Elon Musk’s Misread of Middle-earth Sparks Backlash
So, Elon Musk has once again found himself in the middle of controversy—this time not over rockets, Teslas, or AI—but over The Lord of the Rings. Yes, J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy epic has somehow entered the conversation around immigration, politics, and online culture. And let’s just say, it hasn’t gone over very well.
Recently, Musk used a Tolkien reference on X (formerly Twitter) to defend British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, saying, “The hobbits were able to live their lives in peace and tranquility, but only because they were protected by the hard men of Gondor.” At first glance, it might sound poetic—but for anyone familiar with Tolkien’s work, it was a serious misread.
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Fans and scholars alike were quick to point out that Musk completely missed the point. The hobbits’ peaceful life wasn’t protected by some elite warrior class—it thrived because of their humility, kindness, and courage in the face of darkness. Gondor, in Tolkien’s world, wasn’t exactly a shining example of heroism at that time. By the events of The Lord of the Rings , its throne was empty, its rulers corrupt, and its glory long faded.
Even the U.S. Department of Homeland Security got in on the Tolkien trend, using quotes from The Lord of the Rings in social media posts to promote immigration enforcement. One meme quoted Merry warning Pippin, “There won’t be a Shire, Pippin,” implying that without strict border control, peace would vanish. Critics were quick to slam this as tone-deaf and wildly off-base, arguing that Tolkien’s stories were deeply anti-authoritarian and fundamentally opposed to the kind of heavy-handed control those agencies represent.
Tolkien experts have also weighed in. Emma Vossen, a scholar of game studies and Tolkien, said that people often misuse his work to cast themselves as the “underdogs” fighting against evil, even when they’re the ones in power. It’s a psychological move to justify oppressive actions while still seeing themselves as heroes—something that’s become increasingly common in far-right circles.
Musk’s pop culture missteps aren’t new, of course. Gamers have previously mocked his poor builds in Elden Ring and speculated that he cheats in Diablo IV. But this latest Tolkien blunder feels different—it’s not just about bad gaming skills, but about twisting the meaning of one of literature’s greatest moral stories.
As Tolkien scholar Janet Croft put it, those who truly understand his work despair at how it’s been misused by people giving it only a surface reading. The deeper message of Tolkien’s world—humility over dominance, empathy over control—seems to have been lost in translation.
Ironically, Tolkien himself distrusted those who sought power over others. In a letter to his son during World War II, he wrote, “The most improper job of any man is bossing other men.” Maybe it’s time some of today’s so-called “hard men of Gondor” take that to heart.
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