Why does everything good have to become a fucking turf war?

Seriously. I grew up absolutely loving the hobbit. Imagine my shock when in 9th grade I came across this huge red book in the school library that I realized was the sequel to one of my favorite books ever.

It wasn't until years later that I ever realized this trilogy was so popular. I'm old enough that the internet wasn't really a thing back then.

Fast forward to now and I'm having to read about someone using guilt by association (oh snap, MILITARY people like Tolkien!?!?!?!) to decry the author and his work.

I mean, of all the things to give that much shit about, Tolkien? Just let it go and find something useful to worry about.

LOTR was like the most popular book in the world behind the Bible. Of course everyone who's general-aged knows about it.

Naming a government contractor Palantir is a joke on whoever did it of course, since the palantirs destroyed everyone who tried to use them.

It wasn't really primarily about the generals. It was mostly about the captains (who are YOUNG) and soliders. It was the movies, not the books, that made LOTR a powerful tool for DoD. They didn't just know about it. It was an organizing piece of ideology and shared identity. Any analogy or metaphor that made reference was more likely to be funded.

> Naming a government contractor Palantir is a joke on whoever did it of course, since the palantirs destroyed everyone who tried to use them.

Sometimes trolls are all in on the same joke.

Tolkien was a scholar, and also a deeply devout Roman Catholic from a young age. He stated that "The Lord of the Rings is a fundamentally religious and Catholic work." In personal letters to family members he related mystical experiences while praying before the Blessed Sacrament.

His varied life experiences, such as being a soldier in World War I, surely had an influence on his novels, but the bigger picture is that LotR explores aspects of the Redemption (Christ's victory over evil) while avoiding overt allegory and symbolism.