Tolkien- what did he do for us?

[greyhavener]

Positive:
I'd put clear delineation between good and evil as a positive. I don't see evil as oversimplified but simply stripped down and revealed as the malicious destructive force it really is.
I think Tolkien has had a profound effect on how we in a post-modern society accept epic tales and heroes. I think much fantasy, both print and film, has roots in Tolkien. The way he blended mythology, theology, and anti-mechanization shows up in Star Wars, the Matrix and the works of many modern fantasy writers.

Negative:
It's not Tolkien's fault, but some people retreat into Middle Earth rather than picking up their own personal rings and trudging through Mordor with the rest of us.

In the sixties many used Hobbit habits as justification for their own excesses in the way of drugs and bad mushroom art. Again, not Tolkien's fault.