Ooh la la, Lúthien...

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I don't hate her for being beautiful I hate the fact that it is the sole criterion.

Maybe that's just shorthand for the beauty of her soul and for the deeds and hope that sprung from her hands.

That Luthien is placed highest for her beauty where as those who were wise and resourceful and served their people as well as being beautiful are sidelined.

Maybe Tolkien was just being a realist. Thinking about school alumni this weekend, the reason why our school reunions are so disorganized, ill-conceived and planned, and therefore mostly unattended is that, back in the day when hormones ruled our brains, we elected our male and female class officers due to looks/charisma and not necessarily because they would make for good leaders.

Has anyone else noticed this happening? Surely, come this November in 'Merica, most voters will vote for a candidate only after a careful examination of all candidates' positions, strengths, skills, deeds and psychological evalutaions.

And dying for love is so irritatingly adolescent.

Not sure what you mean, and when I first read this, I thought that you had written irrationally adolescent, which I thought was an oxymoron, and note that that is only apparent when one is not either.