The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy tale that has inspired millions. Its story of good versus evil transcends generations. And it uses rather unconventional forms to do it: with fictional beings like hobbits, dwarves, and elves.
But there are men and women in this fantasy too. And orcs. And goblins. And trees that talk and walk. And...racism? Wait...what?
Last month, I came across an article on the Internet that caught my attention. A fellow science fiction writer was being interviewed for a podcast and when the topic of Tolkien's classic came up, the author went on to say that the Lord of the Rings has "hard to miss" themes of racism throughout. Considering how I'd never heard this claim before, I did some research and found that there have been others who have felt the same way (not a lot, but they are out there if you look). So I did what any social media personality with a platform would do: I did an episode detailing what I thought of this accusation.
Because this is a serious thing to say. Not just because the Lord of the Rings has birthed an entire genre or because it made millions at the box office - it's because of the nature of the claim. It touches deeply on sacred grounds. And if tossed around flippantly, we run the risk of being short-sighted on what could be considered "racist" and what is not.
So, is Tolkien's work racist? Enclosed in this episode are my thoughts on that matter as well as why I felt the need to address it.
The Writer's Lens - E24: Science Fiction Writers - Innovators of Imagination? Or Dark Prophets?
The Writer's Lens - E23: We All Wish We Could Be The Hero
The Writer's Lens - E22: Good And Evil In Story
The Writer's Lens - E21: Worldviews, Ideas, And The Psychology Of Creating Stories...Now, Did You Get All That?
The Writer's Lens - E20: "Be Unique"; "Be Yourself"...Wait, What Does That Even Mean?
The Writer's Lens - E19: I Want What You Have; I Want To Do It Better; and I Want You To Fail
The Writer's Lens - E18: Do You Have Deadlines? Or Creative 'Checkpoints'?
The Writer's Lens - E17: Should We Separate Art From The Artist?
The Writer's Lens - E16: Who Is Rooting For You?
The Writer's Lens - E15: Can Writing Be Considered a Spiritual Experience?
The Writer's Lens - E14: Creatives and Their Priorities
The Writer's Lens - E13: Dinosaurs... Wait, What?
The Writer's Lens - Review: Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown
The Writer's Lens - E12: How Story Affects Us - Part 2
The Writer's Lens - Review: Stranger Things, Season 2
The Writer's Lens - Interview 05: Brent McLaughlin, On the Importance of Journaling, Part 2
The Writer's Lens - Interview 05: Brent McLaughlin, On the Importance of Journaling, Part 1
The Writer's Lens - E11: Interview Decompression, aka Cool Things I've Learned
The Writer's Lens - Interview 04: Dr. Robert Snyder, "What is a Veteran, Anyway?"
The Writer's Lens - Interview 03: Daniel Luketic, entrepreneur
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