LOTR - classist?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Cave

Middle-earth's "castes" were defined by metaphysical differences in each race from the others; for example, Elrond was greater than Bilbo not because of aristocratic privilege, but because he was inherently mightier and wiser by virtue of his elven nature.

Now there's the rub. We have all these super-duper Elves swanning around with their superior beauty and superior crafts-elf-ship and superior fighting skills and superior lifespans etc. (they sometimes make me feel a bit sick to be honest, on a superficial level), and so what does this say about Race in Middle-earth? Of course some have said "Whoa! this makes Tolkien a racist!".

Except it doesn't, because right at the end of Lord of the Rings we learn something, and that's that it wasn't an Elf, nor was it a Wizard, nor was it a Dwarf, and nor was it a Man who destroyed the One Ring. It was a Hobbit. supposedly the 'lowliest' of Races. It's at that point of realisation that we realise Tolkien's point that no Race was mightier than any other!