Re: Eric Smith, Convicted Child Murderer, Up for Parole Hearing

JonesieCat wrote:
"Chocolic" <chatter448@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:r3G6k.115221$SV4.27817@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

One of the most utterly ridiculous comments I've heard in that article was...."But Smith's bright red hair and freckles made him a target at school for years. And as a teenager, he was seen pedaling around town for hours on end -- alone."

Being a redhead has it's advantages and disadvantages, but I seriously doubt a child is a "target" "only" because of his red hair. He probably had some real strangeness in his personality, and rather than tease him about his "demeanor or strangeness" kids will pick on something they think a child is sensitive about such as red hair, kinky hair, freckles, crooked teeth, braces, big ears, glasses, weight. But it generally takes a strangeness in a child's personality before kids will target them for something.

About the only problem I ever had with my red hair as a child was nobody ever knew my name. It was always "red" or "carrot top" or something similar. My friends parents always liked me when they first met me. There is something innocent looking about a redheaded freckle faced kid. Later on they would find out that I was actually a rotten little beast.

He may have been bullied at school, but I wonder if his family (who blamed it on his hair colour) wasn't making that up after he did his crime.

As I mentioned before, I lived in the area at the time of this crime. My son was born while we were there, a cute kid with, yup, freckles and strawberry blond hair. The only comments I ever heard about his hair, and I heard plenty, were positive: "What beautiful red hair!", etc. I find it hard to believe that his hair color led to more than some general teasing at school. (I spent much of my elementary school years as Freckle-Faced Strawberry and emerged unscathed. Anybody remember that powdered drink mix?)
I agree that there must have been something else that led to bullying. As the parent of a kiddo on the autism spectrum, I know how a different take on social rules can make a kid an easy target. All it needed was for Eric Smith to be quieter than most kids, to have a little bit harder time making friends, an odd sense of humor (or none at all), and that could bring on the bullying. But red hair? Not all by itself, nope.


Karen E.
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