* Red hair theories

Many theories have been advanced to explain the dislike of red hair, or to promote that dislike:

1) Red hair was disliked because of its association with the color of foxes;
2) Red hair was disliked because of its connections with the red beard of the pagan god Thor whose attributes were transferred to the Christian devil;
3) Red hair was disliked by the English and Irish because it was attributed to the conquering Danes;
4) Red hair was disliked in non-Germanic places simply because it was less common;
5) Red hair has been disliked because it is a mutation or arrested development or degenerative characteristic

None of these theories is correct. Hair that is distinctly red exists in all societies, even to a small extent in non-white racial groups; red hair is a minority feature within all societies and ethnic groups (including the Irish).

Red hair has been, and still is, looked down on, and treated with suspicion in all societies (though perhaps less so in the melting-pot of the United States) simply because it is a minority feature. And minority features, like minorities, are suspect.

Antipathy to red hair is as simple, yet as complicated as