June 1, 2002

Frodo's Bravery and Offended People
Kailam

2 things:

First, I wanted to comment on how Frodo was portrayed in the movie. Some people have been saying that he was made out to be a wuss in the movie, citing examples such as him falling over and dropping his sword when approached by the wraiths at Weathertop. Granted, Frodo's actions in the movie were not as brave and strong as they were in the book. However I NEVER saw Frodo as a wuss in this movie. Instead I saw him as... well, a Hobbit! This is a guy who has lived a sheltered and peaceful life in the Shire, who has never seen the true evils and horrors of the world. I was impressed merely by the fact that he was willing to take on the burden of the ring, take it to some distant place, knowing that a great evil would be hunting him, bent on his destruction. In fact, there were many places in the movie where Frodo's bravery shone through. Maybe not as many as were in the book, but we must remember that Frodo is just a Hobbit. It's okay for him to get overwhelmed once in a while, and maybe even fall over and drop his sword!! I mean, come on, give the guy a break! The fact that he stood against the wraiths in the book, in my opinion (though I'm sure no one agrees), may indeed make him seem incredibly brave, but also makes his character a little less believable. Were I in Frodo's shoes, I would have taken the time to thouroughly wey my pants before passing out in terror. I think Frodo reacted just fine in the movie.

Meanwhile, since everyone in this forum has suddenly gotten TERRIBLY offended, and in the process have offended me, I thought I'd throw my two cents in. Back in the days when I had even less of a life than I do now, I would spend countless hours in internet chat rooms. With so many personalities sharing their thoughts and feelings about anything and everything, there were bound to be times when people got offended. In that environment I saw and was a part of countless squabblings and arguments about any number of things. I expected it. Here, however, it just doesn't seem right. This forum is here to allow us to express our views and opinions openly and without judgement. That turns out to be an oxymoron, because if you're not allowed to attack people, you aren't being allowed to express your opinions openly and freely. But I think what we all want the same thing here: an avenue to get our thoughts and ideas and complaints about the LOTR movie out there in the open and let others know what we're thinking. No one wants to be offended or told what they can and can't say, or how they should say it. That being said, I would propose (as merely a proposition, mind you, not a demand) that we just bring our thoughts about Lord of the Rings to this forum, have some tolerance, refrain from criticizing, attacking, or belittling others, and leave the personal battles in the chat rooms. If you are offended by something that someone has said, or you feel you have been attacked, why not take it up with the forum admins? (I don't know who the forum admins are - if they have been participating in the arguments, then I suppose this is a moot point) Hopefully with some rationality and tolerance we can get back to just expressing our thoughts and views and keep the offending to a minimum. And if you wish to reply to this with "screw you, hippy!" then I can't say I blame you, I've just thrown out a suggestion. Thank you for your time!