Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran credits the “Ginger Kids” episode from South Park season 9 with ruining his life. The animated television series features Cartman, Kenny, Stan, and Kyle, school age children in a Colorado town who encounter countless misadventures filled with cartoon violence and profane-ridden tirades. The infamous show first premiered in 1997 and is still producing new episodes for Comedy Central after 23 successful seasons.
South Park is known for ruthlessly attacking almost any situation or aspect of society, with religion, race, politics, and any number of sensitive topics regularly made an episode’s focal point. The show’s creators have proven time and time again that there are few lines, if any, they are unwilling to cross. For example, one of the more controversial moments from the series came when it depicted an impaled Steve Irwin attending Satan’s party in Hell just weeks after the beloved wildlife activist’s real-life death.
Even those less familiar with South Park may be able to recognize one of the show’s most famous quips, which came at the expense of those with auburn hair. In season 9 episode 11, “Ginger Kids,” Cartman is tricked into believing that he is suffering from Gingervitus, a disease that gives him red hair and freckles. Jokes stemming from the episode, such as how gingers have no souls, quickly translated to mainstream popularity, but there is at least one person that did not find them humorous. In an interview with Slam Radio (via The Independent), Sheeran expresses disdain for the episode, which he says made his hair color the subject of ridicule in the United States:
Having red hair in England was always a thing that people took the p**s out of you for but it was never something in America. People never knew what a ginger was in America…That episode of South Park f**king ruined my life…I was going to America and everyone was like, ’I love your hair dude.’ And I was like ‘Oh my god, people like my hair?’ And then I remember that episode coming out and that was just it worldwide for the rest of my life.
Discrimination against people with red hair has a long history, particularly in England, where there have been calls to have the characteristic made a legally protected designation in the case of hate crimes. Sheeran claims he didn’t experience that attitude in the US until the South Park episode aired, and he’s not alone in that assertion, with certain patterns of violence against red-haired students in 2008 apparently directly inspired by “Ginger Kids.” This is just one of many controversies that have stemmed from the animated series, but while their takedowns of celebrities and politicians are relatively harmless, the writers’ willingness to push comedic boundaries does sometimes have serious consequences in the real world.
South Park is presented as a satire, and the writers have used the show to bring attention to a wide array of topics. Satires are generally known for stepping on a few toes to garner attention, something this series is certainly fond of doing, but unfortunately, some of its jokes have also only exacerbated some of the stereotypical views it aims to make fun of. Although Sheeran now has to endure mockery from his American fanbase, it’s a stretch to say the singer’s life was ruined by the show – and he might find himself part of a future episode following his comments.
Source: The Independent
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