10 Ways Lord of the Rings has aged poorly.
https://www.cbr.com/ways-lord-of-the-rings-has-aged-poorly/
Because Tolkien was largely inspired by white European history and myths, The Lord of the Rings is not a very diverse series of books. The main cast of characters is all presumed to be white based on the books, and even adaptations of the work reflect this lack of diversity.
Representation in media matters, as some studies have suggested that positive representation can lead to greater acceptance of people who are othered. Having a series of books featuring all-white lead characters is a notion that feels dated with today's sensibilities.
In The Lord of the Rings, there are certain races that are only represented by evil characters. The orks, uruks, and goblins, for instance, only appear in the form of evil antagonists, leading readers to believe that all members of these races are evil.
Tolkien said, "nothing is evil in the beginning," which is a good sentiment. However, when every character from a race is shown to be evil, it does make readers think that every member of that race must be evil. Even if the races depicted are fantasy races, the idea that a group of people is all born with the same immutable qualities is outdated and frankly problematic.
Some critics of Tolkien's work have pointed out some potentially concerning connections between where certain groups live in Middle Earth and real-life biases. Geographically, there is a largely East vs. West dynamic in the books, which is even directly referenced in the text. In the books, the good characters are from the West, and the bad characters are from the East.
Tolkien addressed this criticism, saying it arose simply due to the narrative he was telling, but it does parallel some concerning talking points. The idea of protecting "Western civilization" has been used by some bad actors in support of white nationalism and xenophobia. More politically active readers of The Lord of the Rings will likely see some red flags in this similarity.
The Lord of the Rings is largely a story about male characters. The female characters in Tolkien's work are largely side-lined or defined by their relationships to men in the story. By today's standards, this type of storytelling doesn't really hold up.share
Similar to ensuring there is good representation across races, it is also important for media to portray characters of multiple genders. Though Tolkien does include some good moments for his female characters, notably Éowyn slaying the Witch King, they do not feel like fully realized people.