If you’ve seen pictures of Santa Claus and Jesus side by side you’d notice a striking similarity, they’re both white. That is, unless you’re also white—like me—and the thought has never crossed your mind. But that’s the problem with images—and whiteness. When you are bombarded with something enough, even if it’s a flying man with reindeer, it is easy to mistake it for the real thing. At least it was for Fox New’s anchor Megyn Kelly last week when she asserted, “Santa just is white” and “Jesus was a white man, too. He’s a historical figure that’s a verifiable fact.”
If you’re already familiar with this clip you know it has now become viral and been the subject of several other media spin-offs from CNN to Saturday Night Live. The quick summary is that Megyn Kelly and her guests were responding to a Slate piece written by Aisha Harris titled, Santa Claus Should Not Be White Anymore. In it Harris, who is black, argues that the images of a white Santa were alienating to her as a child and a more inclusive Santa figure is needed for a growing diverse population. Leaving Harris’s suggestion of a penguin—aka “Penguin Claus”—as Santa’s replacement aside, her sentiments are shared by many people who do not identify with a white Santa.
Kelly and the Fox panel responded by condescendingly brushing off this suggestion as ridiculous and anti-historical. In fact, Kelly later responded to all of the hoopla in a second video and said that her initial comments were “tongue in cheek” and those who disagreed about Santa were “race baiting.” I will leave her attempt at humor and condescending demeanor to your judgment, but what is interesting about this clip is what is not being discussed.
Is the idea of a penguin as a more inclusive Santa figure far-fetched? Maybe. Was the historical Jesus most likely a dark skinned man from the Middle East? Absolutely. Was St. Nicolas, originally from modern day Turkey, probably more brown than white? Yes. But what is more important than the actual race of these two figures is many people’s, Megyn Kelly being one of them, steadfast insistence of their perceived race. And this is why discussing this, even if it seems trivial on the surface, matters. You see, Kelly said more about what she deeply believes in her passing comments than she did in the ones that have gone viral. The line that has stuck with me since first watching is Kelly’s rebuttal to having a more inclusive Santa, “Just because something makes you feel uncomfortable, doesn’t mean it has to change.”
Really? Isn’t someone else’s discomfort the precise reason for change? I’m not claiming to know what should be done, if anything, about the depicted whiteness of Jesus or Santa. There are millions who already appropriate Jesus and Santa to fit their particular racial identities. But I do think we should question why there is such a strong push back against the idea of a non-white Jesus or Santa. Is it really the white Santa we want to protect, or is it whiteness in general? Is it really the white Jesus hanging in churches that we adore, or the assumed white superiority that goes unchallenged in many other ways in society? As you celebrate the holiday season, it’s my hope that the truths that Santa and Jesus stand for would surpass their depicted race, and more importantly overcome the desire to defend it.
