Soapbox

And I Heard him Exclaim, as he Rode out of Sight- “Merry Christmas to all…and Santa’s not White”

  The latest assault in the annual escalation of hostities in the War about Christmas came (as usual) from FOX's panzer division. Megyn Kelly was offended by a blogger's light-hearted comment that she didn't see why Santa had to always be shown as a white man because lots of black kids felt kind of left out by this- so maybe Santa should just be a penguin or something loveable and raceless.

        "By the way, for all you kids watching at home" Kelly said,
         addressing the mythical children watching her 10 PM political
         show, "Santa is white… Santa is what he is. 
          …Jesus was a white man too. He was a historical figure,
          that’s a verifiable fact – as is Santa. How do you just
          revise it in the middle of the legacy of the story and just
          change Santa from white to black?"    

    Where to start- where to start? Should we begin with the fact that historical St. Nicholas, on whom Santa is only partly based, was from what is now Turkey, and while he wasn't African, he most certainly was not what FOX News considers "white"? Or that 'the legacy' of Santa has already been changed a hundred times and exists in a dozen different forms in a dozen different cultures around the world, from Sinterklass, based on the Norse God Odin, to other pagan entities. (And then there's Jesus, who was about as white as a modern Palestinian- hate to break it to your priveledged white ass, Megyn)

   But here's what it all boils down to, for me: Santa is white. He's also black, Hispanic, Asian and Cherokee. He is rich and poor, healthy and handicapped, and speaks every language on the planet. Because Santa, dear Megyn, is a myth. But more than that- he is a myth of universal kindness towards all children, no matter their nation of origin or economic status.
    Not all children hear the story of Santa, (and of course for far too many, Santa's pack is empty) but the ones who do are told that Santa visits all children, whether they live in mansions or shantytowns, foster homes or under a bridge. He comes whether he has to wear snow shoes or beach sandals because on Christmas, Santa visits children to let them know that they are loved.
    Don't you see that it doesn't matter what color Santa's skin is, or his nationality? The myth of Santa is about acceptance and kindness to all, no matter what language they speak or color their skin is. If Santa loves everyone, than Santa can BE anyone.
   And Megyn, if you cannot even conceive of the possibility of an iconic myth of universal kindess and acceptance that wears brown skin… you do not understand the meaning of acceptance or of universal anything.
   And you have a very small heart.