Science fiction author Andrew Duncan has a message for J.R.R. Tolkien fans, particularly fans of the famed writer’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy: Tolkien discriminated against orcs and the “Lord of the Rings” books promote racism.
Duncan was discussing “Lord of the Rings” as part of a wider discussion on fantasy literature for WIRED magazine’s Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast when his assessment of Tolkien’s masterpiece took a decidedly “woke” turn.
“It’s hard to miss the repeated notion in Tolkien that some races are just worse than others, or that some peoples are just worse than others,” Duncan said.
“And this seems to me — in the long term, if you embrace this too much — it has dire consequences for yourself and for society,” he continued.
Duncan was referring specifically to the “orcs,” an “under-race” of visibly evil and tormented souls who serve the dark Lord Sauron and the powers of darkness that threaten to overwhelm Middle Earth if the eponymous “one ring” isn’t destroyed. In some of Tolkien’s supplemental works to the “Lord of the Rings,” including “The Simarillion,” orcs are actually described as the offspring of corrupted elves, charged only with wasting the forces of good. They served masters before Sauron and will serve masters after — so long as those masters are evil. – READ MORE