Dark-Skinned Santa Claus...

[amdhunter]

So I was watching TV and I happenned to see a black man dressed as Santa Claus, and I got to thinking how, when I was a kid, my mom took me to see a Santa Claus who wasn't white. He was Indian, lol.

I remember telling her that wasn't the real Santa Claus, and she caved in and said it was his 'helper,' because the real Santa Claus was at the North Pole preparing for Christmas. (Yeah, I believed in Santa for a while.)

I never got the experience of meeting a "real" [light-skinned] Santa Claus, and I feel gypped out of the experience. I always told myself that, if I ever have kids, I wouldn't want them to meet a non-light skinned Santa, because it takes some of the magic away.

Blame TV, racism or whatever, but I feel that, for the best Santa experience, he should be of light skin (but not necessarily white.) Don't get me wrong, if an Albino Black person, or a lightskinned Arab would dress up as Santa, that would be OK. But a tanned Caucasian, would not be.

What are your thoughts...?

 

[blue1friday2]

Um Santa is not real... so I don't think it really matters what color he is. You feel gypped because you never met a "real" Santa? Are you serious?

 

[Chaotic42]

I don't think I'd care if I had kids, maybe I'd make some crap up about how Santa is every color or something. I've never seen a non-white Santa though.

 

[sswingle]

Originally posted by: blue1friday2
Um Santa is not real... so I don't think it really matters what color he is. You feel gypped because you never met a "real" Santa? Are you serious?

A child might think that though.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: blue1friday2
Um Santa is not real... so I don't think it really matters what color he is. You feel gypped because you never met a "real" Santa? Are you serious?

Have you ever seen how happy a kid gets when they think they are meeting Santa?

 

[Rob9874]

I think kids are probably most comfortable with a Santa who is the same race they are.

 

[blue1friday2]

Originally posted by: Rob9874
I think kids are probably most comfortable with a Santa who is the same race they are.

Not gonna happen! What about all those kids with mixed ethnic backgrounds?

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Rob9874
I think kids are probably most comfortable with a Santa who is the same race they are.

yes, the best santa is a chameleon

 

[DeadByDawn]

Santa is from the North Pole. It's cold. Maybe Santa should be an eskimo.

 

[rbV5]

Black Jesus says Black Santa = OK

I think kids are comfortable with their families traditions whatever they may be. If Santa is always light skinned at "home" taking them to see an Asian Santa for a face to face might be a let down (as you know) Its not like you can't check ahead and plan accordingly.

 

[biggestmuff]

Come on! It's Santa. Santa lives at the North Pole. It's cold and snowing at the North Pole. What other race can he be than white?

 

[Linflas]

It really doesn't bother me one way or another. Whatever families are comfortable with and what their family traditions dictate should really be the guiding factor. Back in the stone ages (1960's) when I was a kid they had a color picture of a black Santa with a black beard and hair on the front page of the Washington Post or Evening Star and it caused a big rukus but it really didn't bother me then or now.

 

[Atheus]

Well, santa has to look like santa, right? Long white beard, fat belly... and white skin. Wouldn't black kids be just as confused by black santa as white kids? He's supposed to be from the far north after all... "mummy, when did santa move from Africa to the north pole?"

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Rob9874
I think kids are probably most comfortable with a Santa who is the same race they are.

I don't know about that. I am Indian, and the fact that my mom took me to an Indian Santa Claus upsetted me.

I honestly had friends and family at the time that saw the "real" Santa, while I just saw a helper. When you are young, stuff like this matters.

 

[Eska]

it dont matter black or white.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
So I was watching TV and I happenned to see a black man dressed as Santa Claus, and I got to thinking how, when I was a kid, my mom took me to see a Santa Claus who wasn't white. He was Indian, lol.

I remember telling her that wasn't the real Santa Claus, and she caved in and said it was his 'helper,' because the real Santa Claus was at the North Pole preparing for Christmas. (Yeah, I believed in Santa for a while.)

I never got the experience of meeting a "real" [light-skinned] Santa Claus, and I feel gypped out of the experience. I always told myself that, if I ever have kids, I wouldn't want them to meet a non-light skinned Santa, because it takes some of the magic away.

Blame TV, racism or whatever, but I feel that, for the best Santa experience, he should be of light skin (but not necessarily white.) Don't get me wrong, if an Albino Black person, or a lightskinned Arab would dress up as Santa, that would be OK. But a tanned Caucasian, would not be.

What are your thoughts...?

my thoughts are you shouldn't have kids.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

ibracialstereotype

- M4H

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: amdhunter
So I was watching TV and I happenned to see a black man dressed as Santa Claus, and I got to thinking how, when I was a kid, my mom took me to see a Santa Claus who wasn't white. He was Indian, lol.

I remember telling her that wasn't the real Santa Claus, and she caved in and said it was his 'helper,' because the real Santa Claus was at the North Pole preparing for Christmas. (Yeah, I believed in Santa for a while.)

I never got the experience of meeting a "real" [light-skinned] Santa Claus, and I feel gypped out of the experience. I always told myself that, if I ever have kids, I wouldn't want them to meet a non-light skinned Santa, because it takes some of the magic away.

Blame TV, racism or whatever, but I feel that, for the best Santa experience, he should be of light skin (but not necessarily white.) Don't get me wrong, if an Albino Black person, or a lightskinned Arab would dress up as Santa, that would be OK. But a tanned Caucasian, would not be.

What are your thoughts...?

De-Qwan says

 

[monk3y]

It doesn't matter to me at all.

 

[Pepsi90919]

IT'S NOT YAY OR NAY

 

[Trell]

Santa Clause is based on a real man. Saint Nicholaus was (I believe) Dutch, so yes he should be a white man.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Trell
Santa Clause is based on a real man. Saint Nicholaus was (I believe) Dutch, so yes he should be a white man.

If that's the case, Jesus should be darker-skinned and not Irish pale white

 

[Trell]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: Trell
Santa Clause is based on a real man. Saint Nicholaus was (I believe) Dutch, so yes he should be a white man.

If that's the case, Jesus should be darker-skinned and not Irish pale white

I completely agree. Jesus should look like hse from the middle east.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: Trell
Santa Clause is based on a real man. Saint Nicholaus was (I believe) Dutch, so yes he should be a white man.

No. St. Nicholas would be white, Santa Claus is an abstract caricature, traditionally protrayed as white, but I don't see any reason why he couldn't be any ethnicity.

I have told my children that Santa Claus is the spirit of giving and the people dressed as Santa, and the 'magic' that happens on Christmas eve are just physical manifestations of that spirit, therefore I'm well positioned to defend non-white Santas.

 

[yowolabi]

I'd just tell my kids that Santa is magic and can look like different people at different times. Part of my overall message to my kids will be that a person's skin color doesn't say who they are, and that would actually be a good teaching opportunity.