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> "genuine belief in equality and democracy" Wtf? LOTR is deeply authoritarian. Sam is constantly praised for his subservience to his master. Rulers are only
by munch117 5y ago
> "genuine belief in equality and democracy"
Wtf? LOTR is deeply authoritarian. Sam is constantly praised for his subservience to his master. Rulers are only proper rulers if they come from the correct bloodline - the bloodline of other rulers before them.
I love Tolkien for basically inventing the fantasy genre. But please don't try to paint him as some kind of admirable political thinker.
- Lio 5y agoHaha that’s so true. I always loved the way they send it up in Monty Python’s Holy Grail. There’s more than a few current “leaders” that could learn from it: King Arthur: I am your king. Peasant Woman: Well, I didn't vote for you. King Arthur: You don't vote for kings. Peasant Woman: Well, how'd you become king, then? [Angelic music plays... ] King Arthur: The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. That is why I am your king. Dennis the Peasant: Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Arthur: Be quiet! Dennis the Peasant: You can't expect to wield supreme power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!