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[Editorial notes & asides are in blue. The thread itself is in yellow. The context of the thread was the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance which had been held in South Africa from August 31 to September 7, 2001.] Chris Barrera touched it off the day the real-world conference wound up... |
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The White Council conference on race ended today without agreement on how to address the issues of racism, slavery, and colonialism in Arda. Many Dunlanders were upset that the issues of Numenorean colonialism were being ignored. They are attending the conference to demand an apology and reparations for past colonialism and slavery. "Gondor and Arnor were built on the backs of our forefathers and their resources!" claimed the Dunland ambassador. King Elessar responded that that his own people suffered too when Numenor fell beneath the waves, and besides 5000 years was a little long to hold a grudge. Several nearby Elves and Dwarves coughed and then looked away upon hearing that last comment. The key issue that overshadowed the rest was the continued conflict in Middle-Earth between Orcs and Dwarves in Orc-occupied Moria. An attempt to bring compromise to the two parties by the Elves fell apart and the Dwarves with their Human allies walked out. The Orc leaders insisted that his people were here to stay. The Elves are concerned that hostilities will spill over into Lorien and Rivendell, destabilizing the entire region. Mithril prices reached a new high on the open market when the OMEC cartel cut back on production. |
| Yet ancient grievances were not the only matters weighing on delegates' minds. rec.arts.books.tolkien's roving correspondent "TradeSurplus" travelling with the Umbar delegation learnt that a rather more modern issue had also been cause for concern... |
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Of course, important though the conference was, it was overshadowed by the continuing controversy over King Elessar's proposed anti-Balrog shield. King Thranduil is still insisting that his support for such a shield is contingent on its being expanded to cover all Mirkwood. Meanwhile, the Corsairs of Umbar consider the need for such a shield to be a calculated insult to them and there are fears that the recent rapprochement between Gondor and Umbar could be in peril. King Elessar reiterated that such a shield was the only protection possible against Balrogs, saying "With their powerful wings they could easily fly over any army sent to intercept them."
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| Other delegates professed disappointment at what the conference did not address, as rec.arts.books.tolkien's editor for eastern affairs, Ojevind Lang, reported from Ostgiliath... |
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The conference did not find the time to deal with the grievances of the Avari, who think that the outdated, discriminatory caste system among Elves should be abolished. Says one of their spokespersons, Inkeri Sinkkonen: "Why should we be eternally barred from Aman, even though we never did such harm as Feanor and his wanker sons and all the other Noldorin?" [Meanwhile, t]he lobbies and workshops of the conference were haunted by a shadowy person with a single red eye who kept complaining that somone had stolen his ring. He demanded compensation to the tune of thousands of years' worth of accumulated interest. |