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Is the film "Lord Of The Rings" racist?

Is the film "Lord Of The Rings" racist?

  • Yes

    Votes: 3 4.8%

  • No

    Votes: 51 81.0%

  • It's prophetic

    Votes: 2 3.2%

  • Idk

    Votes: 7 11.1%
  • Total voters
    63
Bodhisattva said:
It was written by a white guy living in a pretty much white country... I made up a children's story for my daughters. Kinda a Tom Sawyer version of adventure with horses and all this stuff that I am writing into a kids book. We are white. The main characters are white. Doesn't make it racist.
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Well I agree that it's not racist - how could it be with the large variety of species and races written in?

But I also know that a lot of the species and races IN LotR are *not* white like you and me (meaning: light skin tone and other features which developed in response to northern, sun-less environments)

They merely used white people to portray them in movies.

See - I hate it when some people cannot look at a fantasy story and SEE the story. They can only SEE it through modern, present day eyes which skews how they read things.
 
And "The Magnificent Seven". Any black in the team. Burn the film and shame the director!:mrgreen:
 
KevinKohler said:
Um. It's based on a novel, set in a fantasy world called middle earth, in which there were no black people? Having read the books quite a few years ago, maybe my memory is rusty...but I can't recall mention of a single black person.
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Maybe the suns not as bright and the temperature is lower so black skin never evolved.

They do have entire "races" that are vertically challenged though. Dwarves, hobbits and Smeagol's "river people". And immortals.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Well I agree that it's not racist - how could it be with the large variety of species and races written in?

But I also know that a lot of the species and races IN LotR are *not* white like you and me (meaning: light skin tone and other features which developed in response to northern, sun-less environments)

They merely used white people to portray them in movies.

See - I hate it when some people cannot look at a fantasy story and SEE the story. They can only SEE it through modern, present day eyes which skews how they read things.
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I have to say though that it's pretty consistent for white actors to be cast into the roles of black characters. The character Bean in Ender's Game is the latest example of this (he was black in the book). Does it ruin the whole movie? No, but you can't really argue it was enhanced either, so it's kind of odd.
 
Canell said:
So, people, what do you think? :)
What's your feeling about that? :peace
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Of course not. What looney suggested it was??
 
Cardinal said:
I have to say though that it's pretty consistent for white actors to be cast into the roles of black characters. The character Bean in Ender's Game is the latest example of this (he was black in the book). Does it ruin the whole movie? No, but you can't really argue it was enhanced either, so it's kind of odd.
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As an example of when a movie needs to stay strictly white, think Denzel Washington being cast in Much Ado About Anything.

Or Keanu Reeves being cast in that movie either, but that's probably off topic.
 
Mason66 said:
Having all white kids is racist.

You should have at least one black child and of course an Asian.
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The retarded crippled kid is an Asian and the Toby who shovels **** in the barn is black... does that work?
 
Cardinal said:
Sacrilege! The Expendables 2 was the greatest story ever told.
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As I read this it just started raining... apparently God does not agree with you.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Well I agree that it's not racist - how could it be with the large variety of species and races written in?

But I also know that a lot of the species and races IN LotR are *not* white like you and me (meaning: light skin tone and other features which developed in response to northern, sun-less environments)

They merely used white people to portray them in movies.

See - I hate it when some people cannot look at a fantasy story and SEE the story. They can only SEE it through modern, present day eyes which skews how they read things.
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Wondering if the LOTR is racist or not was LITERALLY an idea that never even came close to crossing my mind.

Is Star Wars racist? Luke and Leah wear white and Darth Vadar not only wears black but has the voice of a black man.
 
Bodhisattva said:
Wondering if the LOTR is racist or not was LITERALLY an idea that never even came close to crossing my mind.

Is Star Wars racist? Luke and Leah wear white and Darth Vadar not only wears black but has the voice of a black man.
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It would have been much better if they had given Darth Vader's speaking role to Gilbert Gottfried.
 
KevinKohler said:
Um. It's based on a novel, set in a fantasy world called middle earth, in which there were no black people? Having read the books quite a few years ago, maybe my memory is rusty...but I can't recall mention of a single black person.
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The Haradrim and Easterlings always seemed vaguely Arab or Turkish to me.:peace
 
Yes. As an ethnic Uruk-Hai I found the LOTR to be an incredibly offensive and racist work that glorified the terrible genocide of my people.
 
Cardinal said:
I have to say though that it's pretty consistent for white actors to be cast into the roles of black characters. The character Bean in Ender's Game is the latest example of this (he was black in the book). Does it ruin the whole movie? No, but you can't really argue it was enhanced either, so it's kind of odd.
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Well I've only read a few books that were turned into a show or movie - and I don't recall any race-swapping.

What has happened are character-swapping. Where the story or events from one character are given to another when it's processed into a script.

I prefer when they leave things the heck alone. But - Hobbits, Orcs, Dunedains, Elves, Maiar, and Dwarves don't exist in real life :)
 
Cardinal said:
Well, to be fair, before he became Gandalf the White he was Gandalf the Gray, not Gandalf the Negro.
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Gandalf the (formerly) Grey took the place of Saruman the (formerly) White, who lost his status when he went over to Sauron.:peace
 
I voted yes because all the orcs in it are protrayed as being evil! I mean come on where are the good orcs? They never once show an orc child, just cute human or halfling children. It is a total shame!
 
the_recruit said:
Yes. As an ethnic Uruk-Hai I found the LOTR to be an incredibly offensive and racist work that glorified the terrible genocide of my people.
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You guys started it when you attacked Moria!! :roll:
 
Quag said:
I voted yes because all the orcs in it are protrayed as being evil! I mean come on where are the good orcs? They never once show an orc child, just cute human or halfling children. It is a total shame!
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I don't think that there are orc children... aren't they grown and then born adult?
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Well I agree that it's not racist - how could it be with the large variety of species and races written in?

But I also know that a lot of the species and races IN LotR are *not* white like you and me (meaning: light skin tone and other features which developed in response to northern, sun-less environments)

They merely used white people to portray them in movies.

See - I hate it when some people cannot look at a fantasy story and SEE the story. They can only SEE it through modern, present day eyes which skews how they read things.
Click to expand...

I hear that a new character was created for "The Hobbit" because it didn't seem right that there were no female characters in such a long story.
 
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