The Great Orc Debate

[Iris Alantiel]

Hey everyone, I need your help in settling an ongoing debate between my roommate, one of her friends, and myself.

One day, in a desperate effort to escape from studying, the three of us got into a conversation about The Lord of the Rings. My roommate insisted that it was wrong to be killing all those orcs who attacked Helm's Deep; instead, our heroes ought to have made them productive members of society by teaching them useful skills like knitting. Her friend, however, believes that the orcs cannot be made productive, and therefore our heroes had to kill them to avoid being killed. My (ex) boyfriend sides with my roommate; I agree with her friend. Where do you fall in the debate? Can orcs be taught to knit? Or do we necessarily have to slaughter them? Or should we all just get back to studying now and seek help in the morning . . . ?