Recent content by Lincoln Alpern

Perusing this discussion again, I've had a thought about why the material of the blade doesn't interest me more. Does the text show any interest in the material composition of weapons, armor, or for that matter fabrics or textiles? Not that I recall. There's Mithril, but the text doesn't dwell...

This was broadly my interpretation of Legolas' knife being described as "white," as well, and I'm sure it's no accident all of those adjectives you quote also serve quite well to describe Legolas himself and the elves of Mirkwood.

Again, I can't comment on Roma peoples, either here in North America or in Europe. I know a bit more about Black Americans and Indigenous Americans, and perhaps there are some useful parallels to draw, at least as far as other marginalized groups in North America go. (Again, I understand the...

That question may remain, but once again, I'm afraid I'm not the one to help you answer it, because I don't care. I care about the ethics of cultural artifacts which may be offensive to peoples who have been traditionally persecuted. And I care about some aspects of copyright that I find...

Oh, yeah, I'm sure they would. I was just struck by the idea of the Rangers as a militia operating under the state authority of of men whose state's existence is not formally recognized except in a few places. I wondered what would happen if I, as a common human or hobbit, or even dwarf perhaps...

@Odola I'm afraid I'm not at all the right person to ask that question. The answer would have to come primarily from Romani peoples themselves (I acknowledge and respect your reasons for eschewing this word, due to its lack of clarity. Unfortunately, it's the only term I know, apart from the "g"...

And wouldn't it be fun to watch them try?

Ha-ha, yes, I'm aware of the fact that my country tends to export its attitudes and mores to other countries, whether or not they're beneficial or even make sense, and that this is often a one-way process, which is certainly troubling. (I could expound my thoughts on this phenomenon, but again...

I can think of precisely one instance, off the top of my head. At Parth Galen, during the time where they're still all trying to figure out whether to go directly to Mordor, or to swing by Minas Tirith first. Aragorn is trying to make up his mind about the best path, and the narrator mentions at...

Oh yeah, like I said, this stuff is incredibly complicated, and different people in the same group can have wildly different perspectives on a given topic even before you bring in the issue of international difference. It's also important to note that how an in-group uses a word that's...

As is so often true, both life and people are complicated. I read an ethnography back in undergrad, Bury Me Standing, in which the author noted some of her subjects preferred the "g" word to apply to themselves, some preferred "Romani," and some maybe other words that have slipped my memory over...

Thanks for the comments, everyone. To be clear, I'm not the one in need of convincing. My post was made in response to Corey's assertions in last week's class (echoing comments he's made previously) that the Bree-folks' use of "Ranger" was probably a pejorative and insulting term, and...

Catching up on recent class recordings, I was struck by the discussion in Session 213 of the meaning behind Bilbo's farewell poem, and specifically Bilbo's Estel-infused contemplation of future springs and different greens. @JoshTheLeft invoked Hurin's famous declaration, "Day shall come...

In the latest recording session, Corey opined the word "ranger" as applied to the Dunedain is most comparable to the "g" often used for Romani peoples and frequently considered a slur, and that were the people of Bree to be transported to present day Earth, their use of the word "ranger" would...

A Youtuber I'm familiar with on another Discord server recently read Lord of the Rings for the first time, and has added the series to his ongoing collection of 10/13-minute "Fantastic Fiction" video essays. As someone who grew up on the trilogy from when I was just a wee nipper, I find his...