So, about those “misunderstood, sensitive orcs”…
People need to understand that LOTR is not a historical novel, or an alternative history, or sociology.
LOTR takes place in the mythological realm, a sort of alternative dimension where the same fundamental energies and dynamics of the Cosmos manifest and play out differently. They are more directly “fleshified”, whereas in our realm, they are more subtle, more hidden, and need to be discerned by the soul as opposed to perceived directly.
Where in our world, magic for the most part manifests as narratives, words, and deep understanding followed up by consistent action, in LOTR it is applied directly and instantly. Where in our world, nobility and courage cannot be recognized at first sight, in LOTR it is represented outwardly in the races. And where in our world, evil must be discerned via intelligent observation and learning to resist deception, in LOTR it can confront you in the form of Orc armies.
(Hence the bible talks about “eyes to see and ears to hear”, Paul talks about “walking according to the spirit”, and Heraclitus sayz: “The Logos: though men associate with it most closely, yet they are separated from it, and those things which they encounter daily seem to them strange.” In our world, we have to go beyond perception, towards discernment of higher realms and their basic principles.)
In other words, it is utterly absurd to depict Orcs as conflicted beings deserving sympathy, because in Middle Earth, they are a direct representation of evil.
But of course, the realm of myth and our own realm are connected: changing the dynamics there has an impact on our perception here.
While it is true that in our realm evil is often more subtle and cannot be directly perceived, it exists just as much as in Middle Earth. If we lose the ability to represent and recognize it symbolically, in a fictious story that presents basic building blocks of the Cosmos directly, then our ability to recognize it in our realm is weakened as well (and vice-versa). So, to give an example, a psychopath in our realm comes close to representing pure evil, sort of a human-looking orc. It is not easy to spot them, to look beyond the mask, to discern his (or her!) lying, manipulation and soulless cruelty. But if we pretend that Orcs (pure evil), this fundamental cosmic force, doesn’t even exist, because it’s all relative and it all has feelings and whatever, then we are completely helpless when facing it.
And so, while a lot of this entertainment garbage might be driven by utter ignorance of such matters, cringe-ly confusing mythology and sociology, there is also a more sinister aspect to it: by warping the mythical realm, those who produce this stuff warp our “spiritual sight” too, and render us helpless in the face of evil in our own realm.
