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Old 07-28-2022, 10:01 AM   #35
Galadriel55
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
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Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.
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That article is genuinely vile.
I've stopped following the news for this show, but this description made me curious. So I skimmed it now during my work break. There are so many things wrong with both the actor quotes and the article itself, and so many levels of misguided criticism in all directions, that there's not even a point in going through them all. But one question I do want to ask: was Tolkien not "for everyone" before this show? Were people not able to "relate" to Tolkien before? They make it sound like they're playing benefactor, cleaning up a gargabe heap to look presentable.

Dependong on what they mean though, this can be a good thing: "everyone sort of has their frame of reference in terms of their culture, their heritage, what it means to them, their language".
It's a comon trend in recent years, to define the quality of a story by certain characteristics of diversity. Certain characteristics only, because some aren't popular topics of contention. Diversity complaints about language haven't made it to the front pages yet, or else Tolkien would be hailed as the great promoter of inclusivity. And the idea that a story NEEDS to meet a diversity checklist to be a good story - sorry, it does not. Diversity in a story is neither bad nor good, but needs to realistically reflect and enrich the setting, the place and the time. Sometimes more is more, but sometimes less is more, deoending on your setting. I don't hear anyone complaining that all the characters in Moana are Polynesian, or Asian in Mulan - because it makes sense, what else would they be. But have a story set in Medieval Europe, and how dare they only depict ethnic Europeans. But that's beside the point, that's just me ranting on the general state of affairs. If RoP actually makes their diversity about more than just skin colour - language, culture, heritage, belief systems - I think it could be a big redeeming factor. Do something with it, make it more than just a checkbox to tick off. I think Lommy picked up on this before at some point. But how much faith do I have in them doing something good with it? Meh, hope dies last, they say. I'm making an effort of seeing the positives.
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