Don't do me like that

[Bêthberry]

Exhibit A:

Originally Posted by Lush

But what I was talking about is a general sense of the lack of importance of gender when it comes to the Fellowship's story. . . . Personally, the "maleness" of the Fellowship does not register with me anymore. I pay very close attention to gender specifics and the way they apply to the females that come up in LotR, but never to the males.

Exhibit B:

Originally Posted by alatar

the question of gender never occcured when I read the LotR as I was just so enthralled by the story, writing, characters, etc that I didn't think about nor care what the gender roles were. Do new readers, either male and female, now start off with that perspective?

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I submit to you, are these two arguing the same case?