October 16, 2003

Re: Not Fair, and My Choice for Race
Danny

Your quandry in Alaska is another example of how I am not pleased with New Line in the way they are making the movies available to their fans. If they were all about making the most money possible, they would make the marathon available to every fan who is willing to pay for it, or at least make it a lot more available than they have. To say that their limiting the marathon to 99 theaters and only one showing in each is a ploy to get money doesn't make sense. It unneccesarily robs devoted fans who would give them money of the chance to do so. It is just as unfortunate that they don't do the marathon more widely. Ideally it would have been made available not just in the US but in Canada and Europe at least. All it would do is be another draw to buy tickets to the final film wherever it was made available.

As far as race is concerned, I think I would be unoriginal and stay with the race of men. Elves, men and hobbits all have their appeals in my mind. Dwarves are fun, but I don't think I would be interested in being a dwarf. Women having beards scares me (at least according to the movie, but I vaguely remember that being true to Tolkien's writings but can't remember where.) I have always loved the beauty and wisdom the elves have and immortality would be nice, but I have beleive there is a lot to look forward to beyond this life (don't worry, I don't have any desire to kick the can any time soon.) To me death is part of the experience of life when it comes, and I appreciate life more knowing that it could end any time. So I agree with Tolkien's writing in Silmarillion that death was a gift granted to men but evil tainted man's perception of the gift and made it fearful. So there is a lot for elves that I like, but I think life is more rich because we appreciate the time we have.

I love hobbits and their down to earth attitude, but I also have a love of expanding my horizons and learning that is generally not encouraged ammong the shire folk. I would rather not live in a community where I was thought to be cracked because I traveled or taught my nephew to read. So there are a lot of nice things about Hobbits, but I think I would pass on that also.

So call me unoriginal, but yes I would stay a man. In LOTR, Men are free to live a simple life but not looked down uppon if they seek to expand their horizons and learn about things beyond their borders. Men have both great cities like Minas Tirth and beautiful countryside like Ithilien. Not to mention somewhat in LOTR and especially afterwards, men are the key movers of events who have the greatest potential to form the world and make it a better world. Not to say that hobbits, elves or dwarves don't have a tremendous impact, just that the race of men is where the focus of the conflict was. So I am of the race of men and always will be.