Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. This one is just bleak for me–it just expresses how I sometimes feel.įrodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. Honestly the waves of cruelty in the constant news updates often feels overwhelming, and I don’t know if the continuation of this scene offers sufficient inspiration. Or at the racist rhetoric inspiring actual hate-crimes, and the administration’s silence in condemning that violence. But he might just as easily be talking about the policies and legislation being pushed by conservatives in power, targeting Muslims, LGBTQ people, poor people, or undocumented people as less than human. What can men do against such reckless hate?” Theoden’s talking about the viscous, never-ending onslaught of Sauruman’s Uruk-hai army that has been mercilessly decimating his soldiers and their elf warrior allies all night. (Looking at you, 81% of White Evangelicals.) I’m also empathizing with Gandalf in this scene more than I used to, because I now know the pain of betrayal and disappointment when someone you considered a mentor goes against the values they helped instill in you, and becomes an evil overlord’s henchman. (P.S., I have another clip for the people in the White House communications office who keep making ridiculous defenses for the indefensible things their boss says.)
But I think it is safe to say he is equally self-serving and that attempting to ride his coattails is indeed abandoning reason for madness. “There is only one Lord of the Rings, and he does not share power.” I’m not saying Trump is Sauron. Their logic is exactly the same as Saruman’s–he is too powerful to resist! We must align with him to preserve our own positions of power! But as Gandalf later states, this is a fruitless effort. Or to any leaders who advocate for his malicious agenda. “When did Saruman the Wise abandon reason for madness?” This is what I say to the Congressional representatives who won’t stand up to Trump, even when he tweets complete nonsense. Here are the moments from The Lord of the Rings that I am comforting/inspiring/steeling myself with these days. We’re still only a few weeks into the Trump Presidency, but it’s already been a very turbulent ride, and its not too soon to be able to tell that even darker times lie ahead.
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