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Originally posted by: Rebel Scumb
Its very male, and in many ways very homoerotic (see also the wonderful Master and Commander) But something I didn't count on was that women would swoon over Aragorn and Legolas the way they have. Infact its been my observation that in many instances the female fans now outnumber the male ones.
I think actually the main problem (and this could not really be helped while remaining true to the source material) is that there are no characters of colour or any real diverse ethnicity. There isn't much appeal for black audiences, its a very white story filled with very white characters. Though I'm glad the at PJ managed to keep in the Easterlings and Southerns while managing to move far enough away from the Asian and Arab stereotypes which they obviously are meant to be in the books.
Both very valid points, and both products of Tolkien's upbringing. My parents were both born and raised in post-WWII England, when the education system that taught Tolkien was still very much in place. Racism at the time was very casual, and the sexes were almost always segregated for educational purposes, except for those who couldn't afford it and were taught in a lesser manner.