Why Tolkien Fans are Like Furries
I may have covered this before. I don't know if I've ever drawn this parallel before, though. I think I just thought of it, in my insomniac state.
Have you ever noticed that the very (beg pardon) rabid proponents of furrydom tend not to accept that someone doesn't like furries? If you say it's not your thing, you get asked "Well... did you try it?" and then it leads to "But ... what did you try? What did they do?" And if they can find no fault with your description of the experience itself, they resort to "Well... you must not have been truly open-minded when you tried it." ... because everybody has to love furries, according to them.
Just like everyone has to love Tolkien if they enjoy fantasy. Yes, I went there.
Note that I'm generalising Tolkien fans in the same way I generalise furries. There are, of course, perfectly reasonable furries and Tolkien fans that are willing to accept that their fandom is just not your bag. And to these people, I say thank you. But these ones, of course, don't stand out. No, it's the troublemakers that stick in the mind. The people that insist that you must not have grasped the intricacies of the beautific plot well enough. That you must not have watched the movies in the right frame of mind. You must have been too young, or too close-minded, or possibly just too stupid. Lemme tell ya, guys... I have read ancient epics that are less dry than the writing of Tolkien. And I have had my intelligence insulted because I do not like Tolkien. As if this is going to make me more inclined to read the books. Again.
Honestly, I wish some people would get it through their heads. Some people just ... don't like Tolkien.
Have you ever noticed that the very (beg pardon) rabid proponents of furrydom tend not to accept that someone doesn't like furries? If you say it's not your thing, you get asked "Well... did you try it?" and then it leads to "But ... what did you try? What did they do?" And if they can find no fault with your description of the experience itself, they resort to "Well... you must not have been truly open-minded when you tried it." ... because everybody has to love furries, according to them.
Just like everyone has to love Tolkien if they enjoy fantasy. Yes, I went there.
Note that I'm generalising Tolkien fans in the same way I generalise furries. There are, of course, perfectly reasonable furries and Tolkien fans that are willing to accept that their fandom is just not your bag. And to these people, I say thank you. But these ones, of course, don't stand out. No, it's the troublemakers that stick in the mind. The people that insist that you must not have grasped the intricacies of the beautific plot well enough. That you must not have watched the movies in the right frame of mind. You must have been too young, or too close-minded, or possibly just too stupid. Lemme tell ya, guys... I have read ancient epics that are less dry than the writing of Tolkien. And I have had my intelligence insulted because I do not like Tolkien. As if this is going to make me more inclined to read the books. Again.
Honestly, I wish some people would get it through their heads. Some people just ... don't like Tolkien.