Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists?
And what has he been after that they groan and shake their fists?
And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air?
Oh they're taking him to prison for the colour of his hair.
'Tis a shame to human nature, such a head of hair as his;
In the good old time 'twas hanging for the colour that it is;
Though hanging isn't bad enough and flaying would be fair
For the nameless and abominable colour of his hair.
Oh a deal of pains he's taken and a pretty price he's paid
To hide his poll or dye it of a mentionable shade;
But they've pulled the beggar's hat off for the world to see and stare,
And they're haling him to justice for the colour of his hair.
Now 'tis oakum for his fingers and the treadmill for his feet,
And the quarry-gang on Portland in the cold and in the heat,
And between his spells of labour in the time he has to spare
He can curse the God that made him for the colour of his hair.
-A.E. Housman, 1895
Comments (4)
I hope Housman's poem will finally be recognized as the hate-literature it is!
"...injuries have been reported as minor bruising."
When ginger-targeting hate crime lightly struck the asses of our precious youth, the Calgary Herald was there!
Okay, yeah, it's bad when kids kick other kids, but I think this edition of the newspaper was overcooked: the news went all soft.
Posted by Ryan Cousineau | November 23, 2008 1:50 AM
Posted on November 23, 2008 01:50
Weird, innit it?
The most passionate (and fun!) dates I had for many, many years before meeting the spousal unit were redheads. And while she's not technically a ginger, she could easily pass for pale copper blonde some days.
Be still, my beating heart... 8p
Posted by Garth Wood | November 23, 2008 8:24 AM
Posted on November 23, 2008 08:24
Have the Calgary parents just been too afraid to admit off the record that their children have no souls?
Posted by FACLC | November 23, 2008 8:10 PM
Posted on November 23, 2008 20:10
"Slap him like a redheaded stepchild..."
I've never understood the long-standing prejudice against redheads; maybe it's an anti-Irish / anti-Scottish thing.
But these days, it's probably just payback for Carrot Top. :)
Posted by Will S. | November 24, 2008 8:52 AM
Posted on November 24, 2008 08:52