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  • 'The Lord of the Rings' Is Not the Far Right's Playground

    From Steve Hayes@21:1/5 to All on Sun Aug 4 05:47:13 2024
    XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien, alt.books.inklings

    'The Lord of the Rings' Is Not the Far Right's Playground (extract)

    by David French https://t.co/ncwOkp2enS

    These days, however, Tolkien isn’t just relevant to nerd world. It
    feels strange to say this, but the proper interpretation of his work
    has geopolitical implications. Critical factions of the new right at
    home and the far right in Europe have latched on to Tolkien’s work. By
    “new right” I mean the post-Reagan right, a movement that embraces
    state power as a means of fighting and winning the culture war. But
    they’re getting Tolkien wrong, and the way in which they are getting
    Tolkien wrong matters for all of us.

    Last month, Politico’s Adam Wren wrote an extended analysis of the way
    that the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy shaped JD Vance. On a 2021
    podcast, Vance said, “I’m a big ‘Lord of the Rings’ guy, and I think, not realizing it at the time, but a lot of my conservative worldview
    was influenced by Tolkien growing up.” Vance named his venture capital
    firm, Narya, after a magical elven ring. His political ally and
    benefactor Peter Thiel named one of his companies Palantir, another
    magical object in “Lord of the Rings.” Vance also invested in Anduril Industries, a defense firm named after Aragorn’s sword.

    (Full disclosure: One of my most prized possessions is a replica of
    Anduril. My wife, Nancy, commissioned a swordsmith to make it for me
    almost 20 years ago. She gets me.)

    But Tolkien’s influence isn’t just domestic. In 2022, The Times
    published a fascinating analysis by Jason Horowitz of how “The Lord of
    the Rings” shaped the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and much
    of the Italian far right.

    Read it all here: <https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/opinion/maga-tolkien-lotr.html>



    --
    Stephen Hayes, Author of The Year of the Dragon
    Sample or purchase The Year of the Dragon: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/907935
    Web site: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
    E-mail: shayes@dunelm.org.uk or if you use Gmail hayesstw@telkomsa.net

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From June Of Daventry@21:1/5 to Steve Hayes on Wed Aug 21 17:17:59 2024
    XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien, alt.books.inklings

    On 8/3/24 23:47, Steve Hayes wrote:
    'The Lord of the Rings' Is Not the Far Right's Playground (extract)

    by David French https://t.co/ncwOkp2enS

    These days, however, Tolkien isn’t just relevant to nerd world. It
    feels strange to say this, but the proper interpretation of his work
    has geopolitical implications. Critical factions of the new right at
    home and the far right in Europe have latched on to Tolkien’s work. By “new right” I mean the post-Reagan right, a movement that embraces
    state power as a means of fighting and winning the culture war. But
    they’re getting Tolkien wrong, and the way in which they are getting Tolkien wrong matters for all of us.

    Last month, Politico’s Adam Wren wrote an extended analysis of the way
    that the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy shaped JD Vance. On a 2021
    podcast, Vance said, “I’m a big ‘Lord of the Rings’ guy, and I think, not realizing it at the time, but a lot of my conservative worldview
    was influenced by Tolkien growing up.” Vance named his venture capital firm, Narya, after a magical elven ring. His political ally and
    benefactor Peter Thiel named one of his companies Palantir, another
    magical object in “Lord of the Rings.” Vance also invested in Anduril Industries, a defense firm named after Aragorn’s sword.

    (Full disclosure: One of my most prized possessions is a replica of
    Anduril. My wife, Nancy, commissioned a swordsmith to make it for me
    almost 20 years ago. She gets me.)

    But Tolkien’s influence isn’t just domestic. In 2022, The Times
    published a fascinating analysis by Jason Horowitz of how “The Lord of
    the Rings” shaped the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and much
    of the Italian far right.

    Read it all here: <https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/01/opinion/maga-tolkien-lotr.html>



    American right misinterpreting popular media? That's news to me!
    (Something something Trump and Citizen Kane)
    --
    June Of Daventry<-|

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Schlomo Goldberg@21:1/5 to Steve Hayes on Fri Oct 11 18:43:06 2024
    XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien, alt.books.inklings

    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> writes:

    'The Lord of the Rings' Is Not the Far Right's Playground (extract)

    Are you sure Tolkien wasn't far right? I mean, he definitely wrote how
    Western European-looking people were protecting their homelands from
    hordes of nigg... I mean, orcs.

    Aragorn was Dúnedain:

    In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings, the Dúnedain
    (/ˈduːnɛdaɪn/; singular: Dúnadan, "Man of the West") were a race of
    Men, also known as the Númenóreans or Men of Westernesse (translated
    from the Sindarin term).

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to schlomo.goldberg@mailinator.com on Sat Oct 12 09:02:12 2024
    XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien, alt.books.inklings

    On Fri, 11 Oct 2024 18:43:06 -0000 (UTC), Schlomo Goldberg <schlomo.goldberg@mailinator.com> wrote:

    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> writes:

    'The Lord of the Rings' Is Not the Far Right's Playground (extract)

    Are you sure Tolkien wasn't far right? I mean, he definitely wrote how >Western European-looking people were protecting their homelands from
    hordes of nigg... I mean, orcs.

    In one of his letters, Tolkien described how he thought Orcs should be portrayed in a projected movie (never done).

    The description matches the one for "Huns" (IIRC, could be "Mongols")
    in Gibbons. So, no, they were protecting their lands from people who
    fit the stereotype. Hun or Mongol, they made a lasting impression on
    the European mind.

    The Southrons, OTOH ... but they were just a conquered category of Men
    (as were the Wainrider Eastrons), not Orcs. In the book, Sam even
    develops some sympathy for one of them. And they pose a threat to
    Gondor that reduces Gondor's defences at the critical time.

    Aragorn was Dnedain:

    In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings, the Dnedain
    (/?du?n?da?n/; singular: Dnadan, "Man of the West") were a race of
    Men, also known as the Nmenreans or Men of Westernesse (translated
    from the Sindarin term).

    The Dnedain in Middle Earth were only a part of the population. The
    main Man ruler, Denethor, was not a pureblood Dnedan, for example.
    Yet he and his two sons did a great deal to hold back Sauron (Faramir
    being, of course, rather more successful).

    The Far Right is also the group the howled when /The Hunger Games/
    came out because they thought it was a world with no non-whites in it.
    The Far Right is a bunch of ninnies who project their foul beliefs
    onto anything they can.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)