i’ve been a tolkien fan most of my life. it began with reading the hobbit in fifth grade and i’ve been reading ever since. with the new series a couple of days out, i’ve seen more and more heated arguments about casting choices than ever here. and to the point where “woke” culture is being criticized and demeaned. this seems strange to me from a fan base of stories that center around friendship, unity through struggle and the triumph of spirit.

my question is why does it matter? does it matter if there’s poc in the show? does the skin color of an elf really change that character so much? understand that this isn’t a historical revision — this is based on a fantasy world, where these races and species are imagined. so why the uproar?