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The Ents are the Americans
(lemmy.world)
(sorry, I couldn't find a cleaner quality than this)
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this post was submitted on 07 May 2025
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Lord Of The Rings Memes
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I've heard this take before. Idk if I'd conflate elderly tree-loving pacifist democrats with Hoover/FDR Era American politicians.
One big reason Japan bombed Pearl Harbor was our military support for allied China and Russia, as well as our military occupation of the Philippines. Even back in the late 30s, we had naval bases and military alliances all over the Pacific.
Americans weren't pacifists. It was more an issue of divided loyalties. Ford/Hoover/Bush Republicans had strong economic and ideological ties with Nazi Germany.
AKSHUALLY... The allegory doesn't have to be perfect, just symbolic. The point is the slowness and inefficiency. Tolkien was just making a point, not a perfect analog.
Tolkien himself has said that WWII was not a direct influence to any of the events or storylines in his writings, and that most of them were established before most of the events of WWII took place. He wrote about it in the forward of later editions to the Fellowship of the Ring, conceding that while no artist can deny being influenced by their surroundings, LotR is not meant to be a metaphor or analogy for anything, going so far as to say he prefers stories to be just stories.
The US was heavily involved in both sides of the wars in Europe and Asia prior to their official entrance. They weren't slow or inefficient. They were simply reluctant to actively mobilize a trans-oceanic invasion.
The US was also not a forest of walking talking trees. Explain that one! You can't!
Probably the best case for the analogy was how powerful the American military was on making landfall at Normandy.
It's the "too democratic so they are slow and argue a lot" metaphor that breaks down.
Spreading misinformation is not kosher.
It. Is. Not. Supposed. To. Be. A. Perfect. Analogy.
It's not even a good analogy.
Well, that's fine. Why don't you write an internationally beloved fantasy epic with a better one?
Because The Poppy War already exists.
God please tell me this is sarcasm