Hmmm, Rudolph may be a nice deer, but the holiday cartoon sure isn't. And at one time in my life I believed it to be okay. I looked forward to watching it as a child. As I grew up, I got it that you are supposed to be nice. And hey, everything works out in the end, right? But what damage is done?
Well, we just watched this the other day as we were decorating our tree. I think if I'd not become aware of the one way restrictions and stupidity our country places on us, I would still watch the cartoon and think nothing of it. So, I have to pick on it. Right off, you have Santa telling Donner that he hopes Rudolph outgrows his shiny nose, if he wants to pull his sleigh. That's Adult #1. Dear dad makes some type of nose covering, and forces him to wear it. Adult (#2). Poor Rudolph gets made fun of when it falls off, and is told by an Adult (#3), that he can not join in the fun. Then, both he and Clarice (the girl deer who befriends him), are told by another Adult (#4), that, "No daughter of mine is to be seen with a red nosed reindeer". Well gee, right off our kids are seeing adult figures, tell the young deer that if you are different, you can not play or be seen with. What the heck kind of message is that?
Switch to the elves now. We have a little elf, who not only looks different than the other elves, but wants to be a dentist. He is told by the head elf-another Adult (#5)-that he needs to be like the rest of the elves, and make toys. Go to elf practice, to learn to wiggle his ears and sing songs-important things like that. This head elf slams down on Hermie a few times about needing to be like the rest of the elves. His being different and having new ideas is not allowed, obviously. I suppose all the people who had new and foreign ideas were shunned by society as well, until they proved themselves worthy.
Anyhow, the two "misfits", now find each other and run away. Just what we want to teach our kids right? To run away if they are different than the rest of the world. Not like Rudolph could go back home and find comfort from his family, when his dad was hiding him from the start. He might have taught him how to stay away from the snow monster, but he didn't teach him to stand up for himself.
Well, H&R meet some interesting characters on the way. Yukon the miner, who searches for silver and gold, and doesn't seem phased by the Differences in them. Heck, the guy has a sled team made up of all non sled dogs, and I'm trying to figure out why his tongue doesn't stick to the ice pick. He's the first Adult who says nothing about them. They just head off together and find themselves on an island of other misfits-toys that are built different. Santa's elves made them right? Were they just trying for a different toy and it didn't work out? Apparently Hermie wasn't the only elf with a different idea, it just wasn't toy related. He did want to add teeth to the dolls, so he could, "Fit in". Did we see that? He was trying to, "Fit in", like the head elf asked him to. It just wasn't good enough.
Now, Rudolph runs away-again. Only this time with some good intentions, as he wants to protect his friends. He grows up over a few months and realizes he needs to go home, because you can't run away from your problems. The cartoon is at least 3/4 of the way over before this message comes in. He returns to find his parents and friend missing, as they had gone to look for him. He finds them in the snow monster's cave (what happens when reindeer run away from home), get's conked on the head, and right when he's about to get eaten (scary for a kid), Yukon and Hermie show up and save the day. Pull all the snow monster's teeth, and they go over a cliff. What another nice thing for kids to watch.
But oh, everything is just dandy now. The whole family returns home and all the elves and deer are happy to see them. They were, "Too hard", on Rudolph and Hermie, and realized it was Okay to be Different. I don't even know why it's okay for Hermie to be a dentist now, unless it has to do with his saving Rudolph by pulling the teeth of the snow monster. Who by the way, returns with Yukon, because, "Bumbles bounce", and he's friendly now. (what a way to scare kids and then, oh, no, he's not dead) And since Rudolph can lead the way through the snow and fog, everyone is even happier at his return. You even have dear dad saying how proud he is. What? He was ashamed of his own son at the beginning of he show!
Ok, so I'm sure some people will think I've over analyzed the show, but when I pick it apart, that's what I see. Kids are watching this cartoon from their earliest years. Their first Christmas if they are old enough. Probably a few years prior to starting school. An age of great influence in character. There are bullies at age four and five. There is shunning. There is already pressure to, "Fit in", at this young and tender age. It's even worse if the parents are adding to the pressure.
At some point, Rudolph quits being the cute little red nosed reindeer, and becomes something kids can relate to. How many years do they spend trying to be part of the, "in crowd", to conform to what the school wants, or what their parents want, and eventually, what society dictates? How many of those kids actually believe it's ok to be different, and find the courage to stand up to the criticism? Today is no different than when Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer was made. The message is the same. It depends on what message you see.
Will my kids continue to watch the show each holiday season? Probably. Because the main characters are different, and there is a lesson to be learned. And as they get older, I doubt they'll view it with the blindness that I did for so long.
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