Meme Thread for Both Posting and Discussing Memes

[DarthOne]

I don't think there's any way to know for sure, but I find it plausible the Ring wanted to stay at the bottom of a river that long.

As Gandalf says, "His Orcs have multiplied; his fortress of Barad-Dur is rebuilt..." So it's possible Sauron's timeline would involve taking long enough to let the heat on the Orcs and his other servants die down, for history to fall into myth and the various armies to disband and/or turn on each other, and then for his servants to have enough time to rebuild their numbers, equipment, and fortress before he returned.

He may even have decided to wait for Smaug to grow large and powerful as an ace in the hole. Personally, I hold the fanon that Gandalf arranged the events of The Hobbit entirely to get Smaug out of the picture and remove what would otherwise be a mighty tool in Sauron's arsenal before Sauron was entirely returned. Finding the Ring in the process wasn't part of Gandalf's plan but there were many forces stronger and wiser than Gandalf at work in the world.

That's not fandom. That's pretty much canon as detailed in the Book of Unfinished Tales.

Unfinished Tales - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Typhonis]

Why would Smaug help Sauron?

 

[Aldarion]

Personally, I hold the fanon that Gandalf arranged the events of The Hobbit entirely to get Smaug out of the picture and remove what would otherwise be a mighty tool in Sauron's arsenal before Sauron was entirely returned.

Uh... that is not fanon. Not perhaps in terms of "Gandalf arranging the events of The Hobbit entirely" - that was Providence, not Gandalf - but he certainly did arrange the events to get rid of Smaug.

Read the Unfinished Tales, "The Quest of Erebor".

 

[Bear Ribs]

I've seen it, I just don't think a collection of random notes Tolkien neither published nor ever intended to have read by outsiders counts as "canon." Christopher Tolkien had to extensively edit them, f'rex, because the names often didn't match existing characters since they were random plot ideas, not finished pieces.

 

[Aldarion]

I've seen it, I just don't think a collection of random notes Tolkien neither published nor ever intended to have read by outsiders counts as "canon." Christopher Tolkien had to extensively edit them, f'rex, because the names often didn't match existing characters since they were random plot ideas, not finished pieces.

Personally I hold that everything Tolkien wrote is canon as long as it doesn't contradict his finished works. After all, he references events of the First and Second Ages in Lord of the Rings on multiple places.

 

[Bear Ribs]

It's a viable position. but again, The Unfinished Tales are not what JRR Tolkien wrote, they were extensively edited from the original writings by Christopher Tolkien.

Somewhat comparable to taking something Lucas Scribbled on a napkin about the Whills in 1965, which is then edited by somebody else and put in a Disney Comic Book and called canon.

 

[Skallagrim]

It's a viable position. but again, The Unfinished Tales are not what JRR Tolkien wrote, they were extensively edited from the original writings by Christopher Tolkien.

Somewhat comparable to taking something Lucas Scribbled on a napkin about the Whills in 1965, which is then edited by somebody else and put in a Disney Comic Book and called canon.

Comparing Christopher Tolkien to Disney (which Tolkien despised) is a pretty radical take.

Note also that Christopher Tolkien was already his father's co-editor for years and years during his father's life, and was explicitly named his literary executor in his father's will. Which strongly suggests that his father wanted him to 'finish the job' (which he'd aimed to complete during his own life).

Long story short: I don't think there has ever been a more diligent and loyal posthumous editor.

 

[Doomsought]

Why would Smaug help Sauron?

All dragons are creatures of Morgoth.

 

[Aldarion]

It's a viable position. but again, The Unfinished Tales are not what JRR Tolkien wrote, they were extensively edited from the original writings by Christopher Tolkien.

Somewhat comparable to taking something Lucas Scribbled on a napkin about the Whills in 1965, which is then edited by somebody else and put in a Disney Comic Book and called canon.

Not really. Christopher Tolkien was integral to creation of the Middle Earth from the very beginning. He was the one who drew that nice map of Middle Earth that you see on the inside covers of Lord of the Rings - map which, then, his father used to write the story.

Essentially, Christopher Tolkien was nearly as significant to writing of the Lord of the Rings as JRRT himself was.

 

[Circle of Willis]

 

[Scottty]

 

[Aldarion]

 

[PsihoKekec]

The simple solution to black people being overrepresented in crime statistics, just declare them white.

 

[Cherico]

Wanting to be closer to places of worship that you use is actually a pretty reasonable conservative thing.

 

[Scottty]

Wanting to be closer to places of worship that you use is actually a pretty reasonable conservative thing.

It's also the sort of thing he could have checked up on before moving there.
That assumes, of course, that Ben Shapiro actually attends a place of worship.

 

[Scottty]

 

[Scottty]

 

[Rocinante]

It's also the sort of thing he could have checked up on before moving there.
That assumes, of course, that Ben Shapiro actually attends a place of worship.

I mean, he takes every Jewish holiday off, and wears a Yamaka every day. It's safe to say he takes his religion seriously.

 

[Skallagrim]

I mean, he takes every Jewish holiday off, and wears a Yamaka every day. It's safe to say he takes his religion seriously.

I don't know the guy personally, so I have no opinion on the matter, but as far as the holidays are concerned: loads of academics I work with are (as you can imagine) typical smug lefty atheists, and I assure you that they take every Christian holiday off. Because "entitled to free day by law" is something they'll never refuse, even though they spit on everything those holidays represent.

It's not really a good indicator.

(However, none of those people would be caught wearing a cross -- I'm sure it would burn their skin upon contact -- so wearing religious items is more likely to indicate at least some commitment to actual faith.)

 

[Rocinante]

I don't know the guy personally, so I have no opinion on the matter, but as far as the holidays are concerned: loads of academics I work with are (as you can imagine) typical smug lefty atheists, and I assure you that they take every Christian holiday off. Because "entitled to free day by law" is something they'll never refuse, even though they spit on everything those holidays represent.

It's not really a good indicator.

(However, none of those people would be caught wearing a cross -- I'm sure it would burn their skin upon contact -- so wearing religious items is more likely to indicate at least some commitment to actual faith.)

When you own the business, it's your show, and it makes you money, then yeah taking time off for a holiday is a lot different than a wage worker taking days off because they have an excuse. Shapiro can take whatever days off he wants, for whatever reason he wants. He doesn't need holidays "entitled by law" as an excuse. If he wants tomorrow off? He can do that. Doesn't need a reason. It's his show and company. He takes Jewish holidays off, even during absolutely major events, that would get him tons of ratings.

I find Shapiro rather annoying these days, but I've listened to a lot of his show in the past, and I think it's safe to say that he takes his Jewish faith pretty seriously.