Topic: Russia has officially lost Ukraine. The West has won.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc started this discussion 2 weeks ago #125,740
Ukraine opens LGBT film festival on Good Friday.
https://www.rt.com/russia/615982-kiev-opens-lgbt-film-festival/
https://www.rt.com/russia/615982-kiev-opens-lgbt-film-festival/
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc (OP) double-posted this 2 weeks ago, 5 hours later[^] [v] #1,361,636
Meanwhile, while Action Man is hosting his gay films festival, Orthodox Christian Putin follows the example of Christ and orders peace.Anonymous B joined in and replied with this 2 weeks ago, 5 minutes later, 5 hours after the original post[^] [v] #1,361,638
@previous (Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc)
You missed the part where he DIDN'T KNOW that Putin sent troops into Crimea, and when told that Putin did, he blamed Obama and NATO for being weak but Ukriane isn't part of NATO, and if it were, Putin would not have invaded and risked Article 5 being invoked. All this when his campaign is being run by Paul Manafort, who worked for the Russian-friendly Ukrainian President that was ousted from power in the coup that Russia used to annex Ukraine, and who fled to Russia for safety when Ukraine descended into civil war (with Russian soldiers on vacation taking part too of course) and this whole thing stinks to high heaven.
You missed the part where he DIDN'T KNOW that Putin sent troops into Crimea, and when told that Putin did, he blamed Obama and NATO for being weak but Ukriane isn't part of NATO, and if it were, Putin would not have invaded and risked Article 5 being invoked. All this when his campaign is being run by Paul Manafort, who worked for the Russian-friendly Ukrainian President that was ousted from power in the coup that Russia used to annex Ukraine, and who fled to Russia for safety when Ukraine descended into civil war (with Russian soldiers on vacation taking part too of course) and this whole thing stinks to high heaven.
Kook !!rcSrAtaAC joined in and replied with this 2 weeks ago, 1 minute later, 5 hours after the original post[^] [v] #1,361,640
Anonymous E joined in and replied with this 2 weeks ago, 2 hours later, 7 hours after the original post[^] [v] #1,361,677
@previous (Kook !!rcSrAtaAC)
Anonymous H joined in and replied with this 2 weeks ago, 9 hours later, 17 hours after the original post[^] [v] #1,361,954
In terms of the broader legendarium, certainly the impression we get is that Elven military culture is a heroic warrior culture that prizes individual skill at arms rather than collective synchronization. The heroic figures of Elven wars are, after all, individual aristocratic warriors, fighting on their own – figures like Glorfindal, Ecthelion, Turgon, Fingolfin or Fingon. From that kind of a society, we might expect considerable individual combat skills, especially from the hero-aristocrats, but not a neatly uniform army of interchangeable mechanical soldiers. Even in the context of the Rings of Power show, we see an Elven society split between its many quasi-independent lords: Gil-galad, Elrond, Círdan, Galadriel, Celebrimbor and though we have not seen him yet, Oropher (Thranduil’s father; Legolas’ grandfather), who all have a lot of autonomy and thus probably their own military forces. This is not a disciplined, professional army but an aristocratic collection of warrior bands.
But also why is Elrond in charge? Gil-galad, the High King of the Noldor, for whom Elrond is merely a herald, is riding right next to him, but in a terminal bought of ‘main character syndrome’ it is Elrond who gives the non-speech, commands the cavalry, conducts the subsequent negotiations and then leads the army. And, because this fits nowhere else, his title is ‘commander,’ a title that also feels out of place and tinny. For one, the rank of ‘commander’ is rare in armies generally (it is generally a naval rank) and more to the point is relatively recent, emerging in the 18th century (as “master and commander”)2 to describe the commanding officer of a ship too large to be left to a lieutenant but too small to merit a captain. Tolkien, by contrast, tends to stick with ranks that have their origins deeper in the past: we get Captains, Marshals and Generals, all terms with roots deep into the Middle Ages. Honestly, I think this would have been a good opportunity for a rank title in Quenya or Sindarin or, failing that, he ought to have been ‘Captain’ or perhaps ‘Lord.’
But also why is Elrond in charge? Gil-galad, the High King of the Noldor, for whom Elrond is merely a herald, is riding right next to him, but in a terminal bought of ‘main character syndrome’ it is Elrond who gives the non-speech, commands the cavalry, conducts the subsequent negotiations and then leads the army. And, because this fits nowhere else, his title is ‘commander,’ a title that also feels out of place and tinny. For one, the rank of ‘commander’ is rare in armies generally (it is generally a naval rank) and more to the point is relatively recent, emerging in the 18th century (as “master and commander”)2 to describe the commanding officer of a ship too large to be left to a lieutenant but too small to merit a captain. Tolkien, by contrast, tends to stick with ranks that have their origins deeper in the past: we get Captains, Marshals and Generals, all terms with roots deep into the Middle Ages. Honestly, I think this would have been a good opportunity for a rank title in Quenya or Sindarin or, failing that, he ought to have been ‘Captain’ or perhaps ‘Lord.’