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<\/a>By Radical Rhymes<\/strong><\/p>\nYesterday I put up a survey on Twitter asking people to nominate the character Trump best represents in the Tolkien universe, more specifically, Lord of the Rings. I gave them three set choices:<\/p>\n
Sauron<\/strong><\/em> My own preference was the Mouth of Sauron, largely because he is just a mouthpiece for Putin. A weak, subservient individual full of pomposity, but lacking any real power. A pathetic cipher.<\/p>\n I also presented an \u2018other please specify\u2019 option which produced some brilliant suggestions. Grima Wormtongue was a solid alternative, given his sly approach and ability to befuddle suggestible people, as was the duplicitous Bill Ferny. A very popular choice was Gollum. I like that one very much having drawn Trump as Gollum in the past. And you can see Fred Trump as Sauron with his sociopathic neglect then championing of Donald creating the slippery, murderous creature sliding around in the darkness.<\/p>\n However, my favorite, and the drawing attached to this article, was the Great Goblin. Okay, he\u2019s a Hobbit character, I know, but think about it – sitting in his underground empire, lording it over a corrupt and primitive society, he exists merely through the tolerance of Sauron, under a sinister mountain which could readily double as an eyesore of a tower. What\u2019s more, he looks like the movie depiction of the Great Goblin… that\u2019s why I just had to draw him.<\/p>\n Then I got to thinking, how do fans of the three most popular franchises in movie history \u2013 Harry Potter, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings \u2013 that also support Trump square those two things. I mean, having had a few exchanges with MAGA people on social media, I understand that most have little familiarity with political theory. Few I\u2019ve spoken to have read any theorists they claim to support. They develop their ideas third hand or from Fox Spews, but that is probably true of many progressives also. Love and compassion can spring from intuitive sensibility of course, not simply from education or intellectual endeavour.<\/p>\n But wait…<\/p>\n Surely, rightist values can be intuitive too. Fear, anger, hatred they are feelings from the guts, right? I accept that. They are. But when we go back to the popular cultural references I mentioned, how can they fail to see themselves in the evil that\u2019s done, in the horror of the Sith, or in the Death Eaters, or in the malice and darkness of Sauron?<\/p>\n Think about it for a moment. These people sit and watch Voldemort torture and kill, create a following based on hatred and discrimination, and, presumably, still want Harry to prevail? You don\u2019t see Dumbledore attacking minorities, spitting and roaring and trying to form his own dastardly movement. Not only is he apparently gay, but he promotes, tolerance and love (leave aside, for the moment, whether his creator, embodies these traits).<\/p>\n Similarly, Gandalf doesn\u2019t detest Hobbits for being different, he doesn\u2019t demand that they present documentation as they cross borders, he doesn\u2019t want to build a wall. Aragorn loves an elf, a woman from an entirely different species, and he eventually makes a wise and gentle king, with no desire to exterminate other cultures. Then there\u2019s the Hobbits who collectively return to a modest and peaceful life in the Shire, where family, horticulture, eating, drinking and being merry are considered the height of lived experience.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to belabour the point, but it puzzles me. Obviously, some MAGAts don\u2019t watch these films\/movies, others probably don\u2019t like them, but for those that do, HOW, I mean HOW do they square this circle? They are the Sith, they are the Death Eaters, they are Followers of Sauron!<\/p>\n As Yoda so wisely states: \u2018Fear is the path to the dark side… Fear leads to anger… anger leads to hate… hate leads to suffering.\u2019<\/p>\n That\u2019s what I see in Trump and the cult he\u2019s created. One day I hope they really read and watch these franchises properly and finally see the truth….<\/p>\n Radical Rhymes is a professional artist working with a range of media – predominantly animal\/human portraits and landscapes – including, most recently, hand painted furniture. You can see his work on Instagram Radicalrhymes1969 or on Twitter @RhymesRadical.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
\nSaruman<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe Mouth of Sauron<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n