Bonus: Hobbit-Camp Fascists
American Id
In today’s bonus episode, we’re digging into the controversy over Italy’s new neo-fascist prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the far-right Tolkien-obsessed cultural movement that helped spawn her. From the Hobbit camps in the muddy fields of Italy to the violent football hooligans stomping the streets of Leeds, neo-fascist culture found fertile soil across Europe in the 1970s and 80s and helped radicalize a generation of young extremists. We’ll also explain just what we mean by “fascist” and “neo-fascist”—terms you’ll be hearing on this podcast with great frequency in the...
info_outline
Eye of Sauron: Frodo Lives!
American Id
In today’s episode, we go back in time, when the hippies discovered The Lord of the Rings, making J.R.R. Tolkien an icon for the counter-culture, from Joni Mitchell to Dungeons and Dragons. During the 1980s, the evangelical right-wing made Tolkien an avatar for evil in the Satanic Panic. And, in the second half of the show, we look at the first culture war waged over Tolkien by a bunch of obscure conservative intellectuals who instead declared Tolkien the avatar of their imagined white Christian homeland. One correction from today’s episode: Queen Elizabeth II of the UK was buried on Talk...
info_outline
Bonus: Review-Bombers and Billionaire Trolls
American Id
Today’s special, bonus episode interrupts our “Eye of Sauron” series to dig into the week’s Tolkien-centered, headline news. We’ll talk about the struggle unfolding between media-titan Amazon and the far-right, troll armies review-bombing its new Rings of Power series. We’ll also reiterate some points we made in episode one about the mass-media ecosystem that online fascists use to harness the global advertising power of cinematic blockbusters. Then, we’ll dig into two fresh examples of this ecosystem at work: a supercharging tweet thread by billionaire, mega-troll Elon Musk and...
info_outline
Eye of Sauron: Rings of Power
American Id
Today’s episode kicks off our series on the American right’s obsession with Lord of the Rings. Craig tells Dani all about Amazon’s brand new, billion-dollar Rings of Power series, and we discuss the mobs of far-right trolls that have flooded the new production with waves of racist and misogynistic hate. We also take a step back to think through the larger, social ecosystem that these online fascists have learned to harness in their decades-long, anti-democratic culture war. In the second half of the show, we go back in time to the release of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings...
info_outline
Coming Soon!
American Id
Introducing the American Id podcast. Hosted by Dani Holtz and Craig Franson, this podcast plumbs the depths of the American psyche, using history and pop-culture to treat the political maladies of our moment. Coming September 1st!
info_outlineToday’s episode kicks off our series on the American right’s obsession with Lord of the Rings. Craig tells Dani all about Amazon’s brand new, billion-dollar Rings of Power series, and we discuss the mobs of far-right trolls that have flooded the new production with waves of racist and misogynistic hate. We also take a step back to think through the larger, social ecosystem that these online fascists have learned to harness in their decades-long, anti-democratic culture war. In the second half of the show, we go back in time to the release of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, which came out in the aftermath of 9/11. Craig recalls his experience of the films’ release as George W. Bush rallied the nation for a retributive war in the Middle East, and we discuss the revolutionary potential that neo-fascist figures like Steve Bannon have found in fantasy fandom.
To order transcripts, suggest episode topics, or learn more about our work, visit TheAmericanId.com (coming soon!). You can also write us at [email protected].
If you’d like to support us, you can find us on Patreon @AmericanId.
Notes
Vanity Fair, “Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series Rises: Inside The Rings of Power.” Anthony Breznican and Joanna Robinson, 10 Feb. 2022.
Guardian, “‘The history of fantasy is racialized’: Lord of the Rings series sparks debate over race.” Sam Thielman, 20 Feb. 2022.
The Conversation, “Lord of the Rings: debunking the backlash against non-white actors in Amazon’s new adaptation.” Dimitri Fimi and Mariana Rios Maldonado. 25 Feb. 2022.
Time Magazine, “Feeding on Fantasy.” Lev Grossman, 2 Dec. 2002.
Further Reading
Race and Popular Fantasy Literature: Habits of Whiteness. Helen Young, Routledge Press, 2018.
The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood. Kristin Thomas, University of California Press, 2007.