Fox News host Megyn Kelly says people should get over being uncomfortable with the “fact” that Jesus and Santa are white. But maybe it's Kelly who's uncomfortable with the facts.
Responding to a blogger’s suggestion that we rethink the old white man image of Santa, Kelly tells kids that there’s no argument - “Santa just is white.” Then she adds that “Jesus was white too,“ and it's pretty clear that Kelly is talking about the Anglo white way both have been historically depicted in America.
Not only does Kelly convey to kids that dark-skinned Santas might be fakes, she also misrepresents the ancestry of the historical figures she insists are white. As religious scholar Reza Aslan explains, Jesus was Jewish and a Palestinian, but the Christ, which is based on faith, is depicted differently all over the world.
Since Santa is also a figure based on faith, he too can be whatever you want him to be, but according to the north pole.com, the original Santa was Turkish.
Bottom line, Kelly’s remarks are racist, and Fox should apologize.
We, the undersigned, say Kelly’s remarks are racist and incorrect.
Based on Reza’s Aslan’s explanation, it is normal and acceptable for people to depict figures of faith as they see themselves, and that is why different depictions of Jesus and Mary are found all over they world. The images are reflections of the cultures that embrace them. For example, Aslan told the Washington Post, that:
When you look at the painting from Guatemala, what you see are Jesus and Mary as migrant farm workers. I don't mean they look like migrant farm workers I mean they are migrant farm workers. When you look at the painting from China, Jesus and Mary are Chinese, literally Chinese. When you look at the painting from Thailand, Jesus and Mary are blue, as though they are Hindu gods.
Aslan admits that in this context, Megyn Kelly is right.“Her Christ is white.”
The problem is that Kelly is telling the rest of the world and kids that they should see Santa and Christ the way she sees them - not how they see them.
Kelly’s views are not only racist and historically incorrect, they discriminate against religious views, and they are very likely upsetting to some children and disrespectful of what their parents may have taught them.
We request that Fox apologize to viewers for Kelly’s racist remarks.
