Why isn't Santa Claus ever portrayed as black, Hispanic, Asian, etc.?

[raccoon]

If he lives at the North Pole it would make more sense if he was Inuit.

[datasuspect]

1. there was a cat who called himself Pancho Claus

down in houston.

low rider santa.

[Kali]

16. ...

[HereSince1628]

2. Hmm...I've never see the Buddha depicted as Norwegian either

what's with the lack of diversity in the big religions?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. buddha has been depicted for more east asian than south asian

because his followers are more east asian now.

we mould god in our image.

[HereSince1628]

15. My god is definitely molded

[hedgehog]

3. St. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra and may have looked like this:

http://www.omhksea.org/2011/12/saint-nicholas-archbishop-of-myra/

or this

?w=558

[siligut]

8. WTF, the top pic makes him look like a pedophile

The lips and eyes I think. Aside from that, good to know.

[backtoblue]

4. well, since he lives at the north pole, shouldn't he be an eskimo? nt

suppose that's an inuit right?

[HereSince1628]

6. As no humans LIVE at the north pole, shouldn't he be not a human?

[backtoblue]

7. santa has a biodome! now his elves on the other hand...

[onehandle]

5. He lives at the North Pole. Not born at the North Pole.

And the tradition is Northern European.

[dr.strangelove]

9. well first, he is sometimes portrayed as black, but I have never seen an asian or other portrayal

There are lots of myths about him, but the one I was always told was that he made toys, was unable to have children and in teh winter at solstace he would deliver toys to all his neighbors. Then he magically became santa. He was always a northern european white male in this version of the myth.

I grew up in the Bronx and there were black santas as far back as I can remember. Black plastic santas in yards and on balconies. Black santas in stores. I think its rare in rural white areas, but in urban black centers, I think its common.

[BarackTheVote]

17. I'm pretty sure that origin story was made up for the

Rankin/Bass animated movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066327/

[bluesbassman]

10. Because he's actually a typical freak.

Living up north in the Santa Claus and his Old Lady Commune.

[davsand]

11. How do YOU think a Black Santa is gonna go over?

Climbing around on your roof, sliding down your chimney, running around all night long, SNEAKING in your house...

I can hear the KKK having grand mal seizures as we speak, and I can see the NRA starting up an ad campaign to sell guns to homeowners along with chimney booby traps for "standin' yer ground!" Random sleigh stops are gonna become the rule, and lord KNOWS they are gonna want to do something about all the illegal reindeer fights being held in the back alleys...




Laura

[raccoon]

20. Great post! you're so right. nt

[NightWatcher]

13. Sinterklaas has Zwarte Piet as his helper

although he's usually a white Dutch guy in horrible blackface

[struggle4progress]

14. Is that, like, a nod to the Dutch role in the slave trade?

[raccoon]

21. you'd think so. nt

[harmonicon]

18. I've seen black Santas.

Haven't you ever listened to "The Santa Land Diaries"?

[Fearless]

19. Norman Rockwell

[Major Nikon]

22. This