Must Santa always be an fat old white guy?

[Infected Mushroom]

As you all know, I’m very opinionated on him being a white old man.

Anything else just wouldn’t feel “canon” or like a real Santa to me.

He’s a mostly European legend and since the industrial revolution he’s been white. That’s the modern canon Santa.

To change his race would be like changing Harry Potter to a Japanese character or alternatively making Light Yagami Caucasian English.

It just doesn’t seem right.

So this is another case where everything has to be exactly as you remember it so you don't have an existential crisis?

I am okay with people from different cultures celebrating Christmas. The joy of Christmas is for everyone. Anyone may dress as a Santa if they wish for fun (just as anyone regardless of race has at least a right to cosplay any fictional character).

But the fictional character himself, in this case Santa, ought to remain canonically white.

[Xmara]

He's a magic elf with flying reindeer who visits every kid on earth in one night, and you think his appearance is going to trigger an issue for kids?

Here's a helpful hint. It's not the kids who are having the crisis over this. It's adults.

It's easier to say that the reindeer are magical than that Santa is a completely different person.

And? If it confuses the child that much then tell them that Santa can change races through magic.

[Ifreann]

The Vikings were familiar with North Africans calling them blámaðr (Blue men), there were Norse mercenaries who fought the Moors in Spain and North African Merchants visited Jutland. The point being if Asgard is a planet that was dominated by Norse culture, then there is no reason to presume that there wouldnt be blámaðr on too

As to being Sifs brother, I know a couple of families where half-siblings are different colours/ethnicities

Ok but then again

WHY????

Why is the change made? Why change character aesthetics so much?

It doesn’t seem natural

Comic book characters have been getting redesigns and reworks since time immemorial.

[Kyrinasaj]

It's easier to say that the reindeer are magical than that Santa is a completely different person.

And? If it confuses the child that much then tell them that Santa can change races through magic.

This all brings up the question, why do we lie to children in the first place? Why do we act like Santa is real only to inevitably shatter it later on? It would be far easier to just that Santa is fake from the start instead of playing in with a supposed fantasy of a real Santa.

[Infected Mushroom]

Ok but then again

WHY????

Why is the change made? Why change character aesthetics so much?

It doesn’t seem natural

Comic book characters have been getting redesigns and reworks since time immemorial.

I understand this to be true

But randomly changing the race when there’s cultural factors is not something I can usually get behind with

I’d rather you stick with the cannon

[Kyrinasaj]

Comic book characters have been getting redesigns and reworks since time immemorial.

I understand this to be true

But randomly changing the race when there’s cultural factors is not something I can usually get behind with

I’d rather you stick with the cannon

Where does the written down canon of Santa Claus lore even exist though?

[Vassenor]

And? If it confuses the child that much then tell them that Santa can change races through magic.

This all brings up the question, why do we lie to children in the first place? Why do we act like Santa is real only to inevitably shatter it later on? It would be far easier to just that Santa is fake from the start instead of playing in with a supposed fantasy of a real Santa.

Because Santa is used as a means of behaviour control and enforced conformity.

#naughtylist

[Western Vale Confederacy]

And? If it confuses the child that much then tell them that Santa can change races through magic.

This all brings up the question, why do we lie to children in the first place? Why do we act like Santa is real only to inevitably shatter it later on? It would be far easier to just that Santa is fake from the start instead of playing in with a supposed fantasy of a real Santa.

There's being a liar and then there's being a cold-hearted douchebag.

Just tell the truth: Santa is the embodiment of the spirit of Christmas.

[Bore Ragnarok]

You people are so funny.

[The Grims]

And? If it confuses the child that much then tell them that Santa can change races through magic.

This all brings up the question, why do we lie to children in the first place? Why do we act like Santa is real only to inevitably shatter it later on? It would be far easier to just that Santa is fake from the start instead of playing in with a supposed fantasy of a real Santa.

You tell them the small lies so they will believe the big ones.
Truth, justice, mercy - those kind of things.

[Caracasus]

And? If it confuses the child that much then tell them that Santa can change races through magic.

This all brings up the question, why do we lie to children in the first place? Why do we act like Santa is real only to inevitably shatter it later on? It would be far easier to just that Santa is fake from the start instead of playing in with a supposed fantasy of a real Santa.

Kids like playing make believe. I mean, if I see a kid sitting in a cardbord box pretending it's a rocket ship and then five minutes later claiming they're a dinosaur and it's a pirate ship I'm not gonna pull them up on logical inconsistencies and explain that a plastic bucket on their heads won't protect them from explosive decompression.

Let kids have fun. It's fine to believe in a magic being that travels round the world giving out presents. Most of them cotton on by the time they're 6 or so anyway.

[Vespertania]

New Zealand must be a pretty good place to live right now if this is a bigger concern for the people instead of fighting over basic healthcare, worrying about homelessness, or getting bombed by fighter jets. Makes me want to live there. It'd be boring but stable/safe.

[Kyrinasaj]

This all brings up the question, why do we lie to children in the first place? Why do we act like Santa is real only to inevitably shatter it later on? It would be far easier to just that Santa is fake from the start instead of playing in with a supposed fantasy of a real Santa.

You tell them the small lies so they will believe the big ones.
Truth, justice, mercy - those kind of things.

You don't need Santa for any of that

[Kyrinasaj]

This all brings up the question, why do we lie to children in the first place? Why do we act like Santa is real only to inevitably shatter it later on? It would be far easier to just that Santa is fake from the start instead of playing in with a supposed fantasy of a real Santa.

Kids like playing make believe. I mean, if I see a kid sitting in a cardbord box pretending it's a rocket ship and then five minutes later claiming they're a dinosaur and it's a pirate ship I'm not gonna pull them up on logical inconsistencies and explain that a plastic bucket on their heads won't protect them from explosive decompression.

Let kids have fun. It's fine to believe in a magic being that travels round the world giving out presents. Most of them cotton on by the time they're 6 or so anyway.

Like you said, kids imagine things. However, there's a different between a kid imaging something and telling a kid that something exists giving them presents.

[Tanaeria]

Hey if your parents tell you to quit lying just tell them santa, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy.

[Infected Mushroom]

I understand this to be true

But randomly changing the race when there’s cultural factors is not something I can usually get behind with

I’d rather you stick with the cannon

Where does the written down canon of Santa Claus lore even exist though?

he's a legendary character popularized/written by Caucasian European writers and depicted in artwork as a white old man since the Industrial Revolution (popularised later by Coca Cola)

its an unwritten cannon

but changing his race would be like changing the race of the Greek gods or white-washing characters in the Chinese Three Kingdoms story

[Vassenor]

New Zealand must be a pretty good place to live right now if this is a bigger concern for the people instead of fighting over basic healthcare, worrying about homelessness, or getting bombed by fighter jets. Makes me want to live there. It'd be boring but stable/safe.

And there we go appealing to worse problems again.

Everybody drink.

[Hurdergaryp]

New Zealand must be a pretty good place to live right now if this is a bigger concern for the people instead of fighting over basic healthcare, worrying about homelessness, or getting bombed by fighter jets. Makes me want to live there. It'd be boring but stable/safe.

And there we go appealing to worse problems again.

Everybody drink.

New Zealand tends to have significant earthquakes every now and then, though. It evens out.

[Geneviev]

And? If it confuses the child that much then tell them that Santa can change races through magic.

This all brings up the question, why do we lie to children in the first place? Why do we act like Santa is real only to inevitably shatter it later on? It would be far easier to just that Santa is fake from the start instead of playing in with a supposed fantasy of a real Santa.

Lying to kids is just something people do. They like Santa and it's a nice idea.

[The Huskar Social Union]

And there we go appealing to worse problems again.

Everybody drink.

New Zealand tends to have significant earthquakes every now and then, though. It evens out.

Also armies of orcs and dark lords too.

[Hurdergaryp]

This all brings up the question, why do we lie to children in the first place? Why do we act like Santa is real only to inevitably shatter it later on? It would be far easier to just that Santa is fake from the start instead of playing in with a supposed fantasy of a real Santa.

Lying to kids is just something people do. They like Santa and it's a nice idea.

And even if you don't lie to children and always tell them the bleak truth, they may still grow up to become adults who lie to themselves constantly.

[Costa Fierro]

People were booing him and giving the thumbs down as he went past.

New Zealand must be a pretty good place to live right now if this is a bigger concern for the people instead of fighting over basic healthcare, worrying about homelessness, or getting bombed by fighter jets. Makes me want to live there. It'd be boring but stable/safe.

We're having issues dealing with various aspects of our healthcare system, especially mental health, and homelessness is an increasing problem. The main issue here is that none of these things generally affect Nelson, as it's a very middle class city. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm not ashamed but disgusted, though not surprised, at the reaction this brought and the rationalisation people made when confronted about their racism.

New Zealand tends to have significant earthquakes every now and then, though. It evens out.

Every three years if the scientists' observations are correct. Not been too bad this year, only felt three.

[Page]

Hey, if Jesus can be portrayed as a white guy, Santa can be Thai or Aboriginal or something, why not?

[Cetacea]

And there we go appealing to worse problems again.

Everybody drink.

New Zealand tends to have significant earthquakes every now and then, though. It evens out.

Lol every now and then in the last century being 1930 and 2011 - which admittedly is more than some other places and NZ does have 15000 minor quakes per year (sometimes hundreds per day) but other than those two big guns none of the others have been significant

[Aellex]

Hey, if Jesus can be portrayed as a white guy, Santa can be Thai or Aboriginal or something, why not?

Jesus could have been white just as much as he could have been tanned and was represented that first way since the earliest icons we've found tho.