News Disney plans to include a black Santa Claus at Walt Disney World this year as the company continues its diversity and inclusion program

[Brian]

I'd just like to state for the record that I respect the viewpoints of those who dissented from mine, and I'm not just saying that. It's clear that you all have some very strong feelings on the issue of representation, and I'm glad to see that you embrace your values.

I hope we all (as a larger society) can get to a place where we once again view those who disagree with us as good and decent people.

Anyway...

 

[correcaminos]

It was a joke. Not a literal change to the word or its meaning. As someone who learned Spanish by living in the Dominican Republic, it was a reference to how they might say "avergonzado" in the same pronounciation you spelled out. The "eating" of the d the same way Southern dialect is often depicted with "chopping" g's off of -ing (fixin', headin' out). I first saw the "@" as a way to terminate in a gender neutral fashion back in 2000, among Dominicans my age and younger, and find the permeation of Latin-x disgusting even as a white guy from middle America. So, late gen-X (ironically) and beyond, in my personal experience. Though, being male and thinking o first, I first incorrectly read it as "oh-ah," as in "barbacoa."

Ah sorry... missed that. If you learned Spanish from Dominicans then God bless you lol. Seriously as one who speaks de España we wouldn't enjoy each others Spanish at all... said as one married to a Puerto Rican who isn't even as fast as Dominicans. I was watching the new Saved by the Bell and honestly even my husband (Spanish is his first langage) had to listen to one of the girls 2x to catch it all. Man they are fast!

So I get the dialects. Letters dropping left and right... and yeah totally accurate. If my husband says "estoy consado" it comes out e-toy consao

I'm GenX too as is my spouse. We loathe Latinx. My kid uses Latinao in school for class even. They teach it that way. I use ellos for they still but outside of Latinao the they/them issue seems to be largely ignored. So I tend to just use Latinos for all. I adjust as needed

 

[Jabbas]

I don’t see the issue. When I was a kid , we went to the same holiday party ever year. The Santa was Black. My parents always told us nobody. Knew what race the real Santa was because nobody ever saw him. There told us Santa hired these people as helpers.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I'm not making any argument. I'm truly looking forward to them going all in on this strategy.

There would be nothing strange about meeting a black Cinderella in Princess Fairytale Hall, right?

There's a black cinderella on Disney+, so why would it be strange?

 

[Magicart87]

Ok well then what color is the Easter Bunny?

 

[sullyinMT]

There's a black cinderella on Disney+, so why would it be strange?

Not my post. Just sayin'

 

[DCBaker]

The tackyness of announcing this with the way they are announcing it while self patting is proof of what the problem really is.

Disney hasn't announced anything.

 

[Disstevefan1]

St. Nicholas, was of course black so this is the perfect thing for Disney to let us know that they have hired a person and team to make such an intense move for the company to right the wrong of Clement Clark Moore. That racist poet.

The tackyness of announcing this with the way they are announcing it while self patting is proof of what the problem really is.

And all this time I thought Coca Cola invented the white Santa....

 

[Archie123]

Things like this create more division than they do inclusion.

It may do that to you but you certainly do not speak for a lot of people.

 

[MichWolv]

The tackyness of announcing this with the way they are announcing it while self patting is proof of what the problem really is.

Steve announced it, not Disney. Or do you assume Steve is acting at Disney's behest?

 

[VJ]

And all this time I thought Coca Cola invented the white Santa....

Coca-Cola, through artist Haddon Sundblom, popularized - but did not invent, per se - the modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly old man in a red suit with a beard.

 

[celluloid]

Steve announced it, not Disney. Or do you assume Steve is acting at Disney's behest?

You do not plan to hire a black Santa. You just hire the best Santas and have no casting requirement of them being a lighter skin tone.

If you have to plan it...then you are a definition of the problem.

 

[monothingie]

Disney hasn't announced anything.

Yet.

 

[Demarke]

I guess if people are triggered by a black Santa then their minds would probably explode when they realize that Jesus wasn't white.

I’m a Marlins fan, I know what Jesus Aguilar looks like!

 

[Trauma]

What the company really needs is a black CEO.

Why?

They won’t be Chapek.

 

[Brian]

What the company really needs is a black CEO.

Why?

It won’t be Chapek.

A proposal we can all get behind!

 

[MichWolv]

You do not plan to hire a black Santa. You just hire the best Santas and have no casting requirement of them being a lighter skin tone.

If you have to plan it...then you are a definition of the problem.

Oddly enough, many people seem to believe that the best Santas must be white. I've just read some of their posts. They are the definition of the problem.

"Announce" or "publicize" or "direct HR" vs. "just do it" or "color-blind hiring" are all debates about how to solve (or at least reduce the size of) the problem.

 

[Magicart87]

Didn't EPCOT at one point have many interpretations of "Santa" one for each WS country?

 

[monothingie]

Oddly enough, many people seem to believe that the best Santas must be white. I've just read some of their posts. They are the definition of the problem.

"Announce" or "publicize" or "direct HR" vs. "just do it" or "color-blind hiring" are all debates about the way to solve the problem.

According to the Santa's bio song. All they have to be is a jolly fat man.

 

[HauntedPirate]

The answer is simple: AR-enhanced Santa Galactus! He appears to be whatever color/race/etc. the person wants through the MDE app on their phone.