# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 601
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12001 "2013-12-12T16:34:32Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > [Megyn Kelly wants us to know Santa Claus and Jesus are white.](So, one day, I was riding my motorcycle to work when the UPS truck driver that I was slowly overtaking tossed a cig butt out of his truck. In Arizona. In the middle of fire season. The butt bounced harmlessly off my windshield, but I was seriously outraged. I pulled up next to him, honked my horn and made him pull over.) > > So you can just suck it minority children! Your link doesn’t work. But a non-white Santa Claus (who is, of course, just Odin in red) would be cultural appropriation. And that’s stealing, racist, and wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12002 "2013-12-12T16:37:23Z")
[Fixed link](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/12/megyn-kelly-santa-white-jesus_n_4431613.html) ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12003 "2013-12-12T16:39:41Z")
[Megyn Kelly Really Wants The Kids To Know Santa And Jesus Are White | HuffPost Latest News](http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4431613) yep Santa is white duck it up minorities. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12004 "2013-12-12T16:44:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Jesus is white How the hell can anyone be this gorram stupid? I mean seriously, how deluded do you have to be to think this? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12005 "2013-12-12T16:45:33Z")
Well, Jewish is _technically_ white. Bit of a stretch, sure, but still… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12006 "2013-12-12T16:46:36Z")
> [@Falchion](#): > > Your link doesn’t work. > > But a non-white Santa Claus (who is, of course, just Odin in red) would be cultural appropriation. And that’s stealing, racist, and wrong. Your Norse gods are altogether too uptight and hostile, though one was low-key. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12007 "2013-12-12T16:52:34Z")
Look, arguing over Santa’s race is pretty stupid. But he _is_ white. Black Santa wouldn’t live in the Arctic Circle. Okay, maybe I could accept Asiatic Santa. But Santa does _not_ have a Fu Manchu, he has a full and jolly white beard. ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12008 "2013-12-12T16:52:57Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Well, Jewish is _technically_ white. Bit of a stretch, sure, but still… Well, the test is easy: If he shoots a black guy, does the media report it? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12009 "2013-12-12T16:55:03Z")
Nevermind! ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12010 "2013-12-12T16:56:27Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Your Norse gods are altogether too uptight and hostile, though one was low-key. Consider yourself on report. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12011 "2013-12-12T17:09:51Z")
It may not be racist for Santa to be portrayed as white, as Kelly claims the writer said (I haven’t read the original article), but to claim that Santa _can’t_ be black _is_ racist. Just because the historical basis for Santa Claus – St. Nicholas – was white, doesn’t mean that he can’t be portrayed (as the male pundit in that clip said) as a black man, a latina, or a drag queen. (And did you notice how quickly she shut him down when he started saying that?) What Kelly doesn’t seem to get is that Santa Claus as he exists in modern American society is a _fictional character_, and not a historically accurate representation of a 4th-century Greek bishop. As such, Santa is much more a creation of Thomas Nast and the Coca Cola company than a historical “fact,” as she claimed. So there is no reason he cannot be depicted as black, yellow, red, or blue. Unless of course, you don’t like minorities getting uppity ideas about being the same as the rest of us. [Hmm… right wing pundit mixes up fact and fiction. Alert the news media!] ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12012 "2013-12-12T17:10:37Z")
> [@Falchion](#): > > But a non-white Santa Claus (who is, of course, just Odin in red) would be cultural appropriation. And that’s stealing, racist, and wrong. Word, homes. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12013 "2013-12-12T17:13:13Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > What Kelly doesn’t seem to get is that Santa Claus as he exists in modern American society is a _fictional character_, and not a historically accurate representation of a 4th-century Greek bishop. As such, Santa much more a creation of Thomas Nast and the Coca Cola company than a historical “fact,” as she claimed. So there is no reason he cannot be depicted as black, yellow, red, or blue. Unless of course, you don’t like minorities getting uppity ideas about being the same as the rest of us. Look, why don’t we agree to split the difference : Santa has to be white for Reasons, but the elves toiling all year to make toys for zero compensation can be black and Asian if you want. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12014 "2013-12-12T17:13:55Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Okay, maybe I could accept Asiatic Santa. But Santa does _not_ have a Fu Manchu, he has a full and jolly white beard. Oh, I dunno. Fu Manchus can be[full and jolly](http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/146991/3143844-3969512460-79715.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12015 "2013-12-12T17:16:49Z")
That is a jolly-looking one, but it’s more wispy than full. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12016 "2013-12-12T17:17:21Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > It may not be racist for Santa to be portrayed as white, as Kelly claims the writer said (I haven’t read the original article), but to claim that Santa _can’t_ be black _is_ racist. Just because the historical basis for Santa Claus – St. Nicholas – was white, doesn’t mean that he can’t be portrayed (as the male pundit in that clip said) as a black man, a latina, or a drag queen. (And did you notice how quickly she shut him down when he started saying that?) > > What Kelly doesn’t seem to get is that Santa Claus as he exists in modern American society is a _fictional character_, and not a historically accurate representation of a 4th-century Greek bishop. As such, Santa is much more a creation of Thomas Nast and the Coca Cola company than a historical “fact,” as she claimed. So there is no reason he cannot be depicted as black, yellow, red, or blue. Unless of course, you don’t like minorities getting uppity ideas about being the same as the rest of us. > [Hmm… right wing pundit mixes up fact and fiction. Alert the news media!] Very well said. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12017 "2013-12-12T17:17:48Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > That is a jolly-looking one, but it’s more wispy than full. Fair point, but I like the idea of a Santa who will bring me prezzies if I’m good and pop my eyeball out if I’m bad. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12018 "2013-12-12T17:19:38Z")
And I like the idea of children leaving fish heads out for Santa to snack on. ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12019 "2013-12-12T17:34:16Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > It may not be racist for Santa to be portrayed as white, as Kelly claims the writer said (I haven’t read the original article), but to claim that Santa _can’t_ be black _is_ racist. Just because the historical basis for Santa Claus – St. Nicholas – was white, doesn’t mean that he can’t be portrayed (as the male pundit in that clip said) as a black man, a latina, or a drag queen. (And did you notice how quickly she shut him down when he started saying that?) > > What Kelly doesn’t seem to get is that Santa Claus as he exists in modern American society is a _fictional character_, and not a historically accurate representation of a 4th-century Greek bishop. As such, Santa is much more a creation of Thomas Nast and the Coca Cola company than a historical “fact,” as she claimed. So there is no reason he cannot be depicted as black, yellow, red, or blue. Unless of course, you don’t like minorities getting uppity ideas about being the same as the rest of us. > [Hmm… right wing pundit mixes up fact and fiction. Alert the news media!] Okay, I had initially been flippant. But now I’ll pose it seriously. Santa Claus (as he currently exists) is tangentially linked to St. Nicholas, but is, more accurately, a Dutch/Germanic amalgamation of Odin’s Yule traditions and some English anti-Puritan drunken brawler version of Christmas. For reasons that escape me, Miley Cyrus and some other broad who dressed like a “generic Asian” forced us all to go through another round of lecturing about “cultural appropriation” (something that previously seemed to come up with the naming of college sports teams). Apparently, it’s offensive, bad, racist, and somehow damaging. (A quick google search shows a bizarre fixation on white people with dreadlocks). Objecting to a black Sinterklass, apparently, makes you a racist who doesn’t “like minorities getting uppity ideas about being the same as the rest of us.” I don’t see why it’s not just opposing an act of cultural appropriation. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/12020 "2013-12-12T17:45:02Z")
Objecting to a black Santa Claus is fine. Objecting to a black Santa Claus but not caring about an English-speaking Santa Claus is stupid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=600) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=602)