seeing red yesterday and caused some Manitoba schools to issue stern warnings to students.
The Nov. 20 event was inspired by a South Park episode where one character argues gingers -- people with red hair -- are disgusting, soulless and inherently evil.
"When I first heard about it I didn't know what a ginger was ... but when I started looking into it, it was quite disturbing," said Flin Flon School Division superintendent Blaine Veitch.
After a concerned parent brought Facebook sites promoting the event to the attention of one principal, staff spoke to students at all Flin Flon schools, pointing to historical events where minorities were targeted, such as the Holocaust.
"We do not tolerate bullying," said Veitch.
Two schools within the division also sent letters to parents, advising them about Kick a Ginger Day.
SUSPENDED
"My principal imposed a rule saying that if anyone were to kick a redheaded kid they would be suspended on the spot, with absolutely no chance of an appeal to the school board," said one Hapnot Collegiate student in Flin Flon.
"I think it wasn't meant to be mean-spirited in the beginning. It was intended as a joke at first, but some people definitely took it too far," he said. "Who would of thought it would catch on so much?"
However, the student said he wasn't aware of any redheads being kicked at his school yesterday.
"It's better to react, or overreact, than to do nothing," said Veitch.
Online, people argued for and against the controversial Kick a Ginger Day.
"I have nothing against gingers but (they're) a minority and deserve an ass kicking just for that reason," wrote one male on the Facebook group, National Kick a Ginger Day, which had about 5,000 members as of early last night.
A few individuals kept online tallies as to how many redheads they assaulted throughout the course of the day, while members in Alberta and Newfoundland reported police being called into schools and some kids being suspended or arrested.
Some opposed to the Facebook site went as far as to call it a hate crime.
As the day wore on, it became clear the attention it received far exceeded what creator Jaewon Kim expected.
"I feel bad for the people who were hurt and the people who were offended. I heard that some people were afraid to go to school and I'm very sorry," he wrote in an e-mail to group members.
"I am going to disband this group and I am very sorry for this incident."
Kim's site was still operational at press time.

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