美国国家公共电台 NPR Black Santa Claus Is A Hit At The Mall, But Faces An Online Backlash

Black Santa Claus Is A Hit At The Mall, But Faces An Online Backlash

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: 

Larry Jefferson has been putting on a big, red suit and perfecting his best ho-ho-ho for nearly 20 years. The retired¹ Army captain plays Santa at shopping malls, holiday parties and charity benefits. And he hit the big time this year when he was handpicked at a Santa convention² to appear at the Mall of America in Minnesota.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: 

And by all accounts, kids and parents - just about everybody at the mall - loved him. But when this story spread online, the negative attacks started pouring in because Larry Jefferson is black. Santa Larry, as he likes to be called, is now back home in Irving, Texas, and we called him up via Skype.

LARRY JEFFERSON: Ho-ho-ho. Good morning, Rachel. How are you?

MARTIN: I am doing just fine. Thanks for making time. It's a very busy time of year for you, for many reasons, so...

JEFFERSON: Yes, it is. Yes, it is.

MARTIN: So let's talk about what happened in Minnesota because it's not like you're the first African-American man to put on a Santa suit. Black Santas are popular all over the country. And the response to you in Minnesota was overwhelmingly³ positive, so were you surprised at the online backlash?

JEFFERSON: Not really because of the times in which we're living in. But, you know, that backlash was only a small percentage.

MARTIN: So this was significant⁴ for this mall. In its 24-year history, the mall had never had a black Santa. What was it like when you were greeting the kids and the families? Do you think the kids there saw you differently at all?

JEFFERSON: No, not at all. They were loving Santa Larry. I mean, people were coming and giving me hugs. Minnesota is nice. I love Minnesota. They treated me like royalty⁵.

MARTIN: Where did you grow up? I mean, the North Pole probably, but, you know...

JEFFERSON: Yeah, exactly - North Pole via a little, small town in Arkansas called Nashville, Ark.

MARTIN: And how did you conceive⁶ of Santa Claus when you were growing up? Was he a big, bearded white guy?

JEFFERSON: Yeah, of course, of course. And that's what I would see on television at times. But it was all so mystical how he would come to my house and put those presents up under my tree.

MARTIN: Jefferson caught the Santa bug⁷ early. He was about 11 years old, and he got to help put the presents under the tree. The next morning, he woke up all the children.

JEFFERSON: And to see that joy and excitement on my nieces' and my siblings⁸' face, it was unbelievable. I loved it.

MARTIN: Decades later, he donned the red suit for the first time. When he found out his nephews were not going to see Santa that year, Jefferson decided⁹ he would bring Santa to them, so he went to Wal-Mart and bought a Santa suit for $29.99.

JEFFERSON: I put that Santa suit on in my house, and I was walking around in the house laughing to myself and thinking, oh, my gosh, this is fun. And so I get to my little brother's house, knock, knock on the door, door opens. There are three of these little boys in their pajamas¹⁰. And they just freaked out. It was like, oh, my gosh, it's Santa Claus. And I walked in, gave them some presents and all kinds of stuff¹¹, and then I disappeared. After I left, my sister-in-law called me, and she was like, Larry, I asked the boys if they knew who that was, and they kept saying, yeah, mama. It was Santa Claus. It was Santa Claus. And that's how - it made me feel so good that I loved it, you know?

MARTIN: I have to ask you, what are kids whispering in your ear this year? Are they asking for anything particular?

JEFFERSON: Oh, toys, trucks, bicycles, cellphones, iPads.

MARTIN: IPads? Wow.

JEFFERSON: They're asking for everything. One child says, I don't want anything, Santa. I just want everybody to be happy.

MARTIN: Oh, good for you, little boy. Well, Santa Larry, I got to say, it - it sounds like you have found your calling in life.

JEFFERSON: That's what all my friends are telling me...

MARTIN: (Laughter).

JEFFERSON: ...Despite what the mean-spirited Grinch people are saying online, you know? They're going to get coal - ho-ho-ho-ho-ho - for sure.

MARTIN: Santa Larry speaking to us from Irving, Texas. Santa Larry, merry Christmas to you.

JEFFERSON: (Singing) We wish you a merry Christmas. We wish you a merry Christmas. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Thank you, NPR.

MARTIN: Any time.

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

3 overwhelmingly   

adv.压倒性地；不可抵抗地

参考例句：

• They voted overwhelmingly against the proposal. 他们以压倒多数票否决了该提案。
• The local economy is overwhelmingly dependent on oil and gas extraction. 当地经济过于依赖石油和天然气的开采。

4 significant   

adj.相当数量的；意义重大的；意味深长的

参考例句：

• Your success today may be significant for your whole future.你今天的成功对你的整个未来可能是重要的。
• She cast him a significant smile.她向他投去意味深长的一笑。

5 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

6 conceive   

vt.设想，构想，怀孕，受（孕）

参考例句：

• You may conceive a new world in the atomic age.你可以设想出原子时代的新世界。
• I can hardly conceive of your doing such a thing.我很难想象你会做出这种事情。

7 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

8 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 pajamas   

n.睡衣裤

参考例句：

• At bedtime,I take off my clothes and put on my pajamas.睡觉时，我脱去衣服，换上睡衣。
• He was wearing striped pajamas.他穿着带条纹的睡衣裤。

11 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。