One overlooked thing that really sets the Lord of the Rings films apart from other franchises is how earnest they are-
Most movies are so afraid of being “cheesy” that whenever they say something like “friendship is the most powerful force in the world” they quickly undercut it with a joke to show We Don’t Really Believe That! 😉 Even Disney films nowadays have the characters mock their own movie’s tropes (”if you start singing, I’m gonna throw up!”) It’s like winking at the camera: “See, audience? We know this is ridiculous! We’re in on the joke!”
But Lord of the Rings is just 12.5 hours of friendship and love being the most powerful forces in the world, played straight. Characters have conversations about how much their home and family and friends mean to them, how hope is eternal, how there is so much in the world that’s worth living for…. and the film doesn’t apologize for that. There’s no winking at the audience about How Cheesy and Silly All This Is; it’s just. Completely in earnest.
And when Lord of the Rings does “lean on the fourth wall” to talk about storytelling within the film, it’s never to make jokes about How Ridiculous These Storytelling Tropes are (the way most films do)…. but instead to talk about how valuable these stories can be. Like Sam’s Speech at the end of the Two Towers: the greatest stories are ones that give you something to believe in, give you hope, that help you see there are things in a bleak violent world that are worth living for
Earnestness is so much cooler than all the hip cynicism in the world. You go LOTR
Erm…well, most them were in, y’know, Europe? So that knocks those numbers down a good 80%, or so.
Oh, let’s see…the plantation owners were wealthy democrats who had literally all the power, money, and influence. The rest lived in poverty, had no power, and many were also indentured servants.
At least 50% – 60% lived in the north where slavery wasn’t legal.
Aaaaaand over 600,000 of them gave their lives to end it.
Total slaves sent to the U.S.: 300,000 – 400,000.
Total slaves sent to Central and South America and the Caribbean: 6.5 million.
Total slaves sent to Brazil alone: 4 million.
Total slaves owned in the Americas: Less than 7 million.
African Zanj slaves taken by Muslim Arabs predates the European Trans Atlantic Slave Trade by 700 years.
Muslim Arabs have taken upwards of 17 million slaves overall, including millions of Europeans as well as Africans, particularly women and children for sexual slavery.
Christian Iberian kingdoms were raided by Muslims periodically, enslaving many women and children.
In Lisbon in 1189, Almohad Berber Muslim caliph enslaved 3,000 women and children and in a subsequent raid in Silves during the year of 1191, his governor of Córdoba enslaved 3,000 Christians.
Christian and Muslim Arab girls, boys, and women have also been enslaved by Muslim Arabs over the centuries and in many parts of Africa and the Middle East, slavery is still practiced by predominantly Muslims.
Ever heard of Exodus?
No, seriously.
I know you think you’ve proved something but you didn’t … Heads up, this post is over 3 years old and had my original comments on it. Since people were able to delete it, you and every obtuse asswipe who lack critical thinking and social context keep going on this tirade of bs commentary.
If like you said, “50-60%” lived in the North where it wasn’t legal, what were they doing? If they weren’t actively fighting for abolishing then they were enabling the slave owners. There was only a small minority of white people who were actively pro abolition/equality. The poor white folks weren’t doing shit when they could’ve been helping and working with the enslaved or poor black people. Being neutral in the face of oppression only helps the oppressor.
You bringing up the slave population in South America isn’t negating or proving anything either lol. So what they had more?
The reason why I called you and others asswipes who lack critical thinking is because you try to compare racialized chattel slavery that INFLUENCED and AFFECT our current society to slavery that took place over 1,000 years ago is comical. Like you really think something that many black people are STILL connected to (some are 3-4 generations removed), something that CREATED the racial class system we have today is equivalent to something that no one has been connected to for literally over a thousand years???? Are you dumb?
No one denied that slavery happened before the Atlantic trade or that it’s not happening now. Crack open a book learn something about historical context ya, twat.
You do realize that some of those things I mentioned were happening only two, or three centuries ago, right? Also? Being Native American, East Asian, and the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, I know my history and I know the shit that my ancestors and their people went through so kindly sit your rank ass on a few dozen thumb tacks.
What, black people in Africa who are still suffering from oppression, slavery, and genocide don’t matter? Or do you just ignore that because what’s happening in Africa is not the fault of your collective white devil boogeyman?
Critical thinking requires understanding human history as more than just a two-dimensional black and white, good and evil dichotomy. Life is not a cartoon.
It also doesn’t involve blaming one race for everything that has gone wrong in the world, nor does it involve sticking your head in the sand so you can avoid acknowledging that PoC have done equally terrible things.
No one denied that slavery happened before the Atlantic trade or that it’s not happening now.
Before and DURING the Atlantic trade. During, you absolute ass clown.
No one denies it? They pretend it never even existed. They refuse to acknowledge it ever happened.Why? Because they (which also includes you) are trying to create a white vs PoC division. A cookie cutter caricature of “White people BAD, PoC GOOD”. You omit certain parts of history and talk only about the parts that are convenient for your desperate need to shit on white people, none of whom alive today had anything to do with what happened 300 years ago, yet you throw a shit fit when someone dares to bring up the fact that PoC have not only oppressed and enslaved other PoC, but also whites as well.
You’re actually sitting there with your dumb as shit “white tears” blog coming at me about how I lack critical thinking skills? That’s fucking hilarious. You should look up the definition of “irony”. Google is free, btw.
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Don’t bother, they’re always going to bring up slavery for their victim complex. It doesn’t matter how old it’s or who else went through it, they will always use the same damn thing to justify their hate…
“If like you said, “50-60%” lived in the North where it wasn’t legal, what were they doing?“
Abolishing fucking slavery, and starting a small incident, doubt ya heard about it, called the Civil War. They were a smidge busy.
… Heads up, this post is over 3 years old and had my original comments on it. Since people were able to delete it, you and every obtuse asswipe who lack critical thinking and social context keep going on this tirade of bs commentary.
Goldnwulf 