The Lord of the Rings: Sexist, Male-Centric Propaganda

[ZombieNixon]

Just think about it. Sauron's icon is a giant red...er...well...vagina. And the "Two Towers," come on! *cough*ERECTHOBBITPENISES*cough*
Just...think about it.

*sigh*
:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

[Sanity Claws]

1. I don't get the lord of the rings

I don't think of it as sexist so much as dumb. I can't get into.

[Bridget Burke]

3. I believe we're dealing with "sarcasm" here....

But--thinking is "hard work".

Edited to add--this is also a "copy cat" thread.

[ZombieNixon]

7. Yeah, I'm just doing a copycat of the

"Racist, RW propaganda thread," b/c I don't wanna think. Also, I just finished watching the ROtK extended edition DVD.

[vpigrad]

11. Maybe because...

you're not a member of the rich, white liesure class that likes such things.

[ZombieNixon]

13. WTF! I'm brown, the middle of the middle class, with minimal leisure time

and I like LOtR ;)

[Laelth]

2. You're right, of course.

It's terribly sexist. It's also the second most read book in all of English literature (passed just recently by Harry Potter). Sexist or not, it's a significant part of our cultural heritage.

-Laelth

[Placebo]

4. Absolutely!

:crazy:

[PassingFair]

5. You are not kidding. This has been DOCUMENTED!

Read it and WEEP!

Ha hahahahahahaha!
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news1202/twotowers.html

[ZombieNixon]

8. Which is exactly where I got that from. n/t

[enigmatic]

9. I love Betty Bowers!

I'd marry her if I wasn't married and she wasn't satire;)

[antigone382]

6. I actually just wrote a term paper about how feminist Eowyn was

I went through this whole thing about how, even though she ends up agreeing to marry Faramir and not be a shieldmaiden anymore, it was related more to the theme in the trilogy that those who desire power are defeated, while those who are humble end up gaining power. Eowyn is the only character in the entire trilogy who starts off wanting power and glory (in other words, wanting to be queen), and effectively makes the transition to humility, at which point she's rewarded with a realm of her own (Ithilien). I'd post the whole thing, but it's like six pages long.

Edit: Oh, and I had to sift through all that stormfront crap while I was doing research for it, too. :eyes:

[ZombieNixon]

10. Actually, I read it as she doesn't so much want to be queen

as she wants to be a man. She's as proficient with sword as any of the Rohirrim men, but they won't let her ride into battle b/c she's a woman. She would probably have been much happier as Théoden's son than as his niece.

[gorbal]

12. I never got that from it.

Well this is supposed to be a sort of prehistoric story and it was written at the turn of the century, so I would say it was harmless enough. Plus the Elven women held positions of power and they were held up as a sort of superior race.

The eye did remind me of "Total Information Awareness"

[antigone382]

14. But you can't quite disregard her rebuke to Aragorn:

"All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honor, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more."

To me, that's a strong indictment of a society that belittles the abilities of women; she may wish she is a man, but it isn't because she thinks men are superior, it's only because men view her as inferior.

It's also significant that she doesn't achieve the victory she craves until she declares her womanhood on the battlefield, and slays the Witch King. She can't live up to her potential until she reconciles her gender and her dreams. That's a very strong statement on Tolkien's part.

And I'm getting way too boring here, aren't I? :)

[mcscajun]

15. An interesting 'take' on Eowyn

Who, along with Sam Gamgee, is one of the two characters I most identify with, for varying reasons. Take that for what you will.

Eowyn, Arwen, and Galadriel are all very strong women. That they get less time in the books is a by-product of the Oxford Don mentality, nothing more.

And yes, I 'get' that this is a copycat, facetious thread. :P

[antigone382]

16. Aww, I love Sam too!

If you're interested, I'll PM you the whole essay. I'm pretty proud of it, personally :). It's really long though (at least for a discussion board), so if you're not interested, that's cool.

[CatBoreal]

18. Me too please!

I've had that same argument with my hubby a few times.

Thanks!

[antigone382]

20. Sent!

I'm about to post it in the Fantasy Lit group too, if anybody else wants to read what a 20-year-old smartypants has to say about Tolkien and feminist criticism :).

[gorbal]

19. No

No, your not boring at all, I noticed the same thing.

:)

[progmom]

17. Just glanced at your username and thought ZOMBYWOLF had...

...started a copycat thread!! Yikes!