 Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, a holiday favorite of families across the world, has recently been receiving backlash from parents and teachers for promoting bad themes. People have recently been called out for having bad themes about bullying. In the movie, Rudolph is chastised for his glowing red nose by his peers until he saves Christmas. Parents say that this movie is teaching kids that it is okay to bully people and tear people down for how they look or act. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is also a movie for kids and is played for most children when they are still young. Kids start basic comprehension after 9 months, this may seem early for comprehension to start. At 9 months the child's understanding is very acute but they can understand words like "no" and "bye-bye". Children start to remember things at age 3 when is the suggested age to be shown Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.
Common Sense Media says that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is an "old-school, heartwarming classic for all ages." Common Sense says that the Christmas classic is for ages 3 and up which is when children begin to remember things. Common Sense says that " Rudolph's story has a great message, just be yourself, don't worry if you don't fit in, get the support of other "misfits," and you'll find that there's strength in numbers." It also says that parents should know that "Even the show's "scary" antagonist, the Abominable Snow Monster (or "Bumble"), seems harmless." Even though the movie has light-hearted animated characters and settings, the childhood favorite's themes are less than that. People that enjoy Rudolph’s tale may be old souls that don’t see the bullying piece. The movie was produced in the 1950’s when bullying was not understood as it is now. Another point that moviegoers make about the movie is that everyone's favorite, Santa, is downright mean. On multiple occasions, characters in the movie make rude comments towards Rudolph and people associated with him. In one scene Santa says that Donner, Rudolph's father, should be ashamed of himself referring to the fact that Rudolph is his kin. In another scene, the reindeers' coach encourages the other reindeer that were bullying Rudolph saying "from now on we just won't include Rudolph" which is simply heartbreaking for the poor reindeer to endure. This Christmas movie may be a classic and a merry tradition, but families watching the classic may want to find a movie with merrier themes. By: Stella Coffee Common Sense Media Web MD Comments are closed.
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