J.R.R. Tolkien on how lies are spread

[Martin Eden]

The passage quoted below is from The Silmarillion, which tells of the long ages that preceded the time of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Melkor (of whom Sauron was but a servant) knew how to influence the Elves to achieve his evil designs:

he dissembled his purposes with cunning, and nothing of his malice could yet be seen in the semblance that he wore. Long was he at work, and slow at first and barren was his labour. But he that sows lies in the end shall not lack of a harvest, and soon he may rest from toil indeed while others reap and sow in his stead. Ever Melkor found some ears that would heed him, and some tongues that would enlarge what they heard; and his lies passed from friend to friend, as secrets of which proves the teller wise.

That last part reminded of the fools who fall for online conspiracy theories, thinking themselves smart and privy to secret knowledge when in truth they are useful idiots being manipulated for ulterior motives.

Melkor was later known as Morgoth. After his banishment from the world, Sauron carried on his evil work in Middle Earth.

[Delphinus]

1. Thank you

It sure seems like evil work.

[Martin Eden]

5. Deceit is seldom a white lie

Decades of RW propaganda to manipulate gullible folk into voting against their own interests is Evil indeed.

[certainot]

10. and then theres the dittohead effect. they put limbaugh on 600 stations as a talk show

and either the call screener would make sure he wasn't challenged, because he couldn't handle it, and then he lost his hearing due to the kind of drug abuse he wanted others to go to j'ail for.

basically no non-paid organized real callers could get through so his adoring fans would have to settle for calling the other few hundred blowhards on those and another 1000 or so stations to police them and keep them on the limbaugh script - so they were all telling the same lies to 50 mil a week.

so the guy who popularized the 'political correctness' label for anyone who didn't like the racism, sexism, fascism, and ignorance they were speeding was actually the biggest political correctness cop on the planet. then the Russian started taking over for the RW US think tanks

and city-based music-loving TV-watching reading media and political analysts might as well be studying fish without water

and so we got here.

[mcar]

2. Thanks for this

I've been refreshing my Tolkien memories since watching Amazon's "Rings of Power" series.

[Martin Eden]

4. The "Rings of Power" series prompted me to re-read The Silmarillion

To really understand the world Tolkien created, The Silmarillion is required reading. Many great tales are to be found within.

[mcar]

6. I tried it many years ago

I may have to take a second look.

[Martin Eden]

8. Many find the beginning difficult to get through

And the writing is very different from the LofR books -- more of a narrative (especially early on) than a novel.

The beginning might be a turnoff at first, but it is essential for an understanding of all that follows all the way up to the heroic adventures of the characters in the popular books and movies.

And, as I said, many great tales are told therein.

The Silmarillion was Tolkien's life work of many decades, not to be missed by readers (like myself) enthralled by Middle Earth.

[dwayneb]

7. Will give it another try.

As I recall it's fairly dense and portions of it are similar to reading all the "begats" sections of the Old Testament. But maybe I didn't get far enough in, to reach the tales that you mention.

[Martin Eden]

9. See my post above

You will be amply rewarded if you put your faith in the master storytelling of J.R.R. Tolkien.

[orangecrush]

3. KICK