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According to the comments on this question, there may have been racism in Middle-earth. Was there? If so, was it rampant or isolated?

Please note that I am asking about in-universe racism, not racism displayed (or not displayed) by Tolkien or by filmmakers.

This is a different question from:

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atk
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It might be better to call it "speciesism". But it was clearly a constant theme, at least in the first book, and to a lesser extent in the films. In the movies, elves and dwarves clearly hate each other. Gimli complains about the elf Haldir's frosty reception, and says "I spit on your grave" in Dwarvish, for which Aragorn scolds him. In the book Fellowship of the Ring, it is more widespread.

Gandalf, says, albeit affectionately:

Ever since Bilbo left, I have been deeply concerned about you, and about all these charming, absurd, helpless hobbits. It would be a grievous blow to the world, if the Dark Power overcame the Shire; if all your kind, jolly, stupid Bolgers, Hornblowers, Boffins, Bracegirdles, and the rest, not to mention the ridiculous Bagginses, became enslaved.

He also routinely seems surprised that Frodo isn't a wimp.

The elf Gildor initially doesn't want Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin to join his group, because:

We have no need of other company, and hobbits are so dull.

Elves seem to show condescension towards men and hobbits in general, treating them like children. The elf Lindir of Rivendell thinks so little of hobbits and men that he can't tell the difference between them -

It is not easy for us to tell the difference between two mortals.

When Bilbo takes exception to this, Lindir says

To sheep, other sheep no doubt appear different

but to elves all mortals - not just individual mortals, but different species of mortals - are essentially indistinguishable from one another.

Mortals have not been our study. We have other business.

When Frodo wakes up in Rivendell, he tells Gandalf that he has grown fond of Strider, and continues:

I didn't know that any of the Big People were like that. I thought, well, that they were just big, and rather stupid: kind and stupid like Butterbur; or stupid and wicked like Bill Ferny.

At the dinner in Rivendell honoring Frodo, the dwarf Glóin says the humans in Dale are friendlier to dwarves than men anywhere else, but even the men of Dale

are not over fond of dwarves.

Of course, everyone despises orcs, trolls, and goblins. Humans tend to show condescension towards hobbits, and jealous contempt towards elves. And the exiled Rohirrim are obviously shocked to see a man, a dwarf, and an elf together, and suspicious of their intentions and reasons for being in Rohan.

There is actually a page on Tolkien Gateway titled "Racism in Tolkien's Works", where I found many relevant tidbits:

The dwarves of course are quite obviously - wouldn't you say that in many ways they remind you of the Jews? Their words are Semitic obviously, constructed to be Semitic.

― J.R.R. Tolkien

What negative stereotypes apply to real world Jews and Tolkien's Dwarves? One need look no further than Elrond's comment at the council:

Who will you look to when we've gone? The Dwarves? They toil away in caverns, seeking riches. They care nothing for the troubles of others.

So Dwarves care only about material wealth - a common slur leveled at Jews by antisemites for centuries.

Also:

Racism in Middle-earth

Tolkien portrays racism within the "heroic" races as unabashedly negative. Elves and Dwarves distrust each other. Some Elves hunted the Petty-dwarves as animals, as did the Rohirrim to the Woses. The friendship between Legolas and Gimli is portrayed as unusual but commendable, and several scenes illustrate them learning to understand and respect each other's cultural differences. When Gimli takes a strand of Galadriel's hair, he is described as having "look[ed] into the heart of an enemy and saw there love and understanding."

It is notable that there is apparently racism within the ranks of Orcs as the Uruk-hai held themselves as superior to the common Orcs, whom they called snaga (slave).

The point-of-view characters of the book -- the hobbits -- are themselves of a race that is frequently described as being overlooked, under-estimated, and lightly regarded by the other races of Middle-earth, yet they often demonstrate far greater courage and nobility than the races who denigrate them. They are not without prejudice, however, and Gandalf is shown reprimanding Frodo for his comments on Barliman Butterbur.

The Númenóreans of Gondor fell to infighting because of a supposed need for racial purity, especially concerning the ancestry of their king (the Kin-strife), and grew weaker as a result. In this affair, the villain was the pure-blooded Númenórean Castamir while the hero was the half-Númenórean Eldacar.

The "Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog" addresses this issue at length, and seems to summarize the answer very well:

Q: Is It True There is Racism in The Lord of the Rings?

ANSWER: Yes, it is true there is racism in The Lord of the Rings. However, many people who ask this question may really mean to ask, “Is The Lord of the Rings a racist work of fiction?” Although some people claim that is the case they are mistaken for J.R.R. Tolkien embedded numerous examples of the folly of racism in The Lord of the Rings. In other words, it would be difficult for any other modern work of fiction to be as anti-racist as The Lord of the Rings.

For more along these lines, see my answer to the question about whether the racism in Middle-earth was intentional on Tolkien's part.

Edit: It should be noted that Gandalf's obvious affection for hobbits does not make his statements less prejudiced. It merely designates his prejudice as "benevolent racism" or "benevolent prejudice". Such a thing exists, and is very common - some examples include "black people are good at basketball" and "Asians are good at math". Prejudiced statements said with affection, even when the statements are complimentary, are still prejudiced. It is easier to see this by way of analogy - imagine someone saying "I love black people; they are so absurd, helpless, ridiculous, stupid, and charming". If Gandalf had said this, no one would suggest that he wasn't racist, despite the affectionate terms mingled in with the offensive ones (and indeed, he uses all these words to describe hobbits). The same holds true for the elves who make racist remarks but otherwise show affection for the races in question.

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Wad Cheber
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    Gandalf was joking. Gildor was joking. Lindir was unable to distinguish between verse written by a hobbit and verse written by a man. – Ian Thompson May 05 '15 at 07:30
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    Are they really different species? At least some of them can reproduce with each other. Depending on that, some of the examples might be racism and other speciesism. In any case, that's hardly the most correlating fact - that would be "distrust to that which is different". They don't really care whether they hate someone they can reproduce with or not, do they? :D – Luaan May 05 '15 at 08:47
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    My memory is foggy, but as for actual racism, are the Haradrim not also in the books described generally in negative terms and as being ‘swarthy’, even though there’s little real interaction with them? @Luaan Lions and tigers can reproduce, as can donkeys and horses and many other heterospecific pairs. – Janus Bahs Jacquet May 05 '15 at 09:53
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    @IanThompson Not only that, but Frodo seems (both toward Gildor and toward Gandalf) to take the comment as a joke. As far as Lindir's comment: Perhaps it is true; if so, is it racist? – Matt Gutting May 05 '15 at 15:44
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    @Luaan - I struggled with that too - elves breeding with men and hobbits being a variation of men crossed my mind. But they are more different from one another than human "races", whatever that word means, and less different from one another than different species of primates. – Wad Cheber May 05 '15 at 19:51
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    @IanThompson - the context of Lindir's comment doesn't excuse his insistence that all mortals are as identical as sheep. And while Gandalf's comment was clearly affectionate, there is no evidence that either he or Gildor were joking. Affectionate racism is still racism. If Gandalf said black people are absurd and helpless, you probably wouldn't dream of defending him or trying to minimize his racism. – Wad Cheber May 05 '15 at 19:55
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    @WadCheber --- In your question, you wrote that Lindir could not distinguish men from hobbits. This is false, and shows that you need to read the book more carefully. Gandalf recognises the value of hobbits long before anyone else among the wise. He visits the Shire on many occasions and helps the hobbits to get through the Fell Winter. – Ian Thompson May 05 '15 at 23:07
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    @IanThompson - I didn't ask the question. And again, Lindir's comment is spurred by the poem, but he used that as an excuse to make a blanket statement about all mortals being as similar to one another as sheep. – Wad Cheber May 05 '15 at 23:12
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    @IanThompson - And As for Gandalf liking hobbits, so what? Lincoln liked black people, but he still suggested they are inherently inferior to white people. – Wad Cheber May 05 '15 at 23:14
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    @IanThompson See also: Benevolent prejudice – Wad Cheber May 05 '15 at 23:23
  • @MattGutting - yes, even if it is true in many cases, it is still racist. – Wad Cheber May 05 '15 at 23:28
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    @IanThompson I get the context, but as I read it, Lindir starts out commenting on a poem and then broadens the scope of the discussion to an overall assertion that different species of mortals are indistinguishable from one another. This seems to be a consensus view among elves. And the invitation to chat was an accident- I'm on my iPad and my finger slipped. – Wad Cheber May 05 '15 at 23:46
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    @MattGutting - there is an eerily appropriate analogy here - the common assertion that "All Asian people look alike". Even if the person who says this genuinely can't tell Asian people apart, making the statement true (in his/her opinion), it is still a racist remark. – Wad Cheber May 05 '15 at 23:55
  • I'd deny that the statement "It is not easy for us to tell the difference between mortals" is racist; and if it is, in fact, impossible for elves to tell the difference between two species of mortals, thorn how is it racist to point out that fact? – Matt Gutting May 05 '15 at 23:58
  • @MattGutting - Again, saying all Asians look alike is racist, whether or not you think it is true. And it is indeed a matter of opinion - Legolas never mistakes Boromir for Denethor, let alone Pippin. So clearly, not all elves have trouble telling one mortal from another. Imagine someone saying "Black people smell bad". Imagine further that this person is absolutely convinced that black people smell bad. Would you be willing to argue that the fact that this person genuinely believes what he says makes it any less racist for him to say it? – Wad Cheber May 06 '15 at 00:06
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    @MattGutting - And keep in mind who Lindir is talking about - Aragorn, who lived in Rivendell for years and who is part elf and heir to the throne of Gondor, and Bilbo, a 3 foot tall elf-friend who has spent lots of time in Rivendell as well. These aren't unremarkable nobodies, nor are they random strangers Lindir has never met before, and they don't resemble each other, even vaguely. They are extraordinary figures, both of whom he knows quite well, and who couldn't be more dissimilar in appearance. Even an Orc could tell them apart at first glance. – Wad Cheber May 06 '15 at 00:14
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    It's ironic how you never mention the blatant racism against orcs. Everybody kills them and feels good about it. – Raphael May 06 '15 at 06:55
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    @WadCheber --- I have no wish to be drawn into a tedious conversation about the precise definition of racism, or about the merits (or otherwise) of Abraham Lincoln. Anyone with the book can judge for themselves whether you are quoting Lindir out of context (the conversation occurs after the reading of Bilbo's verse in Many Meetings). As for the more prominent characters, I prefer to judge them by their actions. If you prefer to judge them by individual comments made in haste and under pressure (Eomer) or that can easily be interpreted as jokes (Gandalf, Gildor), then we must agree to differ. – Ian Thompson May 06 '15 at 11:27
  • @Raphael --- The problem with orcs is that they have a tendency to side with the most evil entities around, and are likely to kill you if you don't kill them first. What choice did the characters in LotR have? – Ian Thompson May 06 '15 at 11:32
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    @IanThompson The orcs fleeing from Hornburg were cut down to a man (off-screen). I'm not saying most orcs don't have it coming in universe, but it's pretty clear that Tolkien set up a black-and-white conflict: whole races side with Sauron and are therefore declared evil. ("the evil men from Harad" vs "the good men from Gondor" etc) – Raphael May 06 '15 at 11:49
  • @Raphael --- That's a different issue, which has been addressed elsewhere on the site (see links above). This question is specifically about the attitudes of characters in universe. – Ian Thompson May 06 '15 at 12:31
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    @IanThompson I think this case is reflected well in-universe. – Raphael May 06 '15 at 13:08
  • @Raphael --- You mean killing the orcs after the Hornburg? That was an absolute necessity, from a military point of view. If Theoden took Rohan's army to Gondor and several thousand Uruks regrouped behind him, the result would be very unfortunate. – Ian Thompson May 06 '15 at 13:21
  • Really? I don't think Gandalf even can be a racist. I mean he is one of the maia - practically something between a demigod and an archangel. He is no man and his judgement over a mortal - or even an elf - is not the judgement of an equal party, but like the judgement of a human over an animal. – mg30rg May 06 '15 at 14:19
  • @mg30rg - there is a word for that too - speciesism. And not so long ago, most white people considered black and indigenous people to be animals. Maia aren't necessarily superior to all mortals - Gandalf clearly knew Frodo was better equipped to resist the Ring than he himself was. For that matter, Frodo, not Gandalf, figured out how to get into Moria. Maia and Valar are frequently far inferior to mortals - compare Sauraman to Aragorn, Faramir, etc, or compare Morgoth and Sauron to virtually anyone else. – Wad Cheber May 06 '15 at 20:10
  • @Raphael - I did mention it. From my answer: "Of course, everyone despises orcs, trolls, and goblins" – Wad Cheber May 06 '15 at 20:28
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    @IanThompson - the fact that Tolkien Gateway has a page on "Racism in Tolkien's Works" suggests that the facts are broadly on my side. As for the details, you are free to interpret the books how you see fit, of course; I will do likewise, whether or not you would grant me that privilege. – Wad Cheber May 06 '15 at 20:33
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    @WadCheber I don't think a divine being can be either racist or speciist - at least not more than an average human being, who adores - even useless - puppies, but kills usefull spiders without hesitation. Also the maia are neither mortals, nor elvish. They are older than the world itself and took their part in the creation of Middle-Earth. Calling a maia speciist is like calling a programmer crude for not using i.e. javascript. – mg30rg May 07 '15 at 07:26
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    @mg30rg - If it can have opinions and be wrong, it can be a bigot. Until recently most religions believed their god hated or thought less of certain races - Indigenous people in most religions; gentiles in Judaism, black people and Native Americans in Mormonism, etc. And speciesism is a human prejudice - Americans eat chickens but are horrified by dogs being eaten. That is speciesism – Wad Cheber May 09 '15 at 20:46
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    @mg30rg - you actually described speciesism perfectly. Hug puppies, squash spiders. That is speciesism. And of course, "the average human being" is racist to some degree - and average human beings are responsible for 99% of all racism – Wad Cheber May 09 '15 at 20:49
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    @mg30rg - If racism existed only in unusually evil people like Hitler, it wouldn't be such a widespread problem - if no one shared Hitler's views, he never would have been elected. He would have spent his life as an irrelevant weirdo screaming about Jews, and no one would have paid any attention to him. – Wad Cheber May 09 '15 at 20:56
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The races do tend to regard each other with suspicion, but we must keep in mind that several of them have done unwise, or outright despicable things throughout history. Moreover, many of the characters are not well-educated, and instead get their knowledge of other races from old tales, passed down by word of mouth. Taking an obvious example:

Eomer is wary of outsiders in The Riders of Rohan, which is understandable given the situation in his country at the time. He makes some hasty and ill-informed comments about elves, but it's fairly clear he doesn't know much about them, asking Aragorn

Are you Elvish folk?

Saruman hints at Eomer's lack of wisdom

Meddle not in policies which you do not understand

(The Voice of Saruman) and Eomer later admits it himself in The Last Debate:

I have little knowledge of these deep matters...

However, Eomer loans very valuable horses to Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, and learns the value of his new friends before he even witnesses how deadly they are in battle:

Legolas upon my left and Aragorn upon my right, and none will dare to stand before us!

Later (in Many Partings) he admits to Gimli that his words about Galadriel were rash. So, Eomer spoke some rash words in a tense situation, concerning a subject he didn't fully comprehend at the time. His words and actions later prove that he was not a racist. The behaviour of many other characters can be explained in a similar way.

Ian Thompson
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  • More importantly he Road with Gimli whom he was initially most dismissive of –  Jul 27 '15 at 11:26
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No there is no racism in M-E. Racism nowadays itself is used beyond it's own definition. But no, no racism in M-E.

I'm adding this edit to the post due to the claim that I'm "at odds with the accepted answer" as if that makes what I said wrong.

Let's get our terms correct in the circle of mendacity! To pre-judge another without knowledge is prejudice > the expression of such prejudice is bigotry > & acting on such bigotry is discrimination > and such acceptance is racism. The latter being borne of the former.

There are various nit-pickers out there who have looked for racism in the books and ascribed racism to the author and to the story he wrote. One of the funny ones is that orcs are black people (the race in our society). I'd think orcs represent evil rather than black people even though they are described as black. There are also negative associations with the words swarthy, squint-eyed, brown, black, etc that are used in charges of racism against the characters exhibiting these characteristics in the story. I'll point out really quick how foolish it can get when you go reading something into a thing that's not there. The 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, in describing himself said that he was "a long black fellow." He described himself again in the following manner:

If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said that I am, in height, six feet four inches, nearly; lean, weighing an average one hundred eighty pounds; dark complexion, with coarse black hair, and dark eyes. [Hannibal Hamlin of Maine: Lincoln's First Vice-president]

A black man if I did not know one!

Squint-eyed may be used in reference to Asians for "race baiters", but truth be told, it also means cross-eyed [see strabismus]. Swart which comes from the German for black did not refer to race but denoted dark skin. The idea of these enemies being evil because they look a certain way also needs to be addressed but before that how about that evil black man Tom Bombadil?

It seemed to grow larger as it lay for a moment on his big brown-skinned hand. [In the House of Tom Bombadil]

The idea of brown/black = enemy = evil is a bit absurd. Sure there are dark (not necessarily a race of black people) people who are with the enemy, but they're not evil for being dark. The high race of Númenor, the Kings of Men, work with Sauron. This is contrary to the idea that Tolkien portrays only a certain groups as being evil or working for the enemy. Look at what the King's Men were doing:

in that temple, with spilling of blood and torment and great wickedness, men made sacrifice to Melkor that he should release them from Death. And most often from among the Faithful they chose their victims; yet never openly on the charge that they would not worship Melkor. the Giver of Freedom, rather was cause sought against them that they hated the King and were his rebels, or that they plotted against their kin, devising lies and poisons. [Akallabêth]

There is also this:

Sauron gathered to him great strength of his servants out of the east and the south; and among them were NOT A FEW of the high race of Númenor. For in the days of the sojourn of Sauron in that land the hearts of well nigh all its people had been turned towards darkness. Therefore many of those who sailed east in that time and made fortresses and dwellings upon the coasts were already bent to his will, and they served him still gladly in Middle-earth. [Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]

Aragorn is said to be "lean, dark, tall" [At the Sign of the Prancing Pony]. Sauron is referred to as black:

And if the west prove mightier than thy Black Master, this curse I lay upon thee and they folk: [The Passing of the Grey Company]

Also we have those evil black men known as the Black Riders, "The black fellow sat quite still." [A Short Cut to Mushrooms] There is also among many other examples "Black horsemen have passed through Bree." [Strider] haha Lastly, let's not forget those trees that represent black people:

His heart is as rotten as a black Huorn's. [The Voice of Saruman]

One poster to a degree seems to portray Hobbits as victims and says that "Humans tend to show condescension towards hobbits" and yet those very Hobbits, such as poor disdained Frodo says of other humans:

I did not know that any of the Big People were like that. I thought, well, that they were just big, and rather stupid: kind and stupid like Butterbur; or stupid and wicked like Bill Ferny. [Many Meetings]

I'm not saying that this makes Frodo a racist, but clearly there is prejudice here as we see in various people throughout. Then we have another poster bring up the point of speciesism because Gandalf referred to the Hobbits as "absurd, helpless, stupid, rediculous". Note Saruman's similar declaration toward one of his own:

"Radagast the Brown!" laughed Saruman, and he no longer concealed his scorn. "Radagast the Bird-tamer! Radagast the Simple! Radagast the Fool! Yet he had just the wit to play the part that I set him." [The Council of Elrond]

There is the racism in our world people assume is something done to blacks. Look around, even with some of the quotes of the posters, when racism is looked at in the real world it's always something that's said to be done to blacks, or some other minority in a white country. These people I never trust. Also there is the idea that slavery = racism. Slavery is not even extinguished and has a long history across milennia. Don't confuse the two. Might a slaveholder be racist? Sure. But might a black man in America like Nat Butler or Anthony Johnson hold black slaves themselves? Sure. Might a white man in America hold white slaves himself? Sure. Might a black slaveholder be racist? Sure. Btw, blacks had white slaves in America too, true story. These are true things that have happened. White slavery existed before and along with black slavery in America. In fact a movement in the South was surging where they were thinking all white laborers should be enslaved. Then again, you have idiots saying the Civil War was to free the blacks, but it was the whites looking out for their own skins. Slavery is NOT racism. Don't get it twisted.

Slavery is the natural and normal condition of the laboring man, whether white or black. The great evil of Northern free society is, that it is burdened with a servile class of mechanics and laborers, unfit for self-government. [Sociology for the South, or The Failure of Free Society]

The idea of even trying to apply racism to the characters in Tolkien's world does not even make sense because there are things in Tolkien's world that are not applicable to our own. The men of Númenor actually do have characteristics that make them superior to other men in Middle-earth (unlike that false belief in the Third Reich) whereas racism is the false belief that one race has characteristics that make it superior to another race. They don't exist in our world. The Númenóreans came from the Edain, so they share the same descent as many of the men in M-E, but they became better because they were blessed to be so. Longer life and vitality, greater physical abilities. This is clear in those who're not Númenórean. Take for example Éowyn when she meets Faramir:

she looked at him and saw the grave tenderness in his eyes, and yet knew, for she was bred among men of war, that here was one whom no Rider of the Mark would outmatch in battle. [RotK, p. 265]

Also the Númenóreans were not particularly averse to mixing with non-Númenóreans. For example after Númenor was destroyed and the Faithful made it to M-E:

There many already dwelt who were in whole or part of Númenórean blood; but few of them remembered the Elvish speech. [The Return of the King; Appendix F]

It was only looked down on in the royal house.

it was a thing unheard of before that the heir to the crown, or any son of the King, should wed one of lesser and alien race. [Appendix A]

I'd say, stop the race baiting. It's unbecoming, nonsensical, and also in this case reading something into a story that's not there.

Belegorn
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    How about some supporting arguments with backing from Tolkien's works/writings to support your statement ? You're at odds with the accepted answer and you've provided no refutation of it's statements. – Stan Jul 21 '15 at 11:11
  • You seem to be under the impression that the question is "Was Tolkien racist?". That is not the question. The question is "Did Tolkien describe racism/bigotry in Middle-earth?". The answer is a resounding "Yes, because he despised bigotry and wanted to expose it as pure folly". – Wad Cheber Jul 27 '15 at 18:50
  • Tolkien scholar Michael Martinez: "'Q: Is It True There is Racism in The Lord of the Rings?' 'ANSWER: Yes, it is true there is racism in The Lord of the Rings. However, many people who ask this question may really mean to ask, “Is The Lord of the Rings a racist work of fiction?” Although some people claim that is the case they are mistaken for *J.R.R. Tolkien embedded numerous examples of the folly of racism in The Lord of the Rings. In other words, it would be difficult for any other modern work of fiction to be as anti*-racist as The Lord of the Rings.'" – Wad Cheber Jul 27 '15 at 19:00
  • And I think the Drúedain would be displeased to hear you say that racism/speciesism/bigotry didn't exist in Middle-earth. The Rohirrim, and most other men, hunted them like animals, persecuted them, and mistreated them for several thousand years. – Wad Cheber Jul 27 '15 at 19:20
  • "You seem to be under the impression that the question is 'Was Tolkien racist?'." My whole answer was about the book, not about Tolkien's being or not being racist. All I mentioned about Tolkien was "There are various nit-pickers out there who have looked for racism in the books and ascribed racism to the author and to the story he wrote." Good job paying attention. – Belegorn Jul 27 '15 at 20:26
  • Michael Martinez's article is flawed and this has been discussed elsewhere. Don't let titles like "Tolkien scholar" keep you from questioning his work. – Belegorn Jul 27 '15 at 20:27
  • WOW ! I've looked at my comment and the original post. I didn't say you were wrong, didn't say you were right. I did make strictly factual statements. Your original answer was at odds with the accepted answer and you DID NOT provide any backing information. That made it an opinion IMHO and nothing more. Certainly not the type of answer (supported by data) that the site looks for. As far as your definition (edit) of racism, it seems to imply that it can't exist with the prior existence of the other characteristics you specify. I don't know that everyone agrees with that definition. – Stan Jul 28 '15 at 23:16
  • Racism - 1. belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others. 2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination. 3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races. – Stan Jul 28 '15 at 23:17
  • You begin by saying that people accuse Tolkien of being racist. Then you spend a considerable amount of time and space discussing the various ways that Tolkien describes skin color, which only makes sense if you are trying to argue that Tolkien himself was or wasn't racist. Then you misrepresent what I said in my answer, pointing out something that I already brought up (hobbits are underestimated by non-hobbits, but Frodo himself shows signs of being bigoted against "Big People"). Then you launch into a tirade about how, in your opinion, people think racism is a one way street... – Wad Cheber Aug 02 '15 at 23:49
  • Which is totally irrelevant to the topic at hand, not to mention that it is also absurd and incorrect, at least in regards to intelligent people. Then, after quoting Lincoln and Sociology for the South, neither of which have anything to do with the subject at hand, you rail about the foolishness of trying to apply real world ideas to a fictional world (which is exactly what you yourself just did). Finally, you resort to the clichéd assertion that any discussion of racism is "race baiting"... – Wad Cheber Aug 02 '15 at 23:55
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    Forgive me for my inability to follow such an incoherent argument, but incoherent arguments are inherently hard to follow. This isn't an answer so much as it is a rant, which serves the sole purpose of reflecting your own discomfort with the issue of racism. It still appears to me that you're answering a question that no one asked. The question was as follows: Are some characters in LotR bigoted/racist/speciesist? Your answer seems to boil down to: "Racism isn't a real thing anymore, and no one should ever talk about it again". Which is simultaneously incorrect and irrelevant. – Wad Cheber Aug 03 '15 at 00:00