the man also fucking detested cars, absolutely hated them. The shire is explicitly the polar opposite of car-centric hellholes where everyone is constantly stressed and liable to get run over.

[–] Denjin@feddit.uk 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I think the only true and intentional allegory in Tolkein's work is about power and how it corrupts.

There are plenty of less defined and subconscious biases present in his work but to try and shoehorn an anti-authoritarian or anti-surveilance message into his books is stupid.

edit: and->an

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 18 points 1 day ago (2 children)

My political opinions lean more and more to Anarchy (philosophically understood, meaning abolition of control not whiskered men with bombs) – or to 'unconstitutional' Monarchy. I would arrest anybody who uses the word State (in any sense other than the inanimate realm of England and its inhabitants, a thing that has neither power, rights nor mind); and after a chance of recantation, execute them if they remained obstinate!

[...]

But the special horror of the present world is that the whole damned thing is in one bag. There is nowhere to fly to. Even the unlucky little Samoyedes, I suspect, have tinned food and the village loudspeaker telling Stalin's bed-time stories about Democracy and the wicked Fascists who eat babies and steal sledge-dogs. There is only one bright spot and that is the growing habit of disgruntled men of dynamiting factories and power-stations; I hope that, encouraged now as 'patriotism', may remain a habit! But it won't do any good, if it is not universal.

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/j-r-r-tolkien-from-a-letter-to-christopher-tolkien

Considering the mans views, I'm not at all surprised he intended as such.

[–] Norin@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Tolkien is, rightly, a huge influence on what remains of Christian Anarchism today.

[–] hemko@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 day ago

I haven't read anything about Tolkien's politics before, but this sounds like he just generally dislikes democracy

[–] galoisghost@aussie.zone 4 points 1 day ago

I think about the dragon part all the time.