J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, is one of the cultural icons of our times. Loved equally much by readers and viewers on both the left and the right, it has captured the imagination of generations.
However, despite its universal appeal, it is filled with political undercurrents. Progressives often see it as an epic story of the success of multiculturalism.
Racial Harmony
It is not hard to see why. The story is about a group of individuals from different races – hobbits, humans, elves and dwarfs – who work together in a fellowship to destroy the powerful ring of the evil Sauron.
While there are racial tensions, distrust, and betrayal, in the end, they fight side by side, united by a common enemy. As such, it fits into the theme of many fantasy and sci-fi series.
Homelands
However, despite the progressive theme of unity and cross-racial harmony set in Middle Earth, something does not quite fit the multicultural bill. First, all the races live separately in different nations that are ethnically and culturally homogenous. Hobbits live in the Shire, Elves live in forest cities like Rivendell, and so on.
Although not an explicit topic, there are no open borders in Middle Earth. There are no immigration offices, but in general you are not welcome in Iron Hills if you are not a dwarf. The wizard Gandalf arrives on a tourist visa in the Shire, to visit his Hobbit friends, but all understand that this is not his homeland. He is expected to eventually leave.
Two False Alternatives
Once noticed, this pattern cannot be unseen. However, it escapes most people because it does not fit the two false alternatives from which they tell us we must choose. The first is racism, ghettos, hatred, xenophobia, Jim Crow laws, and holocausts. The other is blissful multiculturalism, where everyone unites in ethnic harmony, a glorious melting pot where no-one cares about such anachronisms as race, religion, or ethnic background.
In the real world, attempts at making a multicultural society tend to end up closer to the first alternative. We are an incredibly individualistic species, but we are still social. The truth is that all humans are, in part, tribal. Trying to force people out of that against their will makes them feel alienated, scared, and vulnerable.
Ethnopluralism
The Lord of the Rings outlines a third alternative to racial and ethnic harmony – one which recognizes the tribal nature of humans. People tend to want to live with others like themselves. They seek racial, ethnic, political, and religious homogeneity.
That is why nearly every major city in the western world has a Chinatown with ethnic Chinese who speak and live as if they were in their homeland. That is why in Europe you find Muslim enclaves that enforce Sharia law in a parallel society. That is why you find hordes of Scandinavian Americans in the states near the border of Canada, in rural areas with cold winters.
This ethnic clustering happens naturally, and when done properly, a strange kind of racial harmony can emerge. Ethnic tensions tend to disappear if people feel that they have a homeland for their tribe, a place where their way of life is safe from intruders. Such a model of ethnic diversity is known as ethnopluralism and is not part of the mainstream political discussion because the multiculturalists want bigotry, racism, etc. to be the only alternative to their view.
Federal Roots
Consider an example: Do the white conservatives in “flyover land” really care that there are lots of Mexicans living out in California? Not at all. Their only concern is that many of these Mexicans vote Democrat, who tax conservatives to death and want to take away their guns.
Thus, if you sever the ability of people in one state from interfering with people in another state, all the tensions should disappear. But wait! We already have a system for that. It’s called federalism, the system upon which the United States was founded.
If the ethnopluralistic model of The Lord of the Rings is correct, all we need to do to reduce polarization in society is to return to our federal roots.
If the ethnopluralistic model of The Lord of the Rings is correct, all we need to do to reduce polarization in society is to return to our federal roots.
