I originally posted this last December after someone started me thinking differently about Rudolph. This week political correctness run amuck has multiple sites talking about a segment on Fox News:
War On Christmas | Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Ban | Mediaite.
Rudolph has always been one of my favorite Christmas shows, but we were too busy to watch it when it was on a week ago, so my family and I watched last night. Thanks to my fellow bloggers, I watched it with a fresh set of eyes.
Now obviously everyone knows Rudolph and his buddies were not treated very well. That I got! What I didn’t get initially is how the whole show is about being cruel to those who are different. When you look at it that way it makes you think.
My thoughts are that at the time Rudolph was made, it probably was meant to teach tolerance, but given today’s climate, it really does seem cruel. I can certainly see why there are people who do not like it, so I have some questions for you.
Do you think Rudolph should have let Santa and others off so easily? Remember I’m all about forgiveness, but even I can understand why many think he shouldn’t have. Still, I think Rudolph did the right thing. It would have been nice if Santa and everyone else had really changed, but that isn’t really clear in the story.
Should the classic be remade to make it politically correct? I love Burl Ives and I love “There’s Always Tomorrow,” so I would be sad if the original Rudolph was no longer a Christmas classic. I think it might be more important for parents to use it to talk about bullying and how wrong it is like my parents did instead.
For those watching Charlie Brown, what about Lucy? Is she a “mean girl?” Many are also talking about the Disney classics. Let me know if you think of others?