REDHEADS AT RISK FOR DISCRIMINATION ?

All the senseless deadly discriminatory violence that is occurring across our country has reminded me of historical accounts revealing the many different groups singled out for rejection at one time or another.   

Discriminatory stories prevail about the Native American Indians, Chinese, Irish, Italians, Hawaiians, Japanese, Negroes/African-Americans/Blacks, Puerto Ricans, Mexican, various religious groups, and many others.   Discrimination occurs from some on the basis of how others speech sounds, or other differences considered to be outside the so-called prevailing range of what they consider "normal", or acceptable, though we're all human beings.

Could it ever happen here?  For example, could discrimination occur based on even hair color?  Could redheads ever be discriminated against as a group?  Surely not!

But ... given so many of our fellow country-persons continuing to believe our former President's lies, his new ones, including conspiracy theories, the most despicable discriminatory words and behaviors with individuals being physically attacked have been more openly expressed.  There are those who believe that it's okay to treat some people as "less than," because they are different  from them in some respect -- by skin color, other physical body differences.

Perhaps redheads and some other groups, including religious, political, social, to which some of us belong shouldn't be so confident we'll never be discriminated against.  As for redheads, it's not as though those with red hair have never experienced discrimination before.  

A recent prime example of discrimination is a woman in India with natural red hair I recently discovered when researching whether or not there were no redheads in India as a Google search statement reported.  I thought, considering India was under the rule of Great Britain for so many years with many English persons and some other nationalities living there that possibly there might have been some genes mixing.

During my process of verifying the facts, I found this story written in 2017 with photos of a lovely young woman and her parents where you can see this, apparently, rare redhead in India.  She was thought to be diseased, her parents shunned because she looked different.  Perhaps there are other redheads in India hidden away for self-protection who simply have not been discovered.

Redheads have been revered by some and reviled by others through the ages.  Given the current obsession and susceptibility some people have for believing conspiracy theories perhaps we redheads should be concerned we could be placed on the list in the future to join those being discriminated against in our own U.S. country. 

For what, could others discriminate against you?   Those who discriminate against others should be aware that all groups of people are at risk of being discriminated against if some others decide, for whatever their reasons, to single them out for rejection because of their looks, beliefs, behaviors, or simply for political reasons as happens in some countries.

We see journalists as one group that are systematically under discriminatory attack by some nations leaders trying to exert excessive message control -- as did our previous President in his discriminatory press treatment.  Think also of Saudi Arabia's Jamal Khashoggi's assassination.  Other leaders stifle similar dissidents by imprisoning them as in China, Russia, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Turkey, to name a few current ones, by censoring their nation's press.

Some physical appearance differences occur that are unnatural.   I had occasion to be in Quito, Ecuador in the 1950's for a visit with family.  All of us had natural red hair and drew much attention with many stares, especially from native Indians we happened to encounter when we walked about the downtown area.

The surrounding region was inhabited by Indigenous Tsachila (means "true people") also known as Colorados which means "the red-colored ones" whose men traditionally dyed their hair red with sap from the achiote tree as in this Science Source link to a photo of a boy and one also on that site of an adult man.  So, some cultures have found red hair, even if artificially colored, to not only be desirable but to signify honored exceptionality.  

Redheads reportedly are thought by some amid current senseless conspiracy theories to be the result of aliens breeding with humans, citing supporting evidence involving red-headed kings and queens as farfetched as this may seem to most of us.

Then, there is also the belief some have had that redheads become vampires when we die.  Long ago ashes of redheaded males burned alive are reported to have been used to fertilize fields.  Redheads were believed to have no souls.  All this and more with photos appear in brief accounts of 11 historical myths about redheads by clicking on this link.

Redheaded women were thought to be witches, have volatile tempers.  A recent blurb featured by Wisewebwoman on her blog:  "The Other Side of Sixty" gave me pause, seeming apropos here:  

"Who knows why we were taught to fear the witches, And not those who burned them alive?"

On the other hand, redheads have been said to bring good luck.  When all is said and done, I don't think we have any special powers simply because of the color of our hair.  

Red hair (or ginger hair) is present in people all over the world though we're considered to be only less than 1-2% of the population.  Scotland and Ireland have the most frequency of redheads. 

A number of years ago redheads were reported to be becoming extinct but this study was subsequently refuted when Proctor and Gamble was disclosed to have sponsored the research in relation to selling their hair dying products as noted in a Smithsonian article, "Requiem for the Redhead" available with a direct search using this title.

A Geneticist reports redheaded people and even those with blue eyes will decrease significantly in number to become more rare, but will not completely cease to exist though there may be some disagreement among geneticists on that matter.

Whatever our future holds I hope discriminatory words and actions cease.  How everyone talks everyday with loved ones, friends, and others -- beginning in the home with children, our grandchildren, nieces and nephews, strongly contributes to eliminating discrimination.  Communication demands civility, courtesy and respect to all -- those we know and those we don't.  There is no place for physical assaults.

Language, words and actions matter!  

THE RIVER - Author as Elder . . . Movie Marathon

Martin Scorsese said in a DVD interview, "Practically every image in this picture just sings with color and light. There’s no doubt in my mind, The River is one of the most beautiful color films ever made.”

Months can go by and I never watch a DVD movie, then I sometimes will quite accidentally have a movie marathon as I did most recently. The very best film for me I saw at that time proved to be The River -- a reference to one of the many rivers flowing through India along which a young English girl lived with her family. This girl, Rumer Godden, began writing as a child, ultimately producing many books and poems throughout her adult life.

The movie titled the same as her book, which is semi-autobiographical, was filmed as a consequence of being championed by the son of the famous impressionist French painter, Renoir. The son, Jean Renoir, a renowned film maker directed the film with an unlikely American producer, Kenneth McEldowney, who was also a florist, characterized in several Renoir linked references here as an "eccentric" who had, also, became enamoured with the book, and movie-making. The director, Renoir, had been able to purchase film rights from the book's author, then collaborated with her to write the screenplay. There were many complications involving financing, Indian government requirements which seemed often as though they would prevent this film from being made. I think that many times some of the better quality films experience extreme challenges and setbacks, requiring great perseverance to complete them. Sounds a lot like life.

I found the film on DVD, part of The Criterion Collection, to be quite remarkable to view and was left with the impression technologically I was seeing a period piece of much more recent vintage than from when it was actually filmed. The influence of Renoir the painter's,
sensibility and style evidences throughout the son's movie. My eye was sometimes caught by film frames that captured multi-branched massive trees reaching upward against the varied colors of the sky.

I was quite unfamiliar with this movie, the book, or it's author though that may not be the case for many, certainly not those familiar with Godden's writings, or Renoir's film career.

While I was at that video store, during the entire time I was perusing the displayed DVDs, there was audio music and dialogue playing in the background throughout the store. Though I only glanced briefly at the video, my attention was periodically drawn to what I was hearing. Finally, when I was checking out I inquired as to the movie title. I was told that movie was "The River," that it was about India. I decided I'd add this DVD to what had clearly shaped up to becoming a personal movie marathon.

I determined I had rented a gem, after listening first to a special DVD feature interview with Martin Scorsese discussing what an impact this movie had on him as a small boy when it was released as a technicolor film. He shared this movie viewing experience with his father and saw for the first time a culture different from that which he had known as an American of Italian descent.

"The River" was filmed in India with footage of actual community life in action interspersed with the actors performances. Not all characters are portrayed by professional actors which is sometimes a criticism of Renoir's movies. The much younger author, now an elder, Godden, gave a very candid interview of her life in a special feature on the DVD, along with scenes captured on film when she returned to India with her adult daughter from Scotland where they had moved many years earlier. Her years in India had been filled with many happy moments and memories, coming of age experiences, the development of her writing skills, traumatic events.

I came upon this movie quite by chance in our communities video rental store which features independent and foreign films as well as features often lacking major distribution, many of which are not often found in the more commercial video stores. Since I only watch DVD movies spasmodically, with long periods passing when I see none, there is little sense in my committing to a monthly fee program by mail, so for anyone who is a subscriber to such a service, these DVDs may be available there.

There must be numerous other DVD viewers like me, as my video store seems to survive through the patronage of other local residents and college students. I'm so glad, since so much commerce, including video rentals now, is increasingly designed to require yearly subscriptions and regular monthly payments.

Even the pharmaceutical companies are not immune from wanting "regular subscribers" for more of their offerings. That was the case a few years ago when a prescription I needed to use only for a short time, two or three times a year, for nasal congestion was removed from availability, then replaced by a "better" product that had to be used year 'round and would not have immediate effect if I tried to use it as needed. I digress as I sometimes do.

Back to my video store -- I went there seeking one of the Academy Award nominated films, then just started scanning the shelves to see what new DVDs had appeared since I was last there some months ago. Any other films I might have selected weren't available, but I was surprised to find an obscure title which came to my attention when some time ago I had watched Peter Falk in "Checking Out," so added that to my collection.

As for "Checking Out," Falk portrays an older professional actor who has called his family together one last time. He has joyously proclaimed to them his decision to take control of the time when he departs this earth, has distressed them that the time he has chosen is soon. I found the movie to be a light-hearted, sometimes funny attempt with the intent to address a serious topic of death and dying. Previews at that time had reminded me of another Falk movie, "The Thing About My Folks," which I vaguely remembered seeing some months ago. All of these movies were released by the same company though I later found my obscure titled one in my movie marathon disappointingly did not have Falk in it which is what had prompted me to rent it in the first place.

When I viewed this DVD group I rented, (there was another I don't even remember now,) I soon found I was not experiencing the comic relief watching that obscure comedy I had hoped to have -- releasing all those healing endorphins into my body as a result of my expecting to be laughing aloud, but that did not happen. I guess my weak reaction is not the fault of the movie, but must just be the emotional state which sometimes descends upon me in this house. Failure to appreciate the humor must just be me, so I hardly feel presently qualified to provide a meaningful critique of those comedies. For whatever the reasons the movies of a more serious nature seemed to have the potential for stimulating my feelings.

In reference to those movies I mentioned being a disappointment, I recall some time ago watching some comedies and strangely, to me, they just didn't seem to elicit my humor either, though I thought that was a capability they possessed. In fact most movies I have seen from months ago, and now more recently, seem to just pass directly through my eyes and ears without completely registering. I find myself wondering why these comedies don't connect, assuming it must have been funny to somebody. I surely do want to try some more comedies again in the future. Maybe my failure to react to comedies and some serious movies is simply due to my mood and sense of needing to stimulate my senses and fill my mind with input that requires no personal investment or effort on my part at those times. Is this just part of the recovery process from loss of a loved one, which seems often to be the question I ask myself, when my feelings, and even reactions are different than what I expect?

But these more dramatic movies like "The River" and certainly "Babel" (which I just watched) -- as did "Crash" in an earlier year, do connect and resonate with me, though the latter two are quite different from "The River." I'll plan to select some more movies in the months ahead when the mood strikes me. I'm sure I'll be looking for movies in The Criterion Collection.