Question of the Day - Would You Rather Be Ginger or Unemployed?

If you think about it, gingers and the unemployed have a lot in common. Both are routinely mocked by unimaginative Z-list comedians, both are adrift from societal norms, and both have been featured in various low-budget self-improvement shows. They should probably think about uniting and forming some sort of ginger-job-seeking support group.

But which is worse, being unemployed or ginger? If you’re unemployed, there's the obvious downside of having no money or self-respect or direction in your life, but at least no one’s going to drive past and scream “GINGEEER!!!” at you from a moving car. On the other hand, Christina Hendricks is ginger and might be the most beautiful thing ever created. So it's a difficult one.

We took to the streets of London to solve the age-old ginger versus unemployed debate once and for all.

Left to right: Abigail, Romana, and Ashleigh, all interns.

VICE: Hey girls, would you rather be ginger or unemployed?
Ashleigh: Ginger doesn’t really match my skin complexion. But I’d rather be ginger than unemployed.
Abigail: I’d rather be unemployed. Everywhere you go, there’s always going to be a ginger joke and I don’t want to be the one who takes it.
Ashleigh: You care way too much what people think.
Abigail: If I were ginger, I’d go to hairdressers and dye my hair, but if you’re unemployed, it’s a lot more effort.

Ketty (left) and Sylvia, both work at Pret A Manger.

Ketty: Ginger!

What if everyone was making ginger jokes at you?
I don’t care. I’ve dyed my hair ginger before.

Solidarity.

Louise, watering can holder.

Would you rather be ginger or unemployed?
Louise: That’s a terrible question! I’d definitely be a ginger.

You wouldn’t dye your hair?
I have dyed my hair ginger and I was very happy.

Did everyone else enjoy your ginger hair?
Erm… I think so. I mean, I’m naturally brunette, but I haven’t got a problem with gingers. A lot of love for the gingers!

Max, optician.

Would you rather be ginger or unemployed?
This reminds me of the episode of South Park where they say that gingers have no soul.

Exactly! If you’re ginger, you have to put up with stuff like that all the time.
I actually used to go out with a ginger girl and it doesn’t matter if you’re ginger, blonde, or brown haired or… you can have sex if you’re bald, I guess.

Is being bald worse than being ginger?
Not if you like that style. It depends on the person. There’s lots of stuff you can put on your hair.

Yeah, you can change your hair.
I’m quite happy with mine, thank you.

Emma, unemployed and Mike, Olympics worker.

Emma: Ginger.

Even if you weren’t allowed to dye your hair?
Yeah, I’d just live with it.

Would you style it in a certain way?
I’d probably just wear a hat.

And how about you, Mike?
Mike: I think I’d rather be unemployed, to be honest.
Emma: That’s such shit!
Mike: We’ve already got two gingers in my family, I don’t think we could handle another one.

How come you're not ginger?
Well, you’re diving into the family gene pool there, aren’t you?

Matt (left) and John, both students.

Matt: What kind of ginger?

Ronald McDonald ginger.
Unemployed!
John: What age are you?

The age that you are now.
Do we ever get employed?

No, you have to be ginger for life or unemployed for life.
Matt: I’d rather be ginger. I supposed I’d just have to deal with it, at least I’d be able to have a job.
John: Could you wear a hat?

Yeah, hats are allowed. So you’d have a job but you’d wear a hat all the time?
Matt: Or a balaclava. Could you turn to crime?

Yeah, why not. You could just be an unemployed master criminal.
I’d rather be unemployed.

Previously – What Would You Save in a Natural Disaster?