New Mexico Teacher Helps Make 'Santa Is White' Official Stupidest Meme For Christmas 2013

Thanks to a 9th-grade teacher in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, America now has its Official Stupidest Meme for the 2013 holiday season. Megyn Kelly's teevee contribution to the idiocy was certainly the first and loudest, but an unnamed teacher at Cleveland High School gave "Don’t you know Santa Claus is white?" its definitive real-world test drive last week, mocking (ironically?) an autistic black kid wearing a Santa hat & beard to school. As far as we're concerned, that's all the tipping point needed: 2013 is now the Year Of White Santa. Now let's all go make some children cry!

What happened was that kids were told they could come to school dressed up as Santa, an elf or a reindeer; ninth-grader Christopher Rougier came to school wearing a Santa hat and beard, and the teacher reportedly said, "Don't you know Santa Clause [sic] is white? Why are you wearing that?" According to an Albuquerque TV station, the incident left Christopher so upset that he was no longer interested in decorating the family's Christmas tree.

The teacher, according to the school district, has been disciplined, although the school won't say how; Christopher's parents have had him removed from the teacher's class, and his father, Michael Rougier, is pressing for the teacher to be fired.

So far, no word on whether the teacher came up with the brilliant observation that a black kid can't be Santa on his own, or if he was inspired by Megyn Kelly, or what. Maybe it was "just a joke" and the teacher was trying out this newfangled "irony" business. (Honestly, whyon earth else would he say it? Oh right, there is the possibility that he just sucks.) Unfortunately, "irony" isn't a terrific excuse when you're making developmentally disabled kids cry, and "archness" not generally the best form of communication with same. Your Wonket has heard this is the case.

In any case, Santa was definitely white, come on.

[ El Paso Times / KRQE / KOB-TV ]