You think you've read drivel? You haven't read drivel until you've read this

[William Cloud Hicklin]

'Higher caliber of sport' is an interesting phrase here. I'm pretty sure having external gonads doesn't increase your tactical or technical skill, so what I think you're really saying is that it's more energetic. And sure, I can accept that - but why is that the only factor that counts in making it a 'higher caliber'? Could it be because that's the attribute men outperform in...?

Strength and speed. Men have greater muscle density and mass both, have longer legs proportionally and have pelvises better adapted to running, jumping and kicking. If we extend the discussion to basketball, add height: women's basketball is dull (and flopped on American television) because it's played (slowly) below the rim.

And there's no question that networks choose to broadcast the highest level of competition available. Which match is Sky or ITV going to air: Liverpool vs Man City, or Colchester vs Sutton Walden? Over here, TV networks broadcast major-league baseball, not minor-league.

[Rhun charioteer]

The original audience of Beuowulf would not have associated Grendel or his mother with africans, the sons of Ham, or anything of the kind. At best the author is assuming Tolkien or the English scholars would have imposed some sort of 19th century Racial nous on the text-which...maybe happened? Tolkien wasn't however interested in...what did 19th century race theorists or 17th century writers who would have said things like, "the sons of Ham have been cursed into subjection" thought about the text(also it wasn't rediscovered until the 18th century so).


But then again, this is the sort of "scholarship" that is why academia by and large is a useless waste of time.

On that note-the idea of "marginalized" voices is just stupid. It permeates critical theory and modern academic discourse. Essentially it comes down to a Foucaltian idea of the world, those with unjust privilege speak and those who are oppressed can't. Which is not the sort of view the ancient anglo Saxons would have had and is definitely something Tolkien would have found nonsensical.

[Morthoron]

Historical negationism. I find the whole decades-long rush to revisionism a distasteful aspect of academia. One should discount anyone imparting a modern worldview on people(s) in the past, even in a relatively short 50-100 year time period.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Historical negationism. I find the whole decades-long rush to revisionism a distasteful aspect of academia. One should discount anyone imparting a modern worldview on people(s) in the past, even in a relatively short 50-100 year time period.

Sadly, it's a popular pursuit these days. The Holier Than Thou-Moral High Ground approach seems to me just a means for some in Academia to flaunt their "progressive" credentials.
It's doubly disgusting to me when applied to Tolkien. The man was by no means perfect, but his works clearly exhibit a respect and compassion for those of many races and creeds.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Historical negationism. I find the whole decades-long rush to revisionism a distasteful aspect of academia. One should discount anyone imparting a modern worldview on people(s) in the past, even in a relatively short 50-100 year time period.

The wonderful term I've heard for the movement - which goes far beyond academia, although it originated there - is disintegrationism. Basically weaponized Adorno.

Not that Prof. Gibberish linked above has ever read Adorno-- or the Book of Genesis, either. Cain is not Ham, ya maroon!

[Morthoron]

Did anyone notice the editor's emendation at the end of the article:

Editors’ note: This essay has been updated to reflect the fact that while Tolkien may be considered South African by measure of his birthplace, he moved to England as a toddler.

This quite literally shows the author did not do her research and based her diatribe on a false presentiment of Tolkien's view of his citizenship. He was British as a toddler living in South Africa, and he remained British for the rest of his life. His parents were British and only moved to South Africa based on his father's bank promotion. He did not consider himself any more a South African than he did a German based on his Prussian heritage. Therefore, the comment by Stuart Hall:

“But when I tried to apply contemporary literary criticism to these texts, my ascetic South African language professor told me in a pained tone that this was not the point of the exercise.”

Would be impertinent at best, and a wholesale fabrication at worst, because I have never read anywhere that Tolkien referred to himself at anytime as South African. This would be particularly egregious because the quote allegedly was made in the 1950s. I could not imagine Tolkien himself or any of his students referring to him as "South African".

[William Cloud Hicklin]

1) If we really want to be picky, Tolkien was never "South African", because the Union of South Africa wasn't created until 18 years after his birth. He was born in the Orange Free State, which was an independent Boer republic.

2) Given that Tolkien's remit was English Language, it would hardly be surprising that applying "contemporary literary criticism" completely missed the point of his lectures.

[obloquy]

The topic of race is one on which only rank dishonesty is allowed, whether in the form of elaborate false narratives, or very delicately-crafted evasions of obvious fact. Both are present in this thread. It's a shame, really, to see the most honest people automatically put on the defensive because the deck is stacked and they don't even realize it. Thomas Dalrymple has a really wonderful quote about the tyrannical utility of forcing everyone to lie all the time (it's well-enough known that I'm not going to provide it verbatim). He was talking about communist tactics, and Adorno and the whole academic milieu he represents are downstream of the Bolsheviks. It's almost like Christ was speaking to these exact people when he said "you are of your father the devil...for he is a liar and the father thereof."

Oh well, argument is obsolete now. One of my other favorite quotes is: "Inigo? I hope we win."