http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2013/12/14/3066111/megyn-kelly-santa-2/
Earlier this week, Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly found herself the object of well-deserved criticism, historical and otherwise, after declaring on-air: “I mean, Jesus was a white man, too. He was a historical figure. That’s verifiable fact, as is Santa. I just want the kids watching to know that. But my point is, how do you just revise it in the middle of the legacy of the story, and change Santa from white to black.”
She was responding to a piece in Slate that posed a joking solution to a real problem, suggesting that Santa Claus be replaced with a penguin so that children of color don’t have to experience yet another cultural institution that doesn’t reflect them.And in doing so, she managed to get both her history wrong — both Jesus and Saint Nicholas have Middle Eastern and Turkish origins, and Santa Claus’ image has undergone constant revision — and to reveal herself to be more callous than the brand she’s worked so hard to build would suggest.Her response to the writer of the original post and the people she spoke for? “Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it has to change.”The response was overwhelming, and Kelly, who took a sick day from her show the night after the Santa segment, returned last night to answer her critics. And the lessons she’s taken from them are revealing.“I also did say Jesus was white,” Kelly acknowledged. “As I learned in the last two days, that is far from settled. For me, the fact that an offhand jest I made during a segment about whether Santa should be replaced by a penguin has now become a national firestorm says two things. Race is still an incredibly volatile issue in this country, and Fox News, and yours truly are big targets for many people.”
is this an example of right wing oblivious to reality or just all things good just have to be White period. the Bible dose not paint a picture of Jesus as WHITE, BLOND HAIR AND BLUE EYES in fact quite the opposite, why is it far from settled, truth v. right wing arrogance? took a day off to get her response together and get over the attacks she said she was surprised why because less people agreed with her?
It’s in keeping with Kelly’s claim to Jay Leno earlier in the week that “I am a straight news anchor — I am not one of the opinion hosts at Fox,” to acknowledge that there’s scholarship about Jesus’ race and appearance that contradicts her own assertion. But it’s entirely in keeping with Fox’s larger brand to make the response to Kelly’s segment evidence of both black entitlement and part of a devious campaign aimed at undermining Kelly herself.Nobody’s asking for a complete revision of Santa Claus’ cultural history, here. There is no organized campaign to color-correct Thomas Nast cartoons or Coca-Cola ads. Instead, the question Kelly’s critics were putting to her is why she feels the need for Santa Claus to be depicted as exclusively white. Kelly tried to side-step that question. But there’s really no way around it.
i guess right wing arrogance would be their choice. she brought Jesus into her rant of White domination.
