Dear McFartnuggets:
What lesson is the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer supposed to teach children? The story is basically about a bunch of reindeer making fun of this one freak reindeer with a weird red nose. They treat him like shit, completely alienate him and don’t let him engage in their reindeer games. Then when it turns out his freakishness is actually beneficial to Santa and Christmas they learn to accept and love him. So is that supposed to teach kids “Hey don’t feel bad if people make fun of you for being different because one day that freakishness can help save the day”? The problem is most of the time in real life a deformed child’s deformities never end up saving the day. Most kids never get that Rudolph leading the sleigh moment so it just gives them this false hope. Isn’t this a horrible story for kids to hear? -- Michelle from Detroit, Michigan
Dear Michelle:
I think you’re reading too far into this. It’s just a fun Christmas story for children. It’s not meant to be a fable. But if you are looking for a lesson in this story then maybe it’s a lesson being told to kids who are more like the other reindeers besides Rudolph. Maybe it’s teaching kids to not make fun of a freaky kid because he or she might end up being really cool. Now a kid with Scoliosis rarely ends up guiding Santa’s sleigh, but perhaps it’s a metaphor. The other reindeer probably felt like crap for mocking Rudolph when they really got to know him and I think a lot of people feel bad for the way they treated freak children when they were younger. That’s the real lesson. The real lesson is people shouldn't be singled out for their disorders and deformities UNLESS they become crucial to the saving of Christmas, then it’s okay to exalt and worship them.
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| These days Rudolph would have probably been pressured into having his red nose surgically removed. |
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