Orcs Find Term "Goblin Mode" A Little Insulting
Against type, some goblins can adhere to social norms
A number of Orcs have stepped forward to publicly decry the connotations surrounding the phrase "goblin mode," citing that it puts goblins in a negative light since it makes a generalization about the predisposed habits of an entire group.
"We are all being lumped together," complained one semi-reformed Orc. "Some of us can exist in a common, decent society without submitting to our baser selves."
Of course, the phrase itself is a relatively recent term, made popular on social media platforms. The term is now used in common parlance to signify how one might embrace a natural state of unprincipled behavior, without regards to self-image.
"Yes, all of us are grotesque and monstrous creatures, but that doesn't have to define us,"
In Middle Earth, Orcs are soldiers of the Dark Lords, conceived by Morgoth and servants to Sauron. Overtime, they were banished to the deep caves of Angband, where they became even more deformed and cruel.
"Yes, all of us are grotesque and monstrous creatures, but that doesn't have to define us," said another Orc defeated at the War for the Sake of the Elves.
The Orcs rejection of the term brings up an interesting philosophical debate on "nature vs. nurture." Are Orcs predestined to be evil, or can they learn how to behave within society?
According to Aristotle, morality is learned since creatures are born "amoral." Jean-Jacques Rousseau would second that notion, claiming that life would be gentle and pure without the corruption imposed by society.
However, given the track record of the Orcs throughout history, it would be difficult to argue against the Orc's seemingly natural inclination to be "nasty" and "brutish." According to the many elves and dwarves who suffered at the hands of Black Uruks, "the only good Orc is a dead Orc."
So, the question remains then: can an orc be good? Throughout the ages and within the history of Middle Earth, there are no examples of Orc redemption. Alas, it seems like the natural state of the Orc is to always be in "goblin-mode," with their extreme acts of aggression and violence.
But a new generation of Orcs, many tired of living in caves of Barad-dur and the foothills of Mount Doom, are looking to shed their past and embrace a new lifestyle, redefining what it might mean to be an Orc.
"We are capable of doing good, but please be patient with us. It takes determination and strength, and an understanding of self to overcome our predisposed habits of tireless, predatory energy," said an Orc creating a new settlement in the Misty Mountains.
"It'll be hard, but some of us are going to try."