Perhaps the most predictable thing about the new Amazon Prime show The Rings of Power was how mixed the initial reactions were. As someone who’s read The Lord of the Rings multiple times, enjoys annual revisits of Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy, and spent long hours poring over the novel’s appendices as a teenager,
> black people as they are the most culturally prominent racial minority in the US/UK
Maybe in the US, but I thought in the UK "Asians" (meaning South Asians) were more prominent.
I disagree that if a person in London is black it's because of slavery. There's been a lot of immigration directly from Africa (even if the West Indies provided the first such wave), which isn't that odd if you remember that the UK colonized a decent amount of Africa, including the most populous country on the west coast of that continent. You might notice that the names (particularly surnames) of black UK actors tend to be less Anglo than African-Americans actors, and this reflects that greater portion of recent African immigrants.
South Asians are perhaps more well-established in English society, but in terms of the culture black people are much more influential. If you look at British television almost every ad features a black person. South Asians are invisible by comparison. In terms of the arts--actors, musicians--again, South Asians are dwarfed by people of African ancestry.
I take your point about recent immigration, but I think my point still stands; such mass immigration could only be possible in a world of empire, modern transportation, and the kind of economic systems that are absent in Middle-earth.
> black people as they are the most culturally prominent racial minority in the US/UK
Maybe in the US, but I thought in the UK "Asians" (meaning South Asians) were more prominent.
I disagree that if a person in London is black it's because of slavery. There's been a lot of immigration directly from Africa (even if the West Indies provided the first such wave), which isn't that odd if you remember that the UK colonized a decent amount of Africa, including the most populous country on the west coast of that continent. You might notice that the names (particularly surnames) of black UK actors tend to be less Anglo than African-Americans actors, and this reflects that greater portion of recent African immigrants.
South Asians are perhaps more well-established in English society, but in terms of the culture black people are much more influential. If you look at British television almost every ad features a black person. South Asians are invisible by comparison. In terms of the arts--actors, musicians--again, South Asians are dwarfed by people of African ancestry.
I take your point about recent immigration, but I think my point still stands; such mass immigration could only be possible in a world of empire, modern transportation, and the kind of economic systems that are absent in Middle-earth.