Personally, I would have told them all to go to H-E-double toothpick. The only reason Rudolph was finally accepted is because he saved something everyone wanted: Christmas. Until that point he was shunned and a societal castoff.
Then again, in today’s society…where sometimes up is down and down is up…had Rudy said “screw you” , then he would have been vilified by the masses for not helping them out. “You must hate Christmas, Rudy…you are EVIL!!”
No win situation, friends…either give in to the masses who taunted and excluded you, or be scorched by those same people for not helping them.
Even better.
[Sidebar: I attempted to watch Jim Carrey’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” the other night. I swore I wouldn’t, but I was curious. Ten of the longest minutes of my life; I couldn’t turn it off fast enough. Didn’t even make it to the G’s appearance. Humbug, Ron Howard!]
“I am the light of the world: He that followeth me shall not deliver gifts in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
We must forgive their sins.
Rudolph was born in the humblest of places, a cave on a pillow of straw. Yet he goes on to change the entire North Pole culture. While it might be understandable that he and his followers (Yukon, Hermey, Clarice, the Misfit Toys) could have turned their backs on those that wronged them, instead they help all to a better place. Rudolph must fly for our sins.
Bumble is redeemed. A dentist office opens. Unloved toys find homes. Rudolph attains love with Clarice. Santa is enlightened.
The greater good does not hold grudges, but instead holds an olive branch and a hope for a better future.
Olive was especially horrible about the teasing, as I recall.
Now, onto the actual subject matter - I don’t find the act of forgiving to be inherently noble or good or admirable. Often it seems like just tolerating that people to treat others poorly with no attempt at disciplining the aggressors - at the very least, it has massive to potential to further victimize the victim if they are unwilling or unable to give a pass to people who treated them like dirt and get castigated for that.
The problem to me in Rudolph not helping out is not that he’s punishing Santa or the other reindeer - it’s all the kids who didn’t harass Rudolph and get penalized anyway. Though really, weather happens. It’s not punishment, just an unfortunately reality, and they could stand to learn that it’s not the day that’s important, and they’d still get gifts a few days later (I think - it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen the movie).
What would I do - cave and help while simmering in resentment, probably. Feel too guilty about the kids, otherwise. Also, there doesn’t really seem to be an option to go elsewhere with other talking reindeer, and would he really receive any better treatment if he did? Because the ostracization and abuse would likely get much worse if he refused, and he’d have to live that way. But then I remember the Island of Misfit Toys much less than even the first movie, and can’t recall what brought the others around to being okay with the misfit sorts at all. If they’d changed before needing/wanting anything from them or Rudolph, then perhaps they wouldn’t backslide into treating him horribly if he didn’t want to help out.
Did Santa know the other raindeer were laughing and calling him names? If no, then he was right in asking him to guide the sleigh. If yes, then he accepts bullying and looks the other way. Rudy takes the high road and helps out. Santa better keep him as the leader from now on.
He should have, with his nose so bright, guided Santa’s sleigh that night.
Then he should have acquired an agent to shop his tell all autobiography, Diary of A Young Reindeer.
In it he could have named and shamed Dasher and Dancer; and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid; and Donner and Blitzen, revealing how they had used to laugh and call him names. And, even more shocking, how they never let poor Rudolph play in any reindeer games.
Sure he may have wrecked the reputations of some famous North Pole personalities but then he would go down in history!
That’s the problem. Santa was only a prick in this re-imagined Rankin-Bass version of the story. In the original source material (the song*), Santa is completely innocent. There is no indication that he was aware of the systematic harassment of Rudolph by the other reindeer. Santa, in fact, is the only one who sees potential in Rudolph. When he asks Rudolph to pull his sleigh through the fog, he shames the reindeer for their antisocial behavior, and Rudolph gets his deserved adulation. Rudolph therefore does exactly what he should have done: Agree to help the one person who recognized his value to the organization.
*I realize that the song is based on a pamphlet given out by Montgomery Ward long before the song was written, but I haven’t read that version.
