Neil Gaiman Shuts Down Controversial Remarks on Twitter, Shares Secret to Dealing With Internet Trolls
One internet defender to rule them all. Neil Gaiman chimes in on the controversial issue on "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" prequel and ends the racist debate.
"The Rings of Power", which was developed by showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, recently faced various backlash following their premiere in September 1st. Among these criticisms were about their decision to cast people of color in the show, in which some critics believe "ruined" their views on the franchise. This then sparked a debate on the vision of "The Lord of the Rings" author, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the "real" appearance of some races in Middle Earth.
While the debate has been going for days on Twitter, one netizen asked the opinion of Neil Gaiman, whom he deemed as J.R.R Tolkien's "best mate". The New York Times best-selling author then quotes the official "Lord of the Rings" lore while simultaneously slamming racist takes on the show.
Tolkien described the Harfoots as "browner of skin" than the other hobbits. So I think anyone grumbling is either racist or hasn't read their Tolkien. Your mileage may vary.
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 2, 2022
Not the First Clapback on Race Issues
"The Sandman" author also expressed his thoughts on the recent controversy on the latest Netflix series based on his work. Similar to "The Rings of Power", critics pointed out their decision to cast people of color and, apparently, "ruined" certain characters who were portrayed as members of the LGBTQ+ spectrum. In a recent interview with Yahoo, the critically-acclaimed author shared his secret to dealing with critics and trolls amidst various issues. "I know the rule is you're meant to ignore the trolls and not feed the trolls. But I would look at people sounding off on Sandman who were obviously not Sandman fans." Gaiman told Yahoo, "And I mostly decided I was done with it. Occasionally I do feel like I'm taking an enormous sledgehammer to squash the tiniest ants, and you really shouldn't," Gaiman has been known for actively responding to fan questions on Twitter and Tumblr. In a recent tweet, the author wittingly responded to a fan who asked how he deals with internet trolls.
Keep them talking until sunrise. https://t.co/XCu2QkATrY
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 5, 2022
"The Rings of Power" is available to stream on Amazon Prime, with its first two episodes released in September 1. The series is set to run with eight episodes for its first season until October 14th.
