Is anyone else really angry that Amazon has the rights to LOTR?
Content warning: mentions of genocide, slavery, and sexual assault.
A lot of people have expressed concerns that Amazon’s LOTR TV show will be bad, which I understand, but this is about something else which I haven’t seen any discussion of online. The show could be good—although I doubt it will be—and I will still be angry that Amazon is making it.
Amazon profits from the forced labor of Uighurs in China and has ties to a Chinese company that is directly involved in the Chinese Government’s ongoing genocide against the Uighur people (ASPI,LA Times).
Amazon treats its employees like slaves, forcing them to work in unsafe conditions, paying them poverty wages, preventing them from unionizing, and surveilling them around the clock (The Guardian,New York Times).
Amazon has supplied facial recognition technology to US law enforcement and helps ICE and the Department of Homeland Security track and lock up immigrants (ACLU, The Guardian).
Amazon has a huge carbon footprint that has been growing every year, along with the waste it generates, even as Amazon tries to portray itself as environmentally friendly (AP News,CNBC,Forbes).
Amazon has paid a fraction of the taxes that it should have paid over the past ten years, allowing it to become even richer and more powerful (The Guardian).
Amazon has done so many terrible things that it would take me too long to list them all.
Online discussions about the LOTR show, from what I have seen, have focused on whether or not it will be good, whether or not it will follow canon, whether or not it will have a diverse cast, and to some degree, concerns that it will be like Game of Thrones, with tasteless sex scenes and gratuitous violence. I understand why many Tolkien fans care about these things, and I do, too. We want the source material portrayed respectfully; we want a diverse cast; we don’t want an adaptation of Tolkien that feels like Game of Thrones. But since Amazon is making it, I think focusing on these issues risks losing sight of the bigger picture.
Even if the show is diverse—as many fans have been hoping—Amazon is still harming people of color in real life. Even if the show has beautiful visuals—and it probably will, since it’s being filmed in New Zealand—Amazon is still destroying the earth. Even if the show respects fans’ wishes and refrains from gratuitous sex scenes, Amazon is still helping the US Government lock up immigrants, many of whom are sexually assaulted by guards while in custody (Texas Tribune,New York Times).Even if the show follows LOTR canon, Amazon represents things that Tolkien and his heroes fundamentally opposed: cruelty, violence, destruction, and the acquisition of power to dominate and control others.
When the show comes out, there will be articles about whether it follows canon; articles about how fans are reacting to it; articles making predictions about the plot. There will be controversy about this or that writing choice. Some people will be upset that it’s not diverse enough; racists will be upset that there’s any diversity at all. People will talk about what they liked about the show and what could have been done better. And Amazon wants this. Because these headlines—even if negative—will distract from everything else Amazon is doing.
Amazon wants to use the popularity of LOTR—the nostalgia of it, the comfort of it, the fact that so many people all over the world love Middle-earth—not just to make money, but to make you forget what Amazon is. Don’t we all want to let our imaginations take us back to Middle-earth, just for a little while, and forget about the real world’s problems? Amazon’s LOTR show will let you do that. And no doubt some people reading this are already thinking, “Why can’t you let people enjoy things?” Amazon is counting on you feeling that way. But real life is more important than fiction.
If you understand why the peoples of Middle-earth resisted Sauron, you should see that Amazon is the Sauron of our world: it enslaves, exploits, and dominates vulnerable people, it increases the power of the surveillance state, and it destroys nature, all with the goal of amassing even more power so it can destroy, control, and enslave. That may sound melodramatic, but Amazon invited the comparison by doing what it does. In fact, I find it absurd that Amazon has the rights to LOTR at all, when it is so obviously the villain of the story it is now adapting.
Amazon profits from genocide and slavery and the destruction of the environment, and I find it grotesque that this company now wants to profit off of Tolkien’s works, when he would have abhorred Amazon and everything that it stands for, and when the values at the heart of LOTR are diametrically opposed to everything Amazon does. I am furious that this company, with all the blood on its hands, is allowed to touch the works of my favorite author. And I am furious that Amazon is going to use LOTR as a shield from all the negative press it deserves for all of the issues that I listed above, and more.
It doesn’t matter if the LOTR show is “good” or “bad” because Amazon is evil. If you want to enjoy things, then reread the books or rewatch the movies. I will not give Amazon a single penny for their LOTR show and I hope you won’t either. I don’t know if boycotting it will make a difference—I just know that I hate Amazon and they don’t deserve the money or press they may get from LOTR. So we shouldn’t give it to them.
I posted this on July 27, shortly before Amazon released their promotional picture on August 2, and it’s been frustrating how the online conversation since then has been exactly what I predicted.
There have been breathless news headlines like “Finally, We Have a First Image From Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series” and “Lord of the Rings fans react to ‘gorgeous’ first-look image of new Amazon TV adaptation”. There have been an annoying number of articles “explaining” what’s in the promotional image and what it means for the content of the show—and these articles always imply that LOTR fans are unanimously excited to watch it, and that fans will be even happier if Amazon delves into The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales or parts of The History of Middle-earth.
Meanwhile, from what I have seen, fan conversations and posts about the show have mostly consisted of: 1) People saying how excited they are to watch it or posting memes about how excited they are to watch it. 2) People speculating about the plot and timeline, including what they want to see and don’t want to see. 3) People upset about Amazon’s decision to move filming from New Zealand to the UK.
I wish Tolkien fans wouldn’t buy into this. I’ve seen so many posts saying “I can’t wait to see [place]” or “I hope it will include [character]” or “I just want it to be good” and you know what? It honestly stuns me that any fan of Tolkien’s works would be happy or excited about this show. Where are your feelings of outrage? Amazon is responsible for a myriad of unforgivable things, and the fact that they want to create a TV show set in Middle-earth does not change that. The fact that Amazon has any rights to LOTR is an insult to Tolkien’s name. We should be calling for a boycott, not lapping up the next mediocre entertainment they try to sell us, not even “hoping” that it will be “good”.
And fans who are upset about filming being moved to the UK are also missing the point. Because within every expression of disappointment lies the assumption that if only Amazon were to continue filming in New Zealand, then everything would be fine.
All this hype about the LOTR TV show is a distraction. It’s good business for Amazon, even when they’re not directly making money, because it’s good press. Amazon has been under fire all year (not to mention last year) for preventing employees from unionizing, among other things. Amazon’s huge budget for the LOTR series—$1 billion dollars over five seasons—is only possible because of the degree to which they exploit their workers and avoid paying taxes. And that gigantic sum of money—as little a portion as it is, admittedly, of the entirety of the company’s wealth—looks even more grotesque when you remember the poverty in which many Amazon employees live.
Amazon would much rather you associate their name with something fun, like speculation over the plot of their TV show, than any of their crimes and abuses. So think about that next time you see the promotional image, or whatever Amazon releases next.
I also want to add that Amazon refused to pay medical bills for stuntpeople injured during the filming of this show, so even with regard to this production we already have labor rights violations and worker exploitation.
God, this puts everything I feel about this show into words. At this point I feel like Gale sitting alone in a field and refusing to watch the hunger games. Where is the outrage?
Things I never would have guessed from fandom osmosis before actually playing the Dragon Age games:
-Alistair is actually pretty smart, and has a lot of knoweledge to share about the topics he’s interested about.
He’s also not that shy, and flirts with a warden pretty smoothly, if a bit innocently for his lack of experience and general humorous persona.
And his primary motivator is revenge which is an interesting way to take a character like him.
-Zevran is the only character who actively searches for consent even in simple flirting like calling someone beautiful. If you tell him to stop he never makes a mention again.
He’s also one of the most loyal and sentimental companions you can have. He cares a lot, want to admit it or not.
-Merrill is one of the most educated and smart characters on the series, she takes calculated risks based on her own studies and research, and the only reasons she fails is because nobody trusts her and refuses to treat her like an adult.
Part of it is also the game refusing to frame her as anything but a naive child when she’s anything but.
-Isabela has the most emotional intelligence out of all the characters in DA2, she knows exactly what they’re feeling and what they need to hear at all times. It’s clear that she’s wise and worldly, and just needs time to build confidence between her and the others because she’s been hurt a lot and her respect is gained.
-Fenris has an amazing sense of humor and you can find him consistently laughing at both Hawke’s and companions he likes silly jokes. He’s just really deadpan when delivering his own jokes.
He’s also considerably patient and doesn’t lose his temper unless confronted with people who have actively abused him.
-Anders spent SEVEN YEARS protesting peacfully, and it took the risk of genocide on his people to reach the desperation of act 3.
-Dorian is incredibly reserved. He tries to avoid talking about his life with a veil of humor and sarcasm, but he’s specially guarded around his sexuality and love life. He only comes out to the Inquisitor in a moment of fury to piss of his father and he may have not done so if not pressed.
If in a romance with Bull the only reason the others find out is because Bull exposes it in front of everyone (I wish they would have find out a better way to let the player find out than Bull ignoring Dorian’s wishes of privacy)
If romanced by the Inquisitor he’s in his first real relationship and it shows, he’s lost most of the time but tries to hide it by acting cocky. It’s really funny.
He’s also a huge nerd, I wasn’t expecting that but I was pleasantly surprised.
-The Iron Bull it’s not just smart, he’s so caring, he shows you around so you can meet the people, the ones nobody cares about, he introduces you to them.
-Sera also goes to the pile of characters who are really smart and nobody gives them credit for it. She says it herself, she’s just really bad with words, but as long as you try to understand her she makes a lot of sense.
The game just gives you no other option than to treat her horribly, which I sense a pattern of framing the neurodivergent coded characters in a certain light with Merrill and Anders.
-Vivienne is the only one (with Dorian) that asks the Inquisitor if they’re okay after Haven, and gives beautiful words of afirmation.
She’s really affable if you bother to befriend her.
Normally I wouldn’t do this because this book is so not 101, and is probably immensely traumatizing* if you haven’t already desensitized yourself, but if you want any kind of background/deep back story on this war I HIGHLY recommend Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin by Timothy Snyder.
*it opens with Ukrainian toddlers cannibalizing each other during the Holodomor and only gets less chill from there.
The photos of Armin T. Wegner capture the bleak struggle to survive facing Armeniandeportees. As a second-lieutenant in the German army stationed in the Ottoman empire in April 1915, Wegner took the initiative to investigate reports of Armenian massacres. Disobeying orders intended to stifle news of the massacres, he collected information on the genocide and took hundreds of photographs of Armenian deportation camps, primarily in the Syrian desert.
Wegner was eventually arrested, but not before he had succeeded in channeling a portion of his research material to Germany and the United States through clandestine mail routes. When he was transferred to Constantinople in November 1916, he secretly took with him photographic plates of images he and other German officers recorded.
Photographs in order of appearance by Armin T. Wegner.
1. 1915, Armenian deportees living in the open desert under makeshift tents. Central figure with long black robe and cap is an Armenian priest, probably performing burial rites for the dead a three men behind are kneeling while others are standing next to and behind the priest. Clothing of some deportees is already worn to rags. Location: Ottoman empire.
2. 1915-1916 Abandoned and murdered small children of the (Armenian) deportees, Three are dead including stripped boy in gutter. Location: Ottoman empire.
3. 1915-1916, murdered Armenian male adult lying in a ditch as children watch the corpse. Location: Ottoman empire.
4. 1916, Scattered deportees in a desert wasteland, individually foraging as their only source of food. There is no shelter, water, or habitation in sight. Location: Ottoman empire
We have all (rightly) condemned Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Any decent person should. We have also seen how an occupier will use resistance to their invasion as a justification for further violence. It’s a pattern we should all be able to recognize now.
I say this because twice this week, Israeli planes have dropped bombs on Gaza. We can all thank the US government, among others, for making this possible through extensive weapons sales and monetary gifts to Israel.
Defenders of the occupiers will tell you that it is only because rockets were fired out of Gaza first. Five rockets, their only effect being slight damage to a house. Do not let anyone tell you this somehow justifies bombing a refugee camp in Gaza. They’ll talk about the Palestinian man who murdered three people and wounded 16 others earlier in April, and the 11 Israelis killed by Palestinians earlier in the year.
Such defenders probably won’t want to talk about Israeli police desecrating al-Aqsa mosque with tear gas, rubber bullets, and some live rounds, injuring 158 people gathered for worship during Ramadan. They hindered the arrival of paramedics and arrested at least 300 people. That’s to say nothing of the many other examples of Israeli violence earlier in April, in March, They won’t talk about the 28 Palestinians killed throughout 2022, including mothersand children. They will say nothing of Palestiniansunlawfully evicted from their homes, or of the homes they demolished.
Condemn Russia. Condemn its killing of civilians, its destruction of cities and homes, and the violence it brings against domestic protesters. Take all of that in and realize that the nightmare Ukrainians have been living with for the last month is what most Palestinians have experienced for their entire lives. For generations.
And if you’re an American like me, understand that our government gleefully enables this.
29/5/22 Adnan is going to be covering in arabic and english from mainly Muna El Kurd’s account to be able to reach a wider audience. Settlers just attacked his home and pointed a riffle at his brother’s face. Interact with the content as it was being censored yesterday.
Alaa Shaath will be covering from Ghazzah (in arabic)
Quick context from Yazan in case someone needs it. Keep up with our people in Palestine today and every day.
Tepetochtli☀︎︎ (HE/HIM) At mariachigoth From TikTok
20, he/him, Nahua & (Reconnecting)-Úza Two-Spirit Trans Man
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Video Caption & Creator’s pinned comments:
This is all very calculated and carefully planned on their end. We need to be miles ahead of them. #ICWA #reproductiverights #roevwade #IndianChildWelfareAct #Indigenous #indigenoustiktok #native #nativetiktok #reproductivejustice
Info From Threads:
[What can we do to support?] 1) Donate directly to indigenous families’ crowdfunding efforts. 2) show up and show out, protest with and for us.
Links that were brought up by the creator & some commentors as of 2022 June 25 21:57 Central Time. [trans-advice is using wayback archive versions]
Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade, they have their sights on the Indian Child Welfare Act as soon as next month. The Indian Child Welfare Act (“ICWA”, for short), is an act that prevents native children from being ripped away from Indigenous communities, and homes, and families, and place them to white families.
The ICWA keeps the jurisdiction of Welfare of children within respective tribes. It is not a coincidence they’ve overturned Roe v Wade, and now have their sights on the ICWA.
You can pause to read, but it says one of the reasons for overturning Roe was because “the domestic supply of infants” was too low for families wanting to adopt.
(Screenshot: Footnote 46: See, e.g. CDC, Adoption Experiences of Women and Men and Demand for Children To Adopt by Women 18-44 Years of Age in the United States 16 (Aug 2008). [emphasized with yellow highlight by mariachigoth]: (“[N]early 1 million women were seeking to adopt children in 2002 (i.e. they were in demand for a child), whereas the domestic supply of infants relinquished at birth or within the first month of live and available to be adopted had become virtually nonexistent”); [End emphasis] CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, Adoption and Nonbiological Parenting, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg/key_statistics/a-keystat.htm#adoption (showing that approximately 3.1 million women between the ages of 18-49 had ever “[t]aken steps to adopt a child” based on data collected from 2015-2019).
White adoptive families very often treat their adoptive native children as commodities, as accessories, as something that will benefit them. They cut cultural ties, and they assimilate them. Not only will this be encroaching on tribal sovereignty, but it also means that indigenous children will be ripped away from their families, from their communities, from their cultures, in order to be placed in white homes. It is an ongoing act of genocide.
