Culture Black Santas are appearing in US Disney parks this season for the first time

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Black Santas are appearing in US Disney parks this season for the first time​

Los Angeles (CNN) — Without an official announcement or fanfare, US Disney parks are including a Black Santa Claus in Christmas celebrations this year for the first time in the company's 66-year theme park history.
At both Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, a Black Santa has been spotted at certain meet-and-greets and at after-hours Christmas parties.

A Disney spokesperson told CNN that Santa Claus is represented in various ways in local and regional communities and around the world -- and in that spirit, Santa Claus will reflect the diversity of surrounding communities at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney parks are the latest place where families can see a non-White portrayal of Santa Claus, with more Black Santas appearing in recent years at shopping malls and in a recent Oreo cookie commercial.

On Friday, Old Navy is holding Santa Bootcamp, an online inclusive training program encouraging participation "from a broad array of backgrounds, ethnicities and cultural heritages to offer more representation in the role of Santa."

As expected, Disney guests and the general public have taken to social media with strong opinions.

Twitter user @maciiannn posted: "I'm pretty sure I just caught the very first black Santa to ever be at Walt Disney World and I am seriously crying happy tears."

But Twitter user @hawksmurray commented on the news, saying "Everyone knows Santa isn't black they should not make a black Santa just for a pr stunt."

Some users replied to that, saying "Everyone knows Santa is not real."

Victoria Wade, a theme park social media influencer who is Black, tweeted about the inclusion of a Black Santa at Disney parks, writing, "Never in life did I think disney would actually put a black Santa in the parks."

The move made her emotional and more likely to spend money attending the parks' Christmas parties, she said in her post.

"With Disney implementing this change as part of their diversity and inclusion initiative, it really allows me to feel more comfortable and seen when I visit the parks," she told CNN.

"Ultimately it makes me feel more accepted, welcome and I'm thrilled at what this will do for children of all backgrounds when they visit Disney parks."

 

[The Last Stand]

Disney didn't brag too much on it, so good on them. I always felt the Black Santa trope is a folksy tale to look up to.

 

[Troonos]

God, Disney is fucking gay now. I can't wait to see what woke monstrosities are in EPCOT after the planned revamping of the entire park. Never giving a cent to any of these faggots' corporate divisions again. Star Wars is shit. Marvel capeshit is shit. The movies are shit. The parks are shit. I can't even imagine how much it must suck to work for them with their mandatory weekly Diversity Inclusion Equity seminars.

 

[mr.moon1488]

At least they're not troons.

 

[keyboredsm4shthe2nd]

"Buy more disney shit"

 

[DDBCAE CBAADCBE]

Walt is spinning in his grave.

 

[spinal gas chamber]

white Santa gives you a bike for Christmas, black Santa takes it from you.

 

[LordofTendons]

"Buy more disney shit"

No, they want to attract more joggers. Steal more Disney shit.

 

[Cardef1121]

I don't see a problem with black Santas but have you seen that ridiculous Star Wars hotel? 4k for a two day stay and it looks awful. That is the true rape of a cultural artifact.

 

[SiccDicc]

All this is teaching me is that Santa is a changeling and changelings have a nasty habit of abducting children and replacing them with their own.

Good message.

 

[Dammit Mandrake!]

Cool, whatever. Santa pictures are a tradition and everyone should be able to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with the Santa that suits them.

 

[Diana Moon Glampers]

Black Santas have been a thing at flagship department stores for over 50 years.

 

[Orange Man Costume]

The Santa that we know is more a corporate homunculus than a historic or legendary figure, largely popularized by Coca Cola, so this really shouldn't matter to anyone.

If we somehow spread our culture to aliens in the future, they're just going to have their own alien Santa as well.

 

[The Last Stand]

Black Santas have been a thing at flagship department stores for over 50 years.

Hey, a job's a job.

 

[Dammit Mandrake!]

@Transniglet READ THE FUCKING BIBLE, NIGGER.

 

[ZehnBoat]

Black Santas have been a thing at flagship department stores for over 50 years.

but disney is doing it now
SO ITS NEW
IT BROKE NEW GROUND
NOW WATCH MARVEL MOVIES BIGOT

 

[NineteenNinetyEight]

I mean, to be fair, what other race is good at breaking into other people's houses at night?

Kinda fitting to be quite honest.

 

[byuu]

largely popularized by Coca Cola, so this really shouldn't matter to anyone.

A Black Santa has all the colors of a Coke bottle. So it's even more true to tradition.

 

[JambledUpWords]

I mean, to be fair, what other race is good at breaking into other people's houses at night?

Kinda fitting to be quite honest.

I truly don’t care what color Santa is, but where I draw the line is when people portray historical figures like Anne Boleyn as black when she clearly wasn’t. Santa is based off of the actual Turkish saint, but over time has become so fictionalized that he hardly resembles the historical person to begin with, which is why I don’t see a problem in portraying the clearly fictional version as black. That’s just my take. As far as culture war stuff goes, this issue is the wrong hill to die on.

 

[SBG]

Black Santas have been a thing at flagship department stores for over 50 years.

I would think they'd mostly do that in black neighborhoods since most kids would think of Santa as white.

I'm tempted to say this would just lead to some confused kids at Disney, but since most people going seem to be adults I guess it doesn't make much difference.