Game of Thrones: too much racism and sexism – so I stopped watching
After yet another rape scene, I no longer trust the creators to bridge the gap of thoughtful conversation between action and intent – so I’ve given up on Game of Thrones for good
I’m aware that Game of Thrones is a TV show, a work of fiction, but having invested in it for three seasons, I no longer trusted the creators to bridge the gap of thoughtful conversation between action and intent. How much misogyny and racism are we expected to put up with in the name of entertainment? And what does it mean when those systems of oppression are crafted not solely by the author, but by television executives looking to create a heightened sense of drama?
The fact that this person placed her trust in creators of a TV show to bridge the gap of thoughtful conversation between action and intent, sounds a bit laughable. First off what does that even mean? Secondly concerning the question – how much racism and misogyny are we expected to put up with in the name of entertainment? – the answer is a whole lot less than the actual people dealing with it in real life.
If a fantasy show depicting a medieval tyrannical king and political power struggles, and murder why are we surprised at the existence of rape scenes? Were medieval societies a bastion of free thought, speech and human rights? Isn’t a rape scene in a fictional world depicted in this setting expected? Isn’t that what tyrannical despots and their crew do, I mean China has recently released previously confidential Japanese wartime documents, including some about “comfort women” forced to serve in military brothels during World War II.
Senseless Outrage
This sounds like senseless outrage to me unless you think that anytime someone depicts rape, or even mentions the word we are teaching people to rape. When I read Pope’s The Rape of Locke or Yeat’s Leda and the Swan I didn’t feel like raping a chick dressed up as a swan. When I saw Django Unchained I never felt moved to shoot and kill a White Person, or kick in doors yelling ” D’Artagnan Mutha Fuckaz”. If I create a TV show that interweaved mystical and magical traditions, slavery and the slave trade, war, shouldn’t I expect to see brutality, a white guy raping someone who looks like my cousin, at least a whipping scene ? As difficult as those scenes are they serve a function. They put the reality of the times or of history on the table so we can discuss things. To often we bury our more unsavory acts into some dank dark recesses where they grow and fester.
Mass Media
Mass Media inculcates stereotypes into people’s minds. That what it does for the sake of profit. Mass media tells us who to hate , and how ferocious our hate towards them should be. But mass media can only go that because we give them power to do so. It sounds like hypocrisy to get upset for rape, violence and inequality on a fantasy TV show but to turn a blind to all it’s manifestations in our daily lives. 96% of women raped in the USA knew their attacker or had a relationship with them. I have seen many war movies and still remain a pacifist. I have seen many slavery documentaries and have no ill will towards Caucasians. (I do bear ill will towards M Night Shamalan and Cameron Diaz for their work in cinema) I don’t think it’s as monkey see monkey do; I see a rape scene on TV and think many when I get the opportunity I am so going to do it. I loved Superman and Batman but never got into wearing tights as I go through the city.
Furthermore from the onset Game of Thrones has been a very violent show. What I find interesting is that the torture and mutilation depicted didn’t make this lady stop watching. This sets a precedence, that there is a social preference for certain types of violence and abuse. A rape scene done on the show of this genre does not glorifying the act!!!!! I believe that treating every mention of rape whether literary or in film with having fleshed out how rape scenes promulgate rape is ludicrous.
If you want to watch sanitized versions of a FANTASY world then by all means go do so, but that sanitized version of what ever you watching is just as much an aberration as anything else.
ok end of rant sorry
ASpoonfulofSuga 
From what a friend said who’s both seen the show and read the books, the show is a lot more “rapey” than the original stories. There are some scenes that are being changed and made to be more violent and misogynist, and then the artistic types involved are trying to pretend they’re not worse. I’ve heard that there seems to be an element of “well, she really wanted it even though she was clearly unwilling” to some of the rapes. I suspect the bloodshed is probably amped up a bit for TV, too. I don’t have HBO, and really have no interest in this show. But I think there’s also the risk of reinforcing some nasty cultural problems with shows like this, and any other show that doesn’t treat rape like the violent crime it is.
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PurpsZes
That’s how I’d imagine Gollum would call ya PurpsZesss.
from what I have seen and I havent watched often enough or religioously enough but there are a bevy of really strong female characters some with a solid moral character. When the villains of a show are involved in rape, it’s hard for me to get that “she wanted it although she was unwilling”. I feel with ya that a lot is being ramped up for television and to make it more of a spectacle than what it really is.
I think that shows can’t reinforce rape, and I may be a bit dumb. I feel not prosecuting rapists, not educating people on rape, not examining certain societal roles and activities, etc that reinforces rape. When there is a war movie, or a slavery movie, I serve to open our minds to how evil such occurences are, and they awaken us to the depth of human depravity.
I think that tv shows are mirrors and what we see is a product of a confluence of things at the time. I feel maybe I too am caught up in things and may not see clearly though.
On an other note, why no interest in the show? What do you tend to watch ? I personally dont own cable and havent watched tv in years. I tend to if anything watch clips of stuff online or read
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