My heart sunk at the confused stares that met my observation.
"Anyone of you ever watched 'Ruldoph the Red Nosed Reindeer'?"
A few people nodded, but many shook their heads, still looking confused.
"Really?" I asked.
I weep for the future.
Now I understand that in a post-modern society the very idea of a "common background" is called into question. And I have taught Milton's Paradise Lost to students completely ignorant of the story of Creation and the Fall. I don't mean lack a thorough knowledge of Scripture, mind you. I mean, had never heard of Adam or Eve. But not knowing the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and his effeminate dentist friend, Hermie, is just PLAIN WRONG. It is one of the bedrocks of our understandings of solitude and isolationism and the cruelty of our contemporary world. Who among has not felt like a Misfit Toy?
13 comments:
I'm 53 years old, born and raised entirely in North America, and I've never watched it. I've watched a minute of it, but it's just too crappy to bear (that's how I feel about "reality" shows, too). Try Bugs Bunny, which is a genuine cultural icon (think Elmer Fudd with Bugs in a dress), or something properly ubiquitous today, like manga and anime. And by the way, now I'm sorry I criticized the repetition of Paul Simon. We demand our song titles!
I must admit I've never sat through the whole thing either. I have more of an osmotic knowledge of the movie, but I wouldn't be able to quote it or easily recognize allusions to it. Now I feel a little guilty.
I like your blog. The picture of Hugh Laurie is a bit distracting though, since I'm a little bit in love with him. Though the crazy face doesn't do much for me, when set on a repetitive loop.
No!
I love Rudolph. It's one of my fondest childhood Christmas memories. (So much so that I actually wrote the CBC an angry letter in 2004 when they presented a different edit of the show for its 40th anniversary.) Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas unless I've been able to see Rudolph and the Grinch.
That said, Andrew thinks it's one of the dumbest shows ever, because he grew up in Great Britain and never saw it. But he thinks that Noddy is cute. *sigh*
noddy is AMAZING!!
okay, okay - that was a little overexuberant - but I grew up on british children's books...especially enid blyton. she's pretty much my hero
i hated those stop-motion animation Christmas specials. they were so boring, so i've never seen them either. kimberly loves them though. if i have to watch special around Christmas time give me "A Christmas Story". hilarious...
Awww, come on. I can accept the grass eating, but Christmas without one viewing of "Rudolph" just isn't Christmas.
I mean, tradition-schmadrition, but every Christmas I need: egg nog and at least one viewing of the following: Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, The Grinch (not the stupid Jim Carrey version), Charlie Brown Christmas, and the 1951 black and white A Christmas Carol starring A. Sim.
I also enjoy A Year Without Santa, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and the Animaniac's Christmas Special. They're not MUST SEE, but they're important.
Kiki: Thank you. I like it too. I also like your blog.
The Hugh Laurie picture is sort of an amusing warning... I have more than my fair share of House-ish moments of misanthropy.
I am a fan of the grinch...the real grinch, that is and Charlie Brown, both are tradition watches at Christmas. haven't a clue about the other ones
Jeffy and I are starting up a Christmas movie advent (after every sunday service, starting 5 weeks before Christmas day, we will come home and watch a Christmas movie) and you better believe this movie will be on that list.
Have you seen the new commercials that star these charachters?!? Hilarious!
I think I remember seeing some of it once but I guess I found it boring and didn't finish. So no, I've never seen it either.
Then again the only thing I need for it to be Christmas is the Sesame Street Christmas Album on vinyl.
On the third hand, if I miss a Christmas I don't really notice, so I'm probably missing out. Ignorance is bliss...
Did you delete a post recently Mike? I commented something really stupid recently and I was waiting for people to laugh at me, but now I can't find it. I'm really disappointed.
I thought it had been deleted by accident, but turns out that I merely saved it as a draft instead of re-posting it after a minor edit. It's back.
Phew! I must have spent ten minutes or more searching for that...
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