Fan vs. Fanatic
Chad G.

It is good to be a fan. Without a fan-base, Tolkien's work would not have even half the posterity it has today. I consider myself a big fan, and I consider the majority of people here fans also.

As fans, we appreciate Tokien's work, but no that it's not Holy Gospel straight from the mouth of Iluvatar. We know that there are some concessions that need to be made for the movie to work. We know that there are some small character and sub-plots that may seem out of place in the movies, even though they may work in the novels. We know that some things need to be cut due to time constraints, though some of us may be unhappy about Bombadil being cut. We know that some characters may need expanding, but some of us may be unhappy with the way in which Arwen is being expanded. We are realistic about the movies, and are generally positive about how they're turning out.

Unfortunately, there are some people here who've made that tragic step from fan to fanatic. They regard Tolkien's word as immutable, and have already judged the movies before they even know much about them, let alone have seen them. Many of them also need to get lives and stop taking everything so seriously. Thomas S (author of "Lord of the Fakes", an "essay" so rambling and unfocussed I'm surprised the administrators posted it at all) is certainly one of these.

Thomas S, and all the other fanatics out there, please note that fanatic is a combination of the words "fan" and "lunatic". Is this really what you want to be?