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Originally Posted by Mithalwen
Villains can be more attractive than heroes, especially perhaps to adolescents who are going through a rebellious phase anyway.
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I know, yet the fans in question are hateful of the lively, peaceful hobbits. It's as if they were reading a completely different book. They see Frodo as garbage and Sam as an idiot, not to mention a horrid hate for Gandalf. They are not rebellious teens: a good deal of them are middle-aged folk.
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Originally Posted by Mithalwen
While I think rooting for Sauron would be a bit sinister, there are lots of Sarumans in the modern world - he would have fitted in quite nicely with the "Greed is Good" culture of the 80's. In fact he may well have been reincarnated as Gordon Gekko.
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Saruman was in fact a good villain, as well as Gollum, yet the fans the thread is referring to seem to forget that these fellows, despite their dynamics, were evil in the end. Yes, they can be liked as characters, but when Tolkien fans start treating them like the Messiah, that's not right.
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Originally Posted by Mithalwen
Also, Middle Earth isn't so black and white (and is a lot more interesting when it is not so). The LOTR is the closest to being black and white and even there those who are good often have to break the rules to "do the right thing" (Faramir, Eomer, Eowyn, Beregond...), Boromir and Denethor are not faultless but they are not evil.
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Yes, the good guys aren't perfect, but in a way that makes the arguement stronger. The good guys of Middle-Earth are not the typical one-dimensional characters: they are like real people. On the other hand, the orcs and their ilk are just bland, hateful monsters. It is also diversity that makes Saruman and Gollum stand-out villains.
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Originally Posted by Mithalwen
The Silmarillion is packed with characters who fought Morgoth but were not "pure white". Feanor for a start is hardly a gentle and respectful elf.... yet noone could have hated Morgoth more. He like Thingol and Turgon could be accused of selfishness. Personally I find Luthien incredibly selfish since she is only does anything when motivated by her own interest....
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That is true as well, but only goes to show that the good forces of Middle-Earth are realistic and not the standard "goody-two-shoes". Not only are they trying to preserve all that is good and happy in the world, they're real people in a sense.
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Originally Posted by Mithalwen
Basically a character who is all white is as interesting as a blank piece of paper...
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I am of that same mindset, yet the heroes of Middle-Earth are not all white or in a similar catagory. That is why I don't understand why anybody supports the evil side to such a major degree: the better motive, the development and emotion, all of that is with the side of good.