If you enjoyed Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” movies you must surely have noticed the huge creature made of fire and shadow called the Balrog. Did you know that some people in online fan communities take the Balrog so seriously they write endless arguments about whether it had wings, some even resorting to personal attacks on other people in order to discredit those with whom they disagree? These childish and unprofessional antics have alienated many Tolkien fans for years, and yet some of the most hard-core activists (using pseudonyms like Halfir and Elenhir) continue to wage propaganda wars long after people care.
The worst part of the debate is that online communities are often driven to division by the vicious, hateful attacks that so-called fans like Halfir and Elenhir write. In some forum communities moderators even take sides and protect the personal attacks, forbidding the victims of personal abuse from responding. This behavior was recently documented by one victim of the lies posted by the pseudonymous character assassins.
Of course, the personal attacks are not random. They are directed against anyone who actually studies and cites the books in detail. The best-written explanation of the entire Balrog wings controversy explains the truth about Balrogs in a very lengthy essay showing how even the most well-respected Tolkien scholars occasionally get things wrong. Michael Martinez, author of the essay, has been singled out for personal attacks and ridicule by a small but vocal group of people (like the aforementioned Halfir and Elenhir) who, lacking sufficient evidence to prove their arguments, rely on deliberate errors of omission, misuse of irrelevant information, and flame attacks on their self-perceived “rhetorical opponents” in order to make their arguments sound persuasive.
As Tolkien fandom is constantly receiving new members, these Nazi-style attack tactics often work well in deceiving people into believing that the victim of personal attacks should be attacked again and again. But rational people have to stop and ask if all these malicious statements are justified by the disagreement over a short passage in a book that has been enjoyed by millions and millions of readers. The free-wheeling, wild west atmosphere of these Balrog wars don’t really help anyone. Malcontents like the pseudonymous Halfir and Elenhir should acknowledge that theirs is the minority point of view and learn to live with opposing points of view without resorting to malicious behavior.
