After watching the trilogy i've come to the conclusion that the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy paints a "racist stereotypical tapestry" that does a disservice to young viewers everywhere.
people of color are all associated with the Dark Lord Sauron in the movie and the elephant-riding mercenaries too closely resemble the cultures of Africa, Persia and East Asia. The Uruk-hai also too closely resemble Native Americans, which is sure to cause "a great deal of cultural and racial alienation.
The fact that King Theoden, a white guy, calls his troops the "great warriors of the West" clinches it.
Can you imagine how people of skin color, of Persian, Arab and East Asian ethnic background feel when they come out of these films where all the heroes are white and all the 'evil doers' are of dark skin?
saruman is almost like a race-traitor and this is emphasised by the fact that he kept reffering to sauron as "my dark lord".
2007-09-10 01:15:14 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
wtf?
its a fiction book.
a book
which means all the faceless mercenaries dont have a race. (you extrapolate race from the way they act? shame!)
maybe also, that people who have access to elephants would also ride them!!(omg!)
also, those same elephant riders are mercenaries, and everyone knows the bad guys are always rich.
ohh, and guess what? sauron uses the title 'my dark lord' because his lord is EVIL.
2007-09-10 01:29:49 · answer #1 · answered by Trid 5 · 7⤊ 12⤋
Lord Of The Rings Racist
2016-11-09 23:26:04 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lord Of The Rings Racism
2016-12-29 16:53:19 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have read the LOTR trilogy, the Silmarillion, and The Hobbit many times. The books give wonder to the oft-used theme of "good vs. evil", are well-written and have great emotional depth and beautiful imagery. They are among my favorite books and I loved the animated movies (Rankin Bass & Bakshi) and the live action movies (Peter Jackson) That said, I had to stomach endless ruminations on darkness and lightness, with, you guessed it, lightness/fairness being best or right all the time. This stands out the most...every one with fairer skin was "good" and everyone who was dark or "swarthy" was "bad". Then knowing Mr. Tolkien's background, it was quite easy to see who he patterned the Orcs after and yes the "half-breed goblin men". I found it offensive. One thing that Mr. Jackson's film did was emphasize how much the some of the "bad men" looked like people of Arab background. I really didn't appreciate that. Number one, in the book, Tolkien made the people who Faramir encountered and in front of the Morannon (the Black Gate) seem like people from India. I am not saying "pick on Indians", no. But I am just stating what I feel. Also, Frodo makes the statement, upon seeing one of the men on the elephants killed, that he wondered "what lies he must have been told to come here". Tolkien clearly makes it understood that these men were being manipulated by the Dark Lord (Sauron) and his minions. I suppose that Peter Jackson just capitalized on the anti-Muslim sentiment since the films came closely after the September 11th attacks. But I don't like that and I didn't like Tolkiens thinking. I don't think he was any more racist than others of his period though and the books are still worth reading. I also know they have their basis in Anglo-Saxon traditions/tales, like Beowulf and people in those times valued Whiteness of skin.
2016-04-04 00:08:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, its a highly strange thougt. I've red the book several times, and the movies I've seen some times as well. It's crazy to think that Lord of the rings has racism in it.
For two reasons: One it's about a war in which all the creatures of the earth has to work together for a PEACEFUL world-> dwarves, elves, man, wizards, hobbits. They are all different, isn't it? Don't see in everything racism, there's allready too much happening in the world. THANK YOU. A tip: Just enjoy the movie,that's better!
2007-09-10 02:46:19 · answer #5 · answered by me 1 · 5⤊ 2⤋
Its just a fiction dear, hmm, Uruk Hai exist in historical book also, but totally not exactly what u watch from the movie, Uruk Hai in Egypt ancient civilization done something remarkable, a great historical means. Believe me. Tolkein is a storyteller but his writing of course like any other writer based on reading also.
2007-09-10 02:02:25 · answer #6 · answered by Quraisyah A 1 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I have read all of tolkiens books. seen all the special extended edition movie's of LOTR, played the Battle For Middle Earth, 1 and 2. Prologues, epilogues, weapons and warefare books. And I've said lots of things are racist, but I cannot find anything in the book that it is Racist. Not a very good question though. read the book
2007-09-11 14:04:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anton Van Podelka 2 · 6⤊ 1⤋
Considering the fact that Middle Earth does not exist, it is rather difficult for it to be a racist story. Just enjoy and try not to analyze a story, The Lord of the Rings is fiction and nothing more.
2007-09-10 02:35:46 · answer #8 · answered by Whatever 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋
When Tolkien wrote the book a lot of people at the time said he was describing the horror that they had just lived thru(ww11)and reading,or watching it you can imagine that the orcs are the nazis,they are ugly,dirty,evil,stupid and ultimatley losers and the perseuted are the allies.Tolkien did say in an interveiw that it was entirely fictional even though he despised nazism and racism.Having read the book a few times i can se how people and nazis can make it fit their agenda but i will stick to the intent that Tolkien wrote it with,fantasy.
2007-09-10 01:45:41 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 3⤋
You have got to be kidding me!! Why do people have to play the race card for any and every reason? This is a book of fiction dumbasses. OMG, call The reverands Jesse and Al, and the NAACP, they made some black people be the bad guys!!! We all know this is NEVER the case, LOL. Gimme a friggin break. All you PC liberal p#ssies are destroying the world.
2007-09-10 02:46:00 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 2⤋
Well, this book was written during 1950's by a english guy, so what do you think ? ..
anyway, brit's are not racisit , they just hate everyone equally, including themselves ~ bit more hate on French ;)
2013-11-05 11:43:09 · answer #11 · answered by **The One** 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋