Black Santas, rare in the mainstream, are as politicized as the White ones are romanticized. When jolly old St. Nick shows up in the world as a fun-loving, elderly white man, Christmas season is surely among us, bringing with it cheer and goodwill. Yet, when the opposite occurs, and the fictional – emphasis on the word fictional – figure materializes as a Black man, though he’s equally fun-loving and elderly, cheer and goodwill dissipates due to a perception that a war, pursed largely by the political Left, on Christmas, and its inherent whiteness, has been waged.
Such a perception was almost certainly held by those individuals who last week so overreacted to the employment of a Black Army veteran named Mr. Larry Jefferson to play Santa at the Mall of America that the comment section of the Minneapolis-Star-Tribune had to be deactivated. To boot, a call to boycott the mall was made and FOX News’ Mr. Eric Bolling blamed the hiring on a culture of political correctness, adding that leftists will start saying Jesus wasn’t white.
Besides the fact that Saint Nicholas – the fourth-century Greek bishop which inspired the character of Santa Claus – was born in the village of Patara, which is now a city in Turkey, thus is likely, as was Jesus Christ, to be a non-white man, the assertion that political correctness was the catalyst for Black Santas implies there’s something inherently political about choosing a non-white Santa – the choice is likely influenced by culture and the desire for representation.
A Black Santa, when the dominant culture prefers and promotes the prominence of a White Santa, can appear as resistance, and resistance is often seen and understood as a political act. But resistance in this context is surely cultural, as what’s being resisted is a dominant culture of whiteness, not a policy or politician. Moreover, there’s virtually no role for legislation in the debate over Santa Claus’ race, though there’s no shortage of attempts to influence public opinion.
For example, a few years ago, FOX News’ Mrs. Megyn Kelly, while moderating a discussion on an article that suggested moving away from the traditional image of Santa Claus, implied at its onset that the forthcoming debate is merely a formality as Santa is what he is, and that’s a White man. Of course, Santa Claus isn’t a White man, because Santa Claus isn’t real. And, because Santa Claus isn’t real, the fluidity of his race is as cultural as it is imaginative; it’s a proclamation of preference, not politics.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
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I agree that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a black santa but Turks and Jews are pretty darn white.