‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer’ Sparks Debate Over Bullying And Bigotry

A once wholesome Christmas classic is making the news for the wrong reasons. Critics of the 1964 movie “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” are taking to social media to blast the film, according to the Washington Post, claiming it promotes bullying and bigotry.

The controversy appeared to take flight Wednesday after Huffington Post tweeted a video titled “Rudolph the Marginalized Reindeer,” highlighting what some believe are “problematic” scenes from the movie.

For those who grew up watching “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, you may recall the simple plot: The reindeer is mocked and cast away by the majority of his peers when they discover his glowing red nose. Even though Rudolph ultimately returns to save the day — using his bright snout to guide Santa through poor weather — there’s no denying the verbal attacks Rudolph endures early on.

The video also features an instance in the film where Rudolph’s father “verbally abuses him, ” as well as the father of Rudolph’s love interest being called a “bigot” for forbidding his daughter from being seen with the red-nosed one.

The video includes various reactions to the film from Twitter. One user tweeted: “Yearly reminder that #Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is a parable on racism & homophobia w/ Santa as a bigoted exploitative” (the rest is not family-friendly).

What are your thoughts about the Christmas classic?

By: Maytinee Kramer