What the right gets wrong about Tolkien

关于托尔金,右翼所犯的错误

Today, Explained

2025-09-13

25 分钟
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Many far-right conservatives think The Lord of the Rings is about them. They may love Tolkien, but it's very possible Tolkien would not have loved them back. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen with help from Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King. Ian McKellen as Gandalf with Elijah Wood as Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Photo by New Line/WireImage. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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  • 24 years ago, a nation on edge after the attacks of September 11th went to the movies.

  • To watch The Fellowship of the Ring.

  • Americans saw themselves in J.R.R.

  • Tolkien's tale of good and evil and hobbits.

  • And why not?

  • of good guys and good elves and good dwarves trying to restore peace to the world by destroying the one ring.

  • Americans love and love to be the good guys.

  • Then in the great political upheaval of the last decade or so,

  • some people on the right claimed the mantle of the Lord of the Rings as their own.

  • But did they misunderstand the message?

  • Coming up on Today Explained from Vox,

  • why those books and those movies still resonate in a nation still on edge?

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