Our discussion of ethnicity in Disney movies really got me thinking. Children are bombarded with all these images. With sincere effort, we could use these images to educate children about diversity.
In addition to Disney movies, Santa Claus has traditionally been white. Parents everywhere are bringing their children to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. For minority children, they could feel left out, because Santa is almost always portraid as a caucasian man.
Not only are most men who play Santa at malls and Christmas parties white, but so are the Santas in books and movies about Christmas. This is a classic example of a structuring absence.
I did a Google Search of Santa Claus images,and the first 86 images, both drawings and photos were of white Santas.
In a search for Santa Claus books at BarnesandNoble.com, of the first 100 results, there wasn't a single image of a minority Santa Claus.
For children, Christmas should be a time of excitement and happiness. While the holiday should not revolve around receiving presents, Santa Claus is a classic traditional part of the Holiday season. There's no reason that children should feel left out of that simply because they are not fairly represented in the media.
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