ginger wigged slaves

I was delighted this afternoon to find the third edition of Robert Tyrrell's text of Plautus's Boastful Soldier, the Miles Gloriosus, in one of the bookshops in Tunbridge Wells. I was actually on the lookout for Cicero speeches but no matter. The bookseller only wanted 50 pence for it. What a bargain! The best things in life are free or else clearly cost very little.

Tyrell observes on page xix that the actors in Roman Comedy wore wigs: old men appear in white wigs, young men in black wigs, and slaves in red wigs. Is this the origin of the gingerism that is so prevalent in today's world? In case you are wondering what gingerism is (you may well be as I have just made the word up) let me explain that gingerism is prejudice against red-haired people and it is on the rise: for example only the other day the deputy leader of one of our great political parties disparaged an opponent as a ginger rodent, and then in the face of howls of protest made a hasty apology. Personally I have always found gingers very easy to get on with and not at all servile. But then slaves in comedy are mischievous rather than servile and this does conform to the ginger archetype (if there is such a thing).