Random Instances Of Weird Racism And Bigotry Throughout 'Lord Of Rings' (And In JRR Tolkien's Life) (11 items)

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  (#9) Physical Characteristics Of Villains Are Racialized

  While many of the series's characters are never described in detail, when it comes to villains, Tolkien often takes a little extra time to list their physical features. Take the Southerner in The Fellowship of the Ring, who's described as "sallow" and having "sly, slanting eyes." Sallow can mean "yellowish," which, in conjunction with the description of the Southerner's eyes calls to mind the racist caricatures of Japanese people that were prevalent during World War II.

  Tolkien claimed that the series wasn't intended to be an allegory for any war, and it's possible he never intended for such a connection to be made. However, at a certain point, Tolkien's intent becomes irrelevant, as many of these racial stereotypes are so ingrained in Western culture that they routinely pop up in seemingly unrelated texts. In light of all the franchise's other problems, it's important to consider why the Southerner's traits are so easily associated with evil in Tolkien's world.
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  (#8) Female Characters Are Severely Underdeveloped

  The women of Tolkien's work are uniformly underdeveloped. Pretty much all the female characters in his novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are either wholly good (Goldberry, Arwen), relegated to stereotypical femininity (Galadriel, Eowyn), or just downright nasty (Shelob, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins).

  Regardless of whether they're good or evil, all the women of the series are noticeably one-dimensional. Compare this to the series's vast assortment of complex male characters (Gandalf is wise, Frodo is courageous, Aragorn is noble, Wormtongue is evil, and so on), and the trend becomes painfully obvious. Women just aren't allowed to be fully developed characters in Tolkien's world, perhaps because Tolkien wasn't interested in featuring feminine heroes. 
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  (#1) Tolkien's Dwarves Are An Unsubtle And Unflattering Analogue To Jewish People

  Tolkien's deliberate association between dwarves and Jewish people is well-documented. He once noted, "[t]he dwarves of course are quite obviously, couldn't you say that in many ways they remind you of [Jewish people]?" This admittance makes his characterization of dwarves troubling - particularly in The Hobbit - as Tolkien relies heavily on Jewish stereotypes, which directly contribute to antisemitism.

  While some dwarves are portrayed as good people, their preoccupation with gold and their incessant greed (which in part fuels the conflict in Lake-town) are inarguably offensive. To make matters worse, dwarves are portrayed as wicked in Tolkien's earlier work, which only serves to further harmful stereotypes about Jewish people that are still prevalent today. 
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  (#11) Positive Stereotypes Are Still Stereotypes

  One of the biggest obstacles critics of Tolkien's work run into is the claim that, because many of his characters adhere to positive stereotypes, there's no reason to be upset. Sure, the few women who appear in The Lord of the Rings tend to be good, and Tolkien himself described Jewish people as "gifted," but that doesn't erase the fact that his views are still informed by stereotypes. Positive or benign stereotypes naturalize more hateful biases, and fail to recognize the spectrum of personality traits that exist in all people. There is no "inherent woman" or "inherent Jewish person," and to suggest otherwise is a recipe for bigotry. 
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  (#7) The Human Enemies In The Films Are Pretty Much All People Of Color

  The primary cast of the Lord of the Rings films is pretty overwhelmingly white. This has nothing to do with "historical accuracy," as the series is set in a fantasy world with dragons and hobbits. To make matters worse, most of the human enemies the fellowship faces are people of color, whose costumes were designed to reference Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. 

  This kind of oversight is all too common in Hollywood, and it's time more people started calling out studios who whitewash their casts. While film executives would most likely cite the "marketability" of the films' (white) stars, there are plenty of fantastic non-white actors in the world, and it's unbecoming to assume that every good person in Middle-earth is Caucasian. 
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  (#5) Tolkien's Most Interesting Female Character Gets Slighted

  Eowyn is one of the standout female characters in The Lord of the Rings. She slays the Witch-king of Angmar precisely because she's not a man, but that doesn't stop Tolkien from crediting others for her achievement.

  In the story, the hobbit Merry also plays a crucial role in the Witch-king's demise. Although he's biologically male, he's not technically a man, since he's not a human. To make matters worse, Eowyn ultimately decides to trade in her armor for the Middle-earth equivalent of a nurse's uniform. Even though she's a total bad*ss, Tolkien seems to think she's meant to be a caregiver. 

  Though Eowyn is one of the few women to have a truly active role in the plot, her representation leaves much to be desired, as her moment in the spotlight is eclipsed by the adventures of the series's numerous male characters. 

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