Letter to the editor:
Let’s leave Santa out of political discourse
By Stephen F. Saracino, December 24, 2013
The
modern figure of Santa Claus was derived from the Dutch figure of
Sinterklaas, and is generally depicted as a portly, joyous,
white-bearded man. Now, the right-wingers who occupy far too vast
amounts of our media are making sure that everyone be aware that
Santa was also white.
What
do Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh and their ilk gain by making sure
kids of any other color be informed of this brilliant insight? Are
their bigoted fears so deeply rooted that, say, an African or Asian
Santa would somehow ruin it for all the white kids gathered around
the tree opening gifts? That somehow if Santa had had his origin in
Egypt rather than the Netherlands, that the joy and loving nature of
the icon would somehow be different? That a white Santa brings better
toys? I always thought naughty or nice determined that, not Santa’s
skin color.
Kids
are taught bigotry and hate. No one is born a white supremacist. Kids
don’t know the meaning of exceptionalism or, for that matter, care.
They are indoctrinated into that group-thought. Children don’t
realize color difference until it’s taught to them that “those
people,” as O’Reilly and Limbaugh oft times label them, are
different.
The
idea of Santa brings joy to many. It’s a sad commentary of our
political and intellectual discourse that now even Santa has been
thrust into playing such a divisive role in our culture.
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