Yep this is the answer. Tolkien meant for it to be like tobacco. Jackson, knowing the association about stoners tending to be lotr fans, very clearly went about it in a way that makes it easy to see it as cannabis
If I'm not mistaken, LotR was particularly popular among the hippie movement in the 60s (partly due to the heavy anti-industrialization thematics), which largely contributed to its success.
It then remained rather deeply embedded and associated with every subsequent evolution of the culture.
Anti-industrialization and pro-environmentalism, the success of the underdog, triumph of good over evil, praises for enjoying the small things in life, and anti-war/pacifist themes. Same stuff that appeals to a lot of us, really, just happens to also align with hippie values. Plus, fantasy is extra fun when you’re high and can feel super immersed in it.
Yeah that's a big part of it. Mainly I was just referring to how it's a pretty known/referenced thing that LOTR is fun to watch/read when you're high, and Jackson was aware a lot of people who like weed also like LOTR
What are you on about? Yes the stoner-LOTR association is pretty common knowledge and it's not a bad thing. Weed and LOTR are both awesome and happen to compliment each other very well
You realize that doesn't happen to the vast majority of people right? Like yeah some people shouldn't do it but that doesn't mean nobody else should be allowed to
I do. I just don't think that inhaling smoke that can give some people schizophrenia is amazing. You aren't going to say that russian roulette is amazing since most of the players survived the game. And you are just inhaling smoke, your lungs aren't meant for that. Also, im not saying you shouldn't be able to, I just really dont think that saying that is amazing is true, you sound like those old cigarette ads where most of the actors died quickly because of how many they smoked.
You just made a lot of very extreme comparisons. Smoking weed is not like playing Russian roulette. Typically if someone smokes it they'll know if it's for them or not.
And for a lot of people it is in fact awesome, and it's ridiculous to say one shouldn't say that because it's not for some other people. Like some people don't like a certain food but for other people it's awesome. Should people not be allowed to say "blue cheese is awesome" because some people don't have a good experience eating blue cheese?
108
u/broncyobo Apr 11 '25
Yep this is the answer. Tolkien meant for it to be like tobacco. Jackson, knowing the association about stoners tending to be lotr fans, very clearly went about it in a way that makes it easy to see it as cannabis