First: Thanks to most of you for keeping a discussion about such a controversial topic so calm. There are many places on the internet where such things quickly turn into a CAPSLOCK yelling drama of insults.
So if the Drow deserve this sort of re-write, why not Orcs, or Goblins? Is there an underlying factor that would favor one of these groups over the other two?
I guess that some people got offended by the books and started it. Once the drow lore is changed they will likely look for more (perceived or real) issues.
It the trilogy a work of scientific racism? No.
Yet the Tolkien society feels the need to preemtively construct it into a piece of woke literature. Its summer semiar series had gems like:
Gondor in Transition: A Brief Introduction to Transgender Realities in The Lord of the Rings
The Lossoth: Indigeneity, Identity, and Antiracism
“Something Mighty Queerâ€: Destabilizing Cishetero Amatonormativity in the Works of Tolkien
So one side sees Tolkiens work as racist and the Tolkien Society responds by trying to portray it as some 'woke' things it isn't. Both try to see what they want to be there. I see it as a failure to distance oneself from the current cultural trends. Not everything must always be analyzed only under the distorted view of a given cultural environment.
Dwarves and elves cannot have children but all socially constructed 'races' can have children together.
Because they are not races but seperate species. This whole discussion is somewhat based on confusing racism and speciesism.
Because the orc stereotype does indeed fit onto the stereotypes for many of the peoples who were victims of colonization. But didn't World of Warcraft teach us that replacing "inherent evil" with "cultural evil" is actually worse? Instead of talking about an absurd, fantastical notion -- an evil god warped their souls -- we just say orcs are uncivilized, warlike and ruled by their passions because of their inferior culture.
I find the whole idea of "inferior cultures" strange. Are the amazonian natives inferior cultures because they form hunting parties and have less convoluted administration than some other cultures? Again, universalist morality fails.
It is said that we live in a post metaphysical society and that does lead to problems with non strictly materialistic works.
but fact is people are
° stupid, and
° tribal
and secretely crave violence for entertainment and relief, just like in the times of the roman Empire with the colloseum.
Soccer & other sports try to guide this primal urges in a non-harmful and productive way.
Sports teams are tribal surrogates for many fans. Your hooligan example is very fitting.
Either alone but preferably in a mentality of " Us against them. " since this is how cowards behave.
It is how humans needed to behave in order to survive. This whole "Us versus them" attitude has strong foundations in evolutionary psychology. Defining and defending the perimeter between "Us" and "Them" in a dangerous environment of scarce resources (mostly food) was necessary for survial. Without agriculture providing stable food conditions the causes for conflict are abundant. Should an economic crisis or world war ever lead to scaricity of resources again the "Us against them" structures would quickly and violently return. Faerun is such a place. Supernatural desasters are frequent and dangerous creatures are a bigger problem than a few wolves. Groups not sticking firmly together in such situations quickly fall into disarray.
It's just natural for some negative narratives about the drow being common in such an environment. Things usually didn't go well for those trusting them and there is no powerful state to save anyone. In absence of a state monopoly on violence "Us vs. them" often yields better results than "Lets all be friends". If that were not the case such tendencies would not have been selected by evolution and would not exist today.
