I was getting coffee with my coworker, who is kind of right-wing and I said jokingly, "You know, I'm awfully leftist," and he said, "Yeah, I figured that the moment I learned you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings."
ok ik this is just a dream but this is actually something I kinda think about a lot: the duality of lotr audience. It might just be me, but it seems more politically diverse than most other audiences. Like, someone saying theyre really into lotr can be met with "lol yeah that makes sense" even in two wildly different contexts. Oh you're catholic homeschooler? yeah I could've guessed you're a lotr nerd. Oh youre a raging homosexual? yep go figure you love lotr.
And I just find that contrast really interesting bc you cant say the same for other fandoms like star wars or marvel. And sure, you could say a lot of leftists and conservatives like those too bc, well, does everyone does. Just like lotr. But no, I don't mean it like that. For marvel and star wars its not a well known thing, like a almost stereotype, that gay people especially like them or that conservatives especially like them, whereas with lotr, at least in my experience, it is like that. As someone who was raised conservative and took a sharp left turn (lol), I feel like I notice it a bit more
a LOT of right, religious, and/or conservative people adore lotr bc it’s a cool fantasy piece that’s also clean and wholesome and—here’s the main attraction for the religious people I mentioned—written by a devout Catholic who ingrained many Christian elements and themes into it. Plus, as Tolkien fought in WWI, it also has a lot of wartime, brothers-in-arms themes, which we all know conservatives are all about. This all makes sense for why it attracts the audience I mentioned. Being a hardcore lotr fan is almost a given in those circles. Ive spent a lot of time in such circles and believe me when I'm talking mega fans
Interestingly enough, I’ve noticed that it also heavily attracts the opposite political spectrum, like leftists and the lgbtq community. Their appeal is a little less clear for me to explain, which is ironic as it’s just as familiar to me as the former but I’ll try my hand at it. It seems like queer ppl like the fantasy genre more than straight ppl (not to get deep but I reckon it has something to do with escaping the unkind realities of this world </3), and lotr is THE fantasy series. Then it unashamedly portrays soft affection between men--and also badass powerful women--which not only is appreciated by ppl who are tired of societal restraints and expectations of gender norms, but it allows ppl to read said affection as romantic if they so wish. Lotr is a story about hanging onto hope and love in the face of darkness, and that's something a lot of queer people resonate with.
and then theres the crossover of these two worlds that may play a part in lotr having two wildly different categories of fans: the individuals that started in the first and hopped over into the second. I fall into this one as do several friends of mine. We grew up in the religious culture where lotr/tolkien was praised by both authority figures and peers, but even after we left that life behind we still clung to the magical land of middle-earth.
idk. i might just be more aware of this duality bc I've experienced both sides--and thus, the power of frequency illusion--but its just an odd experience to witness this shared intense passion for a franchise between two groups of very different people
brooooo i'm serious stop pushing me up against the wall when you confront me about how reckless and foolish i am don't you realize how homoerotic that looks
He definitely did, but since the whole book is supposed to be a translation of something he found and not something he personally wrote, they’re switched for the audience’s convenience. There’s a lot more to it, but here’s a chart of Shire months from the appendices at the end of RoTK. Elves and men are different, but there was no handy chart.
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