Father Christmas is ‘too white and patriarchal', says woke museum
Father Christmas is too white and should be ‘decolonised’ in the name of diversity, according to a museum.
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Ahead of Christmas, Brighton and Hove Museums published a blog saying that Santa is too judgemental over children’s behaviour.
The ‘naughty list’ promotes ‘Western binary’ values and reinforces damaging ideas about power, authority and Western superiority, the blog states.
“For many children, the story of Santa Claus is as much a part of Christmas as gifts and Christmas dinner,” the post said.
“But the tale of a white, Western Santa who judges all children's behaviour has problems.
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“As he visits each nation he determines if the children deserve presents based on being 'naughty' or 'nice','
“But who decided Santa should be the judge of children's behaviour in every community? How can he assess, for example, Indigenous children practising their own cultural traditions?
“Told like this, the story presents Santa as the ultimate authority of all societies. This asks us to accept colonial assumptions of cultural superiority.”
Parents should “challenge the colonial gaze” by abandoning the idea of Father Christmas “rewarding children based on a Western binary of 'naughty/nice’.”
The blog post also suggested that Santa should be put to work in the toy factory alongside the elves to show “him and the elves as equal.”
“Patriarchy and colonialism went hand in hand. Show the next generation that men don't have to be in charge.”
The post concluded: “The goal is moving away from a colonial narrative of dominance. Instead, tell a story that emphasises cultural diversity, exchange and respect.”
A spokesman for Brighton and Hove Museums sought to downplay the row, insisting the public was 'free to agree or disagree'.
They said: “This blog post was written in 2023 as part of our Culture Change work.
“As museum educators, our role is not to tell people what is right or wrong, but to help audiences look at history and culture from more than one point of view and to create opportunities for discussion and debate, just as we do when interpreting art, objects and historic places”.