Are Tolkien Books Racist? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Rhudladion · 01-25-2002, 09:36 AM

I think he had an excellent grasp on the concept of good and evil, and he wrote about about it. When it came to the LOTR, I don't think he was racist or non-racist. I don't think Tolkien was motivated by Political Correction. I think he just didn't care about whether there were enough "dark" good guys and enough "white" bad guys. He used dark colors to describe evil people because from the beginning of time evil has been described by dark things, and good desribed by light things.
I am not angry when I say this, but I feel discussions like this are futile and a waste of time. JRRT was a man that loved many cultures, many languages, and many peoples. If he had written about enough dark heroes, people would wonder why he didn't write about yellow skinned heroes, or why there weren't any people with down syndrome in his works.

I don't even see the "purity of blood" thing as a by-product of an era. It's just a common sense way of describing and defining royalty.

If I wrote a story about the people in my building who are all caucasion, would that mean that I am racist? Hardly.

Remember too, that tolkien considered himself a discoverer of ME not a creator. In response to this inquiry he would likely respond, "Hey, Lluvitar created them, not me."

[ January 25, 2002: Message edited by: Rhudladion ]

01-25-2002, 09:36 AM	#4
Rhudladion Haunting Spirit Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 63	I think he had an excellent grasp on the concept of good and evil, and he wrote about about it. When it came to the LOTR, I don't think he was racist or non-racist. I don't think Tolkien was motivated by Political Correction. I think he just didn't care about whether there were enough "dark" good guys and enough "white" bad guys. He used dark colors to describe evil people because from the beginning of time evil has been described by dark things, and good desribed by light things. I am not angry when I say this, but I feel discussions like this are futile and a waste of time. JRRT was a man that loved many cultures, many languages, and many peoples. If he had written about enough dark heroes, people would wonder why he didn't write about yellow skinned heroes, or why there weren't any people with down syndrome in his works. I don't even see the "purity of blood" thing as a by-product of an era. It's just a common sense way of describing and defining royalty. If I wrote a story about the people in my building who are all caucasion, would that mean that I am racist? Hardly. Remember too, that tolkien considered himself a discoverer of ME not a creator. In response to this inquiry he would likely respond, "Hey, Lluvitar created them, not me." [ January 25, 2002: Message edited by: Rhudladion ]