Racism in LOTR? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

11-06-2003, 09:35 AM

I only have a minute before I go off to work, but I wanted to add my two cents. Tolkien's stratification of humans as "high", "Middle", and "Low" are simmilar to the ideals that Hitler, and many people around the world believed during the late 19th and 20th centuries, as a sort of twisted expansion of evolutionary theory. I don't believe that Tolkien was overtly racist. These beliefs that some "races" are more advanced or enlightened was just common during Tolkien's time. When I get home from work I can do some reseach and expand this though. TTFN

11-06-2003, 09:35 AM	#28
The Cool Took Guest Posts: n/a	I only have a minute before I go off to work, but I wanted to add my two cents. Tolkien's stratification of humans as "high", "Middle", and "Low" are simmilar to the ideals that Hitler, and many people around the world believed during the late 19th and 20th centuries, as a sort of twisted expansion of evolutionary theory. I don't believe that Tolkien was overtly racist. These beliefs that some "races" are more advanced or enlightened was just common during Tolkien's time. When I get home from work I can do some reseach and expand this though. TTFN