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Elon Musk has been making headlines again, this time for comments that many people are calling outrageous. He’s been stirring controversy in the UK for a while by sharing far-right ideas, backing extremist figures like Tommy Robinson, and even claiming that a civil war in the UK is “inevitable.”
Now, during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Musk made one of his strangest statements yet. He compared rural England to “The Shire” from The Lord of the Rings, saying it was full of peaceful “hobbits” who enjoy quiet lives until “invaders” from the south threaten them. He went as far as to claim that villages in Britain have been attacked in horrifying ways, a claim that has no factual basis and that British listeners immediately called nonsense.
But beyond how extreme his words were, Musk also seemed to completely misunderstand the message of The Lord of the Rings. The story is not about violent men protecting an innocent land from outsiders. Tolkien’s work is about unity, kindness, and courage. It’s about people from very different backgrounds, hobbits, elves, men, and dwarves, coming together to fight evil through loyalty and compassion, not through hate or division.
In the books, Middle-earth isn’t saved by “hard men with swords.” It’s saved by small acts of bravery and empathy, by Frodo and Sam’s compassion for Smeagol, by characters who resist the temptation for power. The moral is clear: goodness and cooperation overcome darkness, not violence or fear.
So when Musk tries to twist that story into something that supports his divisive ideas, it shows how deeply he’s missed the point. Comparing hateful movements to Tolkien’s noble heroes is absurd. Figures like Tommy Robinson have nothing in common with Boromir or Faramir, who showed humility, sacrifice, and honor.
If there’s a real comparison to be made, many say Musk actually resembles Gríma Wormtongue, the manipulative voice whispering poison into people’s ears, trying to control and corrupt from behind the scenes. And just like in Tolkien’s tale, the hope is that truth and decency eventually drown out that poison.