Rudolph the Ostracized

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. A beloved classic Christmas tale / song. Listen to the story overall. It is a lesson in morality. It is a warning about treating others badly only to discover that you now need that individual to avert a disaster. Still, how close was it to Rudolph becoming the perpetrator of a disaster?

Rudolph’s story is of the underdog, different in an obviously noticeable way, and hence bullied and ostracized by his peers. A tale of the picked on skinny kid becoming the hero of the day. Millions of stories, books, and movies have followed this theme. There’s a reason for that. It’s familiar, popular, and feel good. I only wish most of those stories ended well in reality.

All the other reindeer jeered at this little guy with the red nose. Laughed in his face. [“They used to laugh and call him names”] Wouldn’t include him in their activities. [“They wouldn’t let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games”] Why? Simply because he was different in an unusual way. Not in thoughts, desires, or beliefs, but a physical abnormality. Basic bullying 101.

So here we have the poor kid with the withered arm, or scarred face, or whatever… (fill in your defect of choice)… wanting only to join in and be a part of the group. Instead he is cat-called and bullied. When he goes home he cries himself to sleep at night. When he sits on the outskirts of the game just watching, wishing, hoping, to be asked to join, someone ‘accidentally’ beans him upside the head with the ball. When he’s on the way to class with an armload of books someone trips him and laughs as he scrambles to pick up his belongings. Rudolph is that kid who gets a swirly (head shoved into the toilet as it’s flushed) from the popular alpha-bully while the bully’s friends watch and cheer.

We’ve all seen this kid at some point in our life. The real question is what did you do when you saw it happening? Did you ignore it and walk away? Then comes Stalin or Hitler empowered by the powerless to commit atrocities because people just said, ‘thank God it’s him and not me,’ and kept quiet. Did you watch and laugh? Join in the fun? Or did you stand up and decry the bully? Did you at least try to stop the humiliation? I’d like to think so. If you helped - Yelled at the bullies, got a teacher or adult, or even jumped in and tried (maybe even succeeded) to stop the harassment - Good for you. Let’s be friends. I’d be proud to have you. If not…, you should be ashamed of yourself, your peers, and your society. You failed Humanity 101.

Here we have this poor, lonely kid with the …(bright red nose)…, no friends, and the most unhappy life ever. This is the kid likely to bring daddy’s gun to school one day and “go postal.” [[School shooting kills 47, wounds 23… Story next.]] The kid who only needed a sympathetic word to stop it. Someone to lend a shoulder to cry on. Someone merely to offer a word of encouragement. Someone to hand him the spare X-Box controller and say simply, “ Hey, wanna play?” Could a tragedy be avoided by simply letting him join those reindeer games? Maybe. Probably, even. Be that someone. Reach out a hand to help up the underdog. Help him pick up his books. Invite him over to play Fortnite. You may save lives…, possibly your own. Certainly, hopefully, his.

If, God forbid, you were that bullied kid, the undeserved target, I am truly sorry. I hope you know you are better than that. I hope you have the ability to forgive and rise above the persecution. I truly hope you know it’s not your fault. You are worthy. The bullies are just insecure a’holes using you to make themselves feel better. They have an inferiority complex brought on by some personal tragedy of their own which they are ‘paying forward.’ You should pity them. Still, despite the swirlies, black eyes, and heaped humiliations, when Santa says we need you, I pray you have the courage of Rudolph. The courage and decency so lacking in your tormentors that allows you to step up to the plate and be that hero. If not, I get it.

Rudolph didn’t turn his back. When fate forced him to the forefront of circumstance he stepped up. He forgave those bullies and joined with them. Rudolph, the ostracized, tormented underdog, set himself to the task … ‘Nose To The Grindstone.’ The 98 pound weakling saved Christmas and allowed hundreds of millions of kids to have a happy Christmas morning. He became the acclaimed hero of the day…, accepted and befriended by those who had been his torturers. What would have happened otherwise? If Rudolph had turned his back and, deservedly so, told Santa to shove it where the sun don’t shine? … The possibilities are endless. Most not good.

So; Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer is a cautionary morality play about bullying. A warning about the possible consequences of being a bully. Luckily, Rudolph was strong enough to step up despite it all. If you were or are Rudolph, I hope you have the same strength of character.

BTW … If you are in such a position… please look for help if possible. If you know a Rudolph, become his friend.