“Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt” - J.R.R. Tolkien

I intend this blog to be recreation, even therapy, not competition for Fox News, Carl Trueman, Jordan Peterson, or even Hickok45.  It provides me an opportunity to organize and jot down some thoughts and bookmark good references on topics that interest me.  These have mostly been national and personal security, military matters, and politics, logically reflecting my 37 years with the Navy.

I don't think popular entertainment has been a topic in the years I've been posting.  It's well out of my competence and experience but, the topic comes to mind with recent advertising seen for Amazon's  treatment of Tolkien's world in their upcoming 'Rings of Power' series.

Throughout my life 'escapist' fantasy has been a relief from boredom and many of life's frequent unpleasant developments.  I don't recall exactly which grade I was in when I first read The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings.  As a child I was a precocious reader, finishing Hersey's Hiroshima, Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, and J Edgar Hoover's (probably ghost written by companion) Masters of Deceit before 8th grade. But Tolkien's works were my mainstay and remained a constant companion, having read through them a dozen or more times over 50 years.  Embarrassed to say, that's more than I've read the Bible.  Peter Jacksons movie treatment of the trilogy was essentially faithful to the books and very good indeed.  The more aggressively PC Tolkien 'inspired' works subsequent ... not so much. 

As to television, I began watching the original black and white Dr Who as a 12 year old in Philadelphia courtesy of PBS.  While the poor quality of the special effects were, even then, comical, the plot, a timeless alien able to transport human companions anywhere in space and time, was interesting enough to hold attention.  And it did, for decades.  I was delighted with the reappearance of the doctor in 2005.  Christopher Eccleston made a great, edgy, sarcastic time lord and David Tennant has been the best ever.

So, Tolkien and Dr Who.  One smuggling a Christian message for young men growing to be soldiers and officers, the other, meh, innocent fun for SciFi enthusiasts. 

Dr. Who fell first.  The increasing PC being forced into the show came to a head with the Capaldi version of the doctor in advance of the disastrous Jody Whittaker version.  I've not watched more than 10 minutes of the Whittaker (who admitted to never having watched the show) doctor, that seems to be as long as the show can run before another preachy PC point is made.  

Should have gone with Tilda Swinton and retitled to' Dr What'

Pity that.  Rest in Peace doctor.

And now it appears to be Tolkien's turn to be fundamentally 'reimagined' into a pompous, absurd, PC, pigs breakfast.  The build up by Amazon has been enough to know this will be glowingly repulsive to Tolkien fans.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHjg8pJUwY

If you need one of these to do the job - reconsider what you are doing

As the host says "If you need to fundamentally change a thing to like it - you're not a fan." (should be a clue here for Obama voters as well)  So, I'll be avoiding the show.  

Much more recently, I very much enjoyed GRR Martin's Game of Thrones masterpiece works, first the books, and then the series (ok, enjoyed the first seven seasons, was disappointed by the 8th and it's final rush to conclusion).  The TV series provided such an entertaining fusion of Lord of The Rings and The Sopranos both the wife and I looked forward to each weeks episode.  We even visited the filming sites in Northern Ireland before the final season's release.  

HRH on the set of Winterfell trying on Rory McCann's 'Hound' helmet

Although less invested in this work compared to LOTR and Dr Who, the revision in dogma for the new prequel "House of Dragons" with it's absurd race quotas, warns there will be an intolerable amount of cultural marxist preaching preempting any interest by me.  Clearly the SJWs wanted in, and GRR was folding, by 2019.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0yRfzTfmwM

So, the march through the institutions in fantasy has been no respecter of brilliant, meticulous and talented authors.  All must kneel, regardless of the debasement to an artfully crafted story.  

Or, as put more plainly than Tolkien's opening quote ... 

“You know what woke means. It means you’re a loser,” Trump said. “It’s true. Everything woke turns to shit. It’s true. Look at what’s happening.”  

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/08/21/donald-trump-everything-woke-turns-to-st/

Amen to that.