Ginger - politically correct?

blitznbobs

blitznbobs

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So let me start with a confession... I love a chestnut... my favourite colour by far and away so I am very biased. I don’t have a chestnut horse at the moment but i do have a red poodle (for once Charlotte Du Jardin copied me )

However some friends and I had a bit of a debate today as I referred to my friend’s chestnut as ‘a ginger’... and I often call the aforementioned poodle the gingerdoodle... it is indeed, in my eyes at least, a term of endearment. However my friend half jokingly said the term is offensive — so in this day and age is calling a chestnut, ‘a ginger’ now an offensive and outdated practice ?
 
I know quite a few red headed humans and I don't think any of them mind being called ginger....I will ask them

I have a platinum blonde friend who has a palomino horse - I often refer to both horse and human as 'blondie'. Is that pc? :oops:
 
DabDab said:
I know quite a few red headed humans and I don't think any of them mind being called ginger....I will ask them
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I couldn't care less. I refer to both the mare and myself as ginger... I suppose it's the context/intent behind it that's offensive rather than the word, but I'm not going to give it too much thought! ;) If I ever called someone ginger and they minded, I'd apologise and not do it again, but I'd still refer to myself as ginger.
 
Dogs are way too sensible to take offence over such rubbish... which is why everyone likes them.
Not sure about horses. Does it look offended in any way? If you feel like it is policing your speech at all, I would suggest you both need to get a grip.
 
Me and my grandkids are red heads and are all called gingers I will add that I am 65 and still have not got a grey hair on my head so there are some advantages. Never been coloured or had special shampoos or treatments as I hate hairdressers with a vengence
 
I used to help at my sons school when he was about 5. There was a boy with bright ginger hair and he almost broke my heart when I asked his name for the library list. He replied (obviously I’ve not used his real name) “I’m Joe Bloggs, the ginger one” without pausing. I thought it very sad that at 5 he was defined by the colour of his hair :(

When my youngest was born he had probably what would be described as strawberry blonde hair. A few people, mostly older looked at him for the first time at commented “eurgh he’s ginger”. I was very offended at that.

However, I don’t think it’s offensive if not meant in a negative way. I have a chestnut mare who I call the ginger witch. I think witch is possibly a more offensive thing to call her, but I doubt she really cares anyway 😀
 
Ginger would have been perfectly polite towards some of the things I got called. Even friends called me carrot top. Ginger owner of ginger pony.
 
I think the offensiveness is when something is described as "a ginger" (for example) rather than "ginger". Putting the "a" in front of it is defining the person rather than just describing an attribute. Bit like how it's fine to describe someone's ethnicity as "black" but to call them "a black" is actually pretty offensive. I think that's where the offence comes into it anyway.
 
I'm a liver chestnut myself and would not take offence being called a ginger, though most refer to me as Auburn...
I love a good chestnut, my first big horse was actually named Ginger, so no problem calling him a ginger!!!
 
CMcC said:
I once referred to someone’s pedigree Maine Coon cat as ginger. I was told in very snooty terms that he was not ginger, he was red. Looked ginger to me.
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hahaha. I was actually just thinking what is a cat called then...ive only ever known them as ginger. Red makes sense but for some reason i would feel weird calling my cat red! Hes ginger and proud lol in fact he has never once been called his name, its ginger or baby. He responds most to baby.
 
windand rain said:
I will add that I am 65 and still have not got a grey hair on my head so there are some advantages.
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Then I'm very jealous! I'm finding way too many grey hairs in my ginger and I'm decades younger than you. According to the OH, it isn't visible. I would definitely use the word ginger to describe myself, why wouldn't I? Even more so a cat or a horse.
 
Cinnamontoast said:
Then I'm very jealous! I'm finding way too many grey hairs in my ginger and I'm decades younger than you. According to the OH, it isn't visible. I would definitely use the word ginger to describe myself, why wouldn't I? Even more so a cat or a horse.
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Can I join you? Not finding way too many, but definitely finding a random assortment (along with v dark brown/black) and I'm less than half WR's age.
 
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Yep. The shade varies somewhat depending on sunlight exposure.

Have decided to try be less lazy and just started CG method, pink Boots creme is my friend. :D Probably not very CG is the recent haircut where I got a load of it chopped (shorter than that photo), but it's made it a lot easier to manage.
 
scruffyponies said:
Dogs are way too sensible to take offence over such rubbish... which is why everyone likes them.
Not sure about horses. Does it look offended in any way? If you feel like it is policing your speech at all, I would suggest you both need to get a grip.
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: D

Nice to hear of another who likes chestnut, OP.

My eyes pass over many a fine horse, I am sure, but a solid built chestnut usually elicits a favourable response from me. Sometimes I feel like a pervert.
 
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