An Insult to Both Tolkien and America

Oregon Magazine ^ | December 4, 2002 | Larry Leonard

[WaterDragon]

December 4, 2002, Charlie Rose (PBS) -- Viggo Mortenson. He is the actor who plays Strider (Aragorn of Arathorn) in the Ring Trilogy. He is, he says, an American. He appeared on this program with Peter Jackson, the director and Elijah Wood, who is Frodo. Wearing a t-shirt that he made himself, which said "No more blood for oil....(snip)

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[My back yard]

Thanks.

Directed at whomever suggest otherwise -- I have no doubt, whatsoever, that Tolkien would have been a Margaret Thatcher/Ronald Reagan conservative, and supported George Bush now on this war against terror. My personal opinion here is based on the reading of the book The Inklings, specifically the sections where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis have their discussions on religion, and good and evil.

[Dutchgirl]

Not Lincoln...one of your contemporaries...Aesop:
Something about a lion who goes to his advisors and says: "My Queen has complained of the stench in my mouth. Do I have bad breath? "
The first advisor, thinking he wants the truth, agrees that the King has fetid breath, and the lion eats him, for his rudeness.
The second advisor, says his breath smells of dewdrops and honey, and he gets eaten for being a flatterer.
The third advisor, seeing what happened to the first two is struck with a sudden head cold and claims to not be able to give an opinion, since he can't smell.

[poet]

How about your own life? Perhaps you are being sarcastic and left the sarcasim out?

FReegards

[MattinNJ]

Why do we even care what actors think? As I said earlier, I don't give a rip what my plumber thinks about politics.

Thanks for the info. I agree that he is a great actor. I could care less 9 times out of 10 what an actor/actress thinks. Sometimes (Jane Fonda and Sean Penn come to mind) I can't help being distracted. Other times (Jack Nichelson) the performer is just too damn good for me to care about their politics.

The same thing happened to me a little while ago when the Dixie Chicks ripped into Toby Keith for his lyrics in the "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue." As soon as one of their videos come on I go out of my way to flip the channel.

[AdA$tra]

Yeah... just points out that yes, oil IS worth a certain amount of blood. Nothing wrong with that.

I was thinking the same thing. Like it or not it is the truth. I am sure Viggo will be riding his mountain bike to the premier rather than riding in a gas guzzling limo or chauffer driven SUV.

[Sloth]

No, I am not being sarcastic. Don't you think anything is worth risking your life for? Do you drive to work every day?

[The Toll]

The guy that plays the main Elf character was in Black Hawk Down so its all good go see the movie if you want.

[AdA$tra]

Viggo played a roughneck oil driller in Armageddon as well. I think he may have to return his fee for that performance.

[anymouse]

Mortensen only demonstrated his ignorance by spouting a bunch of leftist propaganda as his basis for his viewpoint. As usual Charlie Rose softballed him and didn't challenge his boldfaced lies. Of course since Mortensen spend half the show spouting his leftist views instead of talking about the movie (thus alienating at least half of the potential audience for the movie), I'm sure Jackson wasn't any too pleased. You could tell that Elijah Wood was uncomfortable being used in this political manner.

The irony is that Mortensen's character is a Paladan, a holy warrier, who slays multitudes of "bad guys" in the movie in essentially a "holy war" against evil.

I predict that beyond the 3 "Lord of the Rings" movies already in the can, Mr. Mortensen's acting career is going to be quite limited in the US. And I bet that he isn't getting much revenue for LotR either, since he wasn't a big name actor that would draw fans to the movie, and I doubt that Jackson was foolish enough to give no-name actors percentages of the film's profits. Other than the ocassional free speaking engagement at the odd leftist rally, this tacky political statement may end up being quite costly to him. Free speech is not with out a price.

[HairOfTheDog]

Eh, if you were a famous person who could get air-time, I am sure you would take the opportunity to push your agenda also! ;~D

I just think we as conservatives should relax a bit about artist visions. People who are very artistic by nature also tend to be quite unorthodox in their politics. Viggo is a really eccentric person. He wore his sword and slept outside during the filming for Pete's sake. I would be quite surprised if he wasn't also unorthodox in his politics.

I think we look worse for getting upset about it. I tend to listen and think, hmmm.... so that is how eccentric people make out the world... interesting.

Dangit.... I formulated a view about this, and I didn't want to.

[WaterDragon]

Ping for you!

[AdA$tra]

How about your own life? Perhaps you are being sarcastic and left the sarcasim out?

Unfortunately I have been driving my wife to Omaha from here in Topeka for visits to the Lied Transplant Center. If gas were $3.00 a gallon it would cost me more to drive there than to stay there. Would I volunteer to fight a Gulf War type battle for stable oil prices: Yes. Would I spend two years in Viet Nam for the same thing, probably not. Of couse the difference here is a clear. Our objective to maintain our fragile economy, fight the war on terror as well as eliminating the threat SH poses to the entire world, make this a viable war.

[HairOfTheDog]

If you notice that this gets moved to chat.... be sure to index it to The Hobbit Hole topic... Most of the LoTR threads lately are posted on the GI side :~D

[null and void]

Has France surrendered yet? Have you?

[Gunslingr3]

If it were truly about oil we'd have new wells in ANWR, off the coasts of Floriduh, Kalifornia, and half a dozen other places on US soil. LOTS cheaper by ANY measure than war...

The reason we buy the oil pumped out of the ground in the Middle East is because it's cheaper to pump out and better for refining than the oil we could continue to squeeze out of Texas, etc. ANWR, Florida, California, etc. are politically protected from oil drilling, cost isn't really the issue there. Buying oil is cheaper than going to war for it for everyone except the oil companies. The oil companies aren't the ones paying for the military.

[Gunslingr3]

How do you explain the Battle of the Black Sea?

I'll bite, which battle?

[null and void]

ANWR, Florida, California, etc. are politically protected from oil drilling,

Pretty much my point.

Yet you asert that the war isn't political?

[Redcloak]

Hmmm... Perhaps it was a typo and the shirt really read "No more blood for orcs".

[hopespringseternal]

"No more blood for oil.

Unless he is wearing it in the movie, I just don't know how I could care any less.

My concern for this arrogant half-wit begins and ends with his ability to play Aragorn, which he does quite well.