Maybe you’ve seen the debate that suggests the orcs in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and other works are stand-ins or metaphors for people of colour, and to describe them as irredeemably evil is racist? The counterclaim is to point out that pre-Tolkien mythology (which Tolkien drew from) described orcs as evil supernatural creatures (fallen angels) … just as elves were good supernatural creatures (angels). So, which is correct?
I’m reminded of the “The curtains are Blue” meme:
… which, on its face, would appear to be a warning about projecting your worldview on someone else.
I was recently told of a Czechoslovakian article from the cold war:
The land of evil, shrouded in ash and smoke, is transparently situated in The East. There, the working class that is working hard on developing heavy industry, is represented by hideous and evil orcs. It is obvious that the author, a spoiled son of the bourgeoisie, has never known the beauty of manual labour.
The inhabitants of the “plentiful” West are, on the other hand, Elves (aristocracy), Men (Middle Class), and Hobbits (rich land owners). These live prosperous lives, and the only thing they are afraid of is “The Threat” from The East. “The Forces of Good”, according to the writer, are represented by the aforementioned reactionary groups whose members know very little what hard work is.
Their leader is Gandalf, who spreads regressive ideology by which he keeps the inhabitants of Middle Earth in a constant state of ignorance and fear of progress. It is no wonder then that Saruman, a champion of the oppressed and progress, is labeled a traitor and his tower is destroyed by a group of fanatic reactionaries.
In the end, when Socialism spreads into The Shire, Saruman is captured and punished by Hobbits without a proper trial. All this is supported by the capitalist realm of Gondor.
But fortunately, no one can destroy Socialism by any means; not even by throwing an ancient relic into the fire. Stay strong, Mordor, surrounded by enemy neighbours!
An even more obvious case of someone projecting their worldview onto the works of another.
Does that mean they’re both wrong, that the original mythology is all Tolkien meant? Not so fast. If you apply “Death of the Author”, it doesn’t matter what Tokien intended; you have to accept that …
- For those who see orcs as stand-ins for people of colour, it is completely valid to say orcs are racist … to them.
- For those who see orcs as stand-ins for the working class, it is completely valid to say orcs are anti-socialist … to them.
- For those who see orcs as beings of supernatural origin, it is completely valid to say orcs are evil … to them.
But whichever view you take, you cannot impose it on others. (And don’t ascribe to the author your own projections.)