Rudolph, Peter Singer, and the question of dignity

Blogs are excellent for completely random thoughts, and here's mine for the day. I was changing my son's diaper this morning, a task that requires constant singing if you don't want him to cry. So for some reason I was singing Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, and I was stuck on the part when Santa asks Rudolph to guide his sleigh tonight. "Then all the reindeer loved him, and they shouted out with glee, 'Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, you'll go down in history.'" And it occurred to me that this little song nicely demonstrates the problem with the rule of technique in society when it comes to others. Rudolph was a misfit, unloved by the others until his nose became useful. Then he was lauded as a hero. The lesson can only be that you will be valued only if what others perceive as freaky proves to be valuable. Forget about inherent dignity in this world. It is a Peter Singer paradise. It's pull a sleigh exceptionally well, or don't expect to participate in our reindeer games, chump.