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The makers of “The Rings of Power,” which premiered Friday, promise viewers plenty of epic battles. increase. Middle-earth fans and scholars like Morse clashed on online forums, dueling editorials over the question:

And since “Lord of the Rings” fans are notoriously divided on all things Middle-earth, the debate could heat up. I even question whether Tolkien was a racist.

Some say fantasy stories reinforced the idea that all heroes were white men

To Reverend Michael Coren, author of JRR Tolkien: The Man Who Created The Lord of the Rings, casting non-white actors in a new series would undermine the medieval world Tolkien built. I told him there were people complaining that he would, and here’s his response: Concise.

“My wisest reaction is it’s a total bull**t,” he says.

Coren says Middle-earth is a fantasy, not a history. Coren says he grew up in England at a time when it was common for popular shows to offer blatantly racist and anti-Semitic portrayals of blacks and Jews.

“Saying no isn’t happening. It’s no longer acceptable,” Coren says. “It’s just about being sensible, polite and empathetic.”

This clash is part of a larger debate about the inclusion of non-white, LGBTQ, and other non-traditional characters in fantasy and science fiction stories. has long normalized the idea that only one can be a hero and take responsibility.

Black actor Steve Toussaint, who plays a wealthy naval commander in the current Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, has recently been criticized for being white because of his appearance in the HBO series. I spoke to this debate when I made it clear that I was being criticized by fans.

“They are happy that the dragon is flying,” said Toussaint. “They are happy with white hair and violet eyes. But rich blacks? It goes beyond pale.”

The producers of “The Rings of Power” have cast several actors of color as the show’s main characters. One is Latino actor Ismael Cruz Cordova, who plays the warrior elf Alondi. Another is Cynthia Addai Robinson, her mother is from Ghana and her father is from the United States. She plays Queen Regent Myriel.

Cordova said he grew up in Puerto Rico as a fan of Tolkien’s work, but never saw anyone in Middle-earth that looked like him.

“And when I said, ‘I want to be an elf,’ people said, ‘Elves don’t look like you,'” he said in an interview. Mission. ”

Critics say diverse casting betrays Tolkien’s vision

But those who criticize the use of non-white actors in Rings of Power argue that it has nothing to do with racism.

Others have also pointed out that the show’s portrayal of white characters, such as the elf Galadriel, who has been criticized for lacking femininity, is criticized.

Louis Markos, author of From A to Z to Middle Earth with JRR Tolkien, says that using black and brown actors in The Rings of Power threatens the narrative’s authenticity. For example, he said, Tolkien described elves as “fair-skinned.”

Having non-white actors play elves makes it more difficult for audiences to sustain their willing pause in faith, he says.

“This isn’t organic coming out of Middle-earth,” Marcos says of casting brown and black actors in the show.

RedState editor Morse says in an essay that “diversity is not a bad thing in and of itself,” but when it becomes the main focus, the story falls back to the ideological agenda. .

“If someone created a story about a great old African kingdom, but one of the royals was white, people would naturally find this very out of place,” says Morse. “This is especially problematic when the story was previously established with all characters having dark skin.”

Other critics use the political correctness argument to challenge. They describe Amazon’s casting choices as a positive act befalling Middle-earth, using terms like “forced diversity” and warning that Amazon “breaks when it wakes up.” I’m here.

There is even disagreement about what it means to be “awakened.”

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “awake” as being “aware of and actively paying attention” to systemic racial injustice and prejudice.

Morse has another definition. He describes ‘Awakening’ as a far-left ideology that focuses on ‘a shallow form of identity to create victims and oppressors’ and enhances a person’s racial, gender, or sexual identity over other issues such as character. I see it as an ideology.

Some see racism in the ‘faceless hordes of darkness’ in Tolkien’s world

Amazon Studios did not make anyone involved with the series available for comment. But the show has plenty of defenders.

Mark BurroughsThe critic and comedian ironically notes that while some Middle-earth fans have no problem accepting giant walking tree-folk and fire-breathing dragons, “dark-skinned dwarves It’s a little unbelievable,’ I think.

Some say the ancient world was not as white as some Lord of the Rings fans believe. , says immigration has been brimming with more racial diversity than is commonly understood. Scientists have recently discovered that the first modern Britons, who lived 10,000 years ago, were not Caucasian, but “black to black” skin with curly hair.

Defenders of the series also say that Amazon Studios is savvy, not woken up. The all-white cast has become unacceptable to modern audiences. “The Rings of Power” is streaming in over 240 countries for him.

“They want as many people as possible to see it,” says Tolkien biographer Koren. “So on every level, morally, economically and culturally, it[the diverse casting]is the right thing to do.”

Some say Amazon Studios did a public service by erasing some of the implicit racism in Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

Acclaimed black fantasy and sci-fi author NK Jemison criticized Tolkien’s depiction of “orcs”, the dark-hued, malevolent foot soldiers who terrorize hobbits, elves, and other pale-faced heroes . She is depicted as a “faceless, barbaric dark horde” that exists so that good people can “slaughter with glee”.

“Think about it,” Jemison wrote. “Creatures that look like humans but aren’t really. Little humans who are worthless on even the most basic moral considerations like their right to exist. The only way to deal with them is to deal with them.” Either slavery or annihilate them.”

Where did Tolkien stand in the race?

Jemison’s withering criticism has been directed at Tolkien’s work for years. This naturally led to speculation about the author’s views.

An essayist asked a question that has been around for years. Was Tolkien really racist?

According to John Garth, author of “The Worlds of JRR Tolkien,” some racists think so.

“The Far Right has long misinterpreted Tolkien as representing their own racist views,” says Garth. “They really came out of the closet in the last few years with the rise of populism and the collapse of taboos about what we are allowed to say.”

Tolkien was an Anglo-Saxon professor in early-to-mid-20th-century England, a white man living in a tweed, almost-all-white world. However, his background can be deceptive, as Tolkien wrote of the enigmatic Middle-earth hero, “Not all who wander are lost”. says he was not racist.

Tolkien spoke out publicly against racial and ethnic hatred, Garth says. He reprimanded me, saying that I regretted it. He hated Nazi Germany, which was built on a foundation of racial and ethnic hatred (Tolkien called Hitler “a ruddy little ignorant”).

Tolkien was also a Roman Catholic in mid-century Protestant England and would have known what it was like to be treated as a persecuted minority, Garth says.

“He was born in South Africa and said, ‘I have a hate for apartheid in my bones,'” says Garth.

Tolkien’s embrace of all mankind can be seen in the premise of his beloved fantasy series, says his biographer Coren.

The plot is driven by the ability of various groups (elves, humans, hobbits, dwarves) to band together and see beyond their superficial differences. And two of the most adorable characters in the book are Legolas the elf and Gimli the dwarf. They become close friends, he says, despite the mutual distrust that has divided the group for thousands of years.

“Tolkien certainly wrote about good and evil, but he never attributed it to race,” says Coren.

This debate casts a shadow over the enchanting world of Middle-earth

Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” series is said to be the most expensive TV show ever produced.

But what is the price to pay for casting a non-white actor in the lead role? Fan reaction will be one of the most interesting intrigues in the coming months.

But whatever happens, the debate over diverse casting has overshadowed this long-awaited series.

One of the reasons people become aficionados of fantasy books, movies, and TV series is that they provide an escape from the bitter divisions of our mundane, everyday world.

But Amazon’s response to the new series makes it clear that even the enchanting world of Middle-earth is no longer subject to political divisions.

Elves, dwarves and humans in “The Rings of Power” can finally unite to defeat their common enemy. But fellowship among Tolkien fans is as fragmented as in the real world. try to leave

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