A piece on the
crackdown on Tolkienists in Kazakhstan, where the government is
waging war against all "bohemian" and "counter-cultural" elements who
deviate from accepted behaviours. This includes "alternative" artists,
homosexuals and punk rockers, as well as people who dress up as hobbits on
the weekend.
"I find city life so crude and gloomy. I want to get away from it and create a different world," one 17-year-old fan said. "When I look at other kids who hang out with nothing to do and no interests in life, I feel sad. Their lives seem so empty."