Is "White Christmas" inherently racist?

Question

I mean the last line of the song states "And may all your Christmases be WHITE" Sounds like the man to me...

Answer 1

That reminds me of black comedian who said his father was always seeing racist plots in everything. He said he and his father were in the grocery store and saw green olives and black olives. His father says "Why do the green olives get a view and the black olives get jailed in a can? It's the man trying to keep us down!" :-)

Perhaps Zappa's "Don't you eat that Yellow Snow" is about Asians?

P.S. Watch out where the huskies go...

Answer 2

hmm good question. i think it would be to our benefit to have the federal government host some congressional hearings on the matter of 'white' Christmases amongst other equally unsavory and potentially racist remarks which often pop-up at this time of year.

i would bet there are several large corporations, which may have nothing to do with white snows and Christmas, like Halliburton, for example, which could be hired by the u.s. government to investigate the color of snow and study the effects of 'white' Christmases, including songs about jovial old men in red suits and how these events may affect our inner city crime rates, poverty levels, and the psyche of the u.s. population in general.

The federal government could take these findings and hire some very expensive and 'outside' consultants to work with a congressional committee, like the House Ways and Means committee, to craft a bill to correct this ghastly breach of deprivation and political incorrectness.

i am sure that Congress would push this bill right through with George w.'s blessing and taxpayers would not even mind footing the bill for such an extensive and thorough investigation and legal correction - even at the cost of millions, perhaps billions, of dollars

Answer 3

Yes, yes it is. Both are giving preference to those of a biological characteristic that has no bearing on the task at hand (gender and race). Notice that women (especially from the previous answers) call it "courtesy" because they BENEFITED from discrimination. Whites said the same, for the same reason. Those who say that "ladies first" is about honor and respect? That's PRECISELY what "whites only" was about.

Answer 4

No - it is referring to snow - which clean snow is typically white.

But nice of you to try to put this spin on an old holiday favorite.

Does this mean that Rudolph was an alcoholic - since he has this glowing red nose?

Answer 5

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" = Not racist

"I'm dreaming of a Caucasian Christmas" = racist

Answer 6

I have read about fifty billion books to young children in my career and now write for them myself. It is a shock to see how much of our language equates "dark" and "black" with evil, disease, fear, wrong, weakness, ugliness, filth, etc. I closely watch the faces and reactions as three year olds when they hear those metaphors, similes and allegories. Children of all melanin levels (the chemical in humans that gives us skin pigmentation, our eye color and freckles) and they most certainly do notice those connotations. Of course children notice. Their stage of language development and vocabulary are embryonic. They are glued to every word in their intense efforts to learn language at that age. I never saw any child of any melanin level react negatively to positive connotations, such as a "White Christmas". But, all children react to the negative connotations. You can see the connotation whirl around in their processing departments of their minds and conscience, crashing into their fundamental innocence and naturally unbiased perceptions and feelings of the world. Their eye brows and noses crinkle with consternation.

The day - night cycle is where our notions of good / bad = white / black. Daylight meant warmth and life from the Sun. Night meant the demise of the Sun and large predators that came into our camps and dragged off screaming into the shadows 7 out of 12 of our children to eat. Teaching exactly that solar worship premise of that dichotomy to young children as early as possible helps to reduce the sting that especially darker skinned children feel every time they hear those negative connotations. The knowledge clarifies and empowers them beyond the ambiguity of the association between their skin color and negative connotations. But, there is no harm whatsoever in using words of color and shade in positive ways. When I write for children, I am careful to balance color associations to include black and dark in highly beautiful, positive connotations. It's not the "white = good" that is unhealthy. It is the LACK of "black = good" that needs balancing.

Answer 7

a white christmas means you have snow on the ground on christmas day.
its not racist at ALL.

Answer 8

Um no white christmas ? White ? As in SNOW =]

Answer 9

White = Snow. P.S. there are also references to a "Black Christmas" in movies.

Answer 10

You mean there's a black Christmas??? (Sealab)


NO! It's referring to snow, genius. I'm sure that since you've said something, we'll no longer be able to sing that song.