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How the new "Lord of the Rings" prequel grapples with Tolkien's subtle racism

posted 2 years ago by [deleted]
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A new ‘Lord of the Rings’ prequel quietly confronts an uncomfortable legacy

How Amazon's "The Rings of Power" prequel grapples with the deeply ingrained ideas of racial difference and racial determinism in J.R.R. Tolkien’s world.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels are often seen as a rebuke to fascism. But like other fascist rebukers of his day, Winston Churchill for example, his “Middle-earth” fantasy world is not free from racist philosophy. The new Amazon Prime series, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which is based on Tolkien’s work, makes a deliberate effort to quietly confront that uncomfortable legacy through its casting choices. It’s an admirable decision, but it’s limited by the deeply ingrained ideas of racial difference and racial determinism in Tolkien’s world.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/new-lord-rings-rings-power-revives-racism-debate-rcna45955

[–] LoveCatsHateDogs (2001) 2 years ago

Orcs are the black people of Middle Earth?

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

Look at the Peter Jackson films, all white cast vs black orcs working under a white slaver (Saruman).

[–] LoveCatsHateDogs (2001) 2 years ago

If orcs are the black people of Middle Earth does that mean that black people are the orcs of actual Earth?

[–] Quasimodo (16388) 2 years ago

Do black orc slaves pick black cotton ?

[–] asom (6884) 2 years ago

Well well, the orcs enslave humans to the work so I'm not so sure who are the blacks in that situation,

And I never heard of humans enslaving orcs and making them work.

But people NEED to see a certain racism everywhere. Specially were is not.

[–] setnom (71) 2 years ago

No, they're orcs (which are derived from elves). Also, do a small search on the Haradrim and the Easterlings.

[–] LoveCatsHateDogs (2001) 2 years ago

Aren't those more like the Middle Eastern people of current Earth?

[–] Sparky (2712) 2 years ago

That's how I took it.

[–] papamihel (1616) 2 years ago

Uneducated, stupid people trying to squeeze a great work of art inside their pathetic, indoctrinated brains.

[–] sokar (2098) 2 years ago

Techincally speaking wouldn't the person writing the article who deems Orcs as black people be the one who is infact the racist.

I always find that amusing.

[–] papamihel (1616) 2 years ago

That's who I meant.

[–] randir14 (253) 2 years ago

Even though the author is a piece of shit, I appreciate his honesty and for sticking to his guns. Many of the new supposed Tolkien fans praising the show's forced diversity used to be just like him, accusing Tolkien of being a white supremacist and the orcs of being stand ins for black people. Now they make stupid claims such as "if Tolkien was alive today he'd be a progressive and he'd be fine with the casting."

[–] AckbarsRevenge (3800) 2 years ago

Ah... Elsofoque, the Richard Simmons of trolling is back.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

Back? What do you mean?

[–] mitzibishi (2011) 2 years ago

Makes it a little uncomfortable that Rings of Power people have labelled the dirty faced hobbits as Irish.