I notice that on a recent Q&A ("What books would you destroy to avoid them falling into other hands?": https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/question/view/2379) 2 users of this site gave "thumbs down" to Wilhelmina Lyre and to Jimmy Hollis i Dickson.
To Wilhelmina for posting:
'[...] parents who don't read the books that their children are reading - with a very critical eye - are running the same risk.
'I'm not really in favour of BANNING The Lord Of The Rings. But I'd take the trouble to debate with my child the values of a book that depicts people/creatures who come from the East and South, are dark-skinned (and who associate with Elephants - or however Tolkien chose to "disguise" this word, it's been decades since I read this filth) as purely EVIL, as invaders who are intent on destroying the values - and lives - of "The Shire" (read the British Isles). Not to mention "Holy Wars" as a solution to a country's problems or the sharp divide between what is "suitable behaviour" for males and what is "suitable behaviour" for females.
'The Lord Of The Rings (considering its wide appeal) must be the very favourite book of UKIP, male supremacists... and many of those even further down the road of xenophobia and racism.'
To Jimmy for his:
'I see that somebody has given my friend Wilhelmina a "thumbs down" for her latest comment. Since said "thumbs-downer" didn't actually post a reply (unless they're doing so while I'm composing this), we may only guess whether this "thumbs down"is re: the idea that parents should talk with their children about the books that they're reading (does this come under the heading of "poking your nose in" / "invasion of territory"?) or rather a TLOTR fan taking umbrage at anybody's criticising hat "masterpiece" of storytelling.
'Whatever the reason, could you please give me a "thumbs down", too? Because I agree with every single word that she wrote.'
I have decided to throw down the gauntlet. Having read what Wilhelmina wrote, IS anybody willing to 'actually post a reply' and defend (on literary or cultural merit) Tolkien's ' "masterpiece" of storytelling'? IS anybody seriously willing to defend it against the charges of 'xenophobia and racism', as well as male-chauvinism and militarism.
In these days when politicians are distorting facts and statistics to create an atmosphere of fear re: [DARK-SKINNED] immigrants and "bogus" asylum seekers, I fancy a bit of lively, LITERARY debate between fanatics on either side.
Tolkien admirers: stop being ashamed to reveal who you are!
To clear up a possible ambiguity in my last comment:
"discovered the subliminal (??? actually: not very) xenophobic, racist, sexist, militaristic message that it preaches."
"actually: not very" refers to "subliminal" and not to "xenophobic, racist, sexist, militaristic".
But I suppose that you guessed that.
Emilie's question had nothing to do with banning LOTR. Neither did Wilhelmina's original comment. In fact, the latter (chronologically the former) specifically states that she WOULDN'T ban it. "But I'd take the trouble to debate with my child [its] values". She then goes on to list some pretty atrocious values.
2 of the people who've posted here (Adrian and Lorraine) admit that they haven't read the book. I'd agree with Lorraine about the evils of censorship. Personally, I'd be interested in reading Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf. But I'd do so well aware of the evil that Hitler's ideas unleashed in the world.
I've read LOTR - the whole thing - 3 times. The first time as a teenager. I loved it. At 19, I bought the 3 novels for my younger brothers... and then I read it again, and discovered the subliminal (??? actually: not very) xenophobic, racist, sexist, militaristic message that it preaches. I hated it. Years - perhaps decades - later, I read it again... to see if it was really as bad as I'd remembered. It was.
When I was 7 years old, I was offered a cigarette by a labourer working on the street outside my home. I took one puff... and NEVER again.
If I had a child, I would offer them a cigarette, allow them to take ONE puff... and then talk to them seriously and openly about the evils of tobacco and the people who sell death to our young people.
I would carry out a similar policy with Tolkien and Rowling.
@ Barbara: I ALWAYS let children form their own opinions. And I LISTEN to them. I'd be a shit writer of children's books (or a writer of shit children's books) if I didn't. I have actively encouraged children to disagree with me. But I wouldn't abandon them to the evil teachings of others without making my comments. Whether they decide to prefer Tolkien to Jimmy is up to them.
@ Susan: great adventure stories in fantasy lands are a favourite of mine. In fact, I'm quite open about the fact that the 2 Alice books by Lewis Carroll are tied for 1st place with an adult sci-fi novel as my favourite books of all time. None of them mix sexism, violence-as-solution, or xenophobia as part of the adventure. (With the possible slight exceptions of Carroll's [rather gentle] mocking of Pat, the White Rabbit's Irish gardener, and Alice' kicking of Bill, the lizard, and her overturning the animals in the courtroom scene.)
Aside from Susan's, Barbara's, and Lorraine's (2nd-hand) praise for LOTR AS A LITERARY WORK, I'm still waiting for a defence of it on those levels. THAT - as I understand it - is what this Q was asking for: NOT very reasonable, and respected attacks on the idea of censorship.
(I take this opportunity to opine that that [defence of censorship] didn't seem to me the point of Wilhelmina's Q&A, linked to in Emilie's OP above. OR of Emilie's, Wilhelmina's, or my comments ANYWHERE. There's a BIG difference between "I wouldn't pass this book on to anybody" and "I wouldn't allow anybody to read this book".)
Each of us will take something different from any piece of work, whether factual or fictional, according to our individual ability to see what's presented to us. This is influenced by many things, such as upbringing, culture, personal experience and so on, as can be seen by the wildly differing applications of tracts found in books such as the Bible. So, as I said LOTR is for me a great story and I'll happily read it again, whereas others will find whatever else they are looking for.