# Tolkien thread: let's take a whack at the origin & nature of orcs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tolkien-thread-lets-take-a-whack-at-the-origin-nature-of-orcs/469376>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** middle-earth\
**Created:** [October 24, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tolkien-thread-lets-take-a-whack-at-the-origin-nature-of-orcs/469376 "2008-10-24T16:24:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tolkien-thread-lets-take-a-whack-at-the-origin-nature-of-orcs/469376/61 "2008-10-26T00:55:06Z")

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I think that access to Character Map is beneficial to all the library’s customers, something they may not think of when they block access to the “accessories” of Windows. Therefore, you’d be doing a service to mankind. 🙂

CRS = Can’t Remember Sh\*\*. 😉

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**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tolkien-thread-lets-take-a-whack-at-the-origin-nature-of-orcs/469376/62 "2008-10-26T08:31:42Z")

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slightly off-topic, but anyway: I just read an interesting article entitled “Why is the only good orc a dead orc? The dark face of racism examined in Tolkien’s world”. by A. Rearick, in Modern Fiction Studies, Winter 2004. Yes, of course it’s an academic English journal. What other publications have article titles like that?  
Anywho, author comes to same conclusion as me, that JRRT’s world has elements of racism, but it and the author are not racist. Also, more on-topic, this author accepts that orcs are irredeemable. Don’t know if I agree with him there.

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tolkien-thread-lets-take-a-whack-at-the-origin-nature-of-orcs/469376/63 "2008-10-26T16:39:35Z")

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> [@What\_Exit](#):
>
> There is also [this one](http://docs.google.com/View?docid=ddwd98qd_0hrnqqr):

Nice one. I think I read it before, but must not have filed it. Thanks!

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