For ‘Game of Thrones,’ rising unease over rape’s

[cronus]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/tel ... e18414050/

For ‘Game of Thrones,’ rising unease over rape’s recurring role

From its very beginnings, “Game of Thrones,” has been riddled with sexual brutality. The franchise, which started as a series of fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin about a bleak, feudal world, has at various times included a warrior king who claims his child bride on their wedding night and the gang rape of a young woman by “half a hundred shouting men behind a tanner’s shop.”

These scenes and others raised concerns, but this discussion was confined to readers and critics of fantasy fiction.

Now the debate about the series’ sexual violence has spilled into the mainstream and grown vehement, fueled by the explosive growth of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” series. In its fourth season, the show, which airs Sunday nights, averages more than 14 million viewers and has become the cable network’s most watched series since “The Sopranos.”

In the latest episode, women held captive in a wintry shelter are sexually brutalized. In the deeply controversial episode that preceded it, a scheming noblewoman in an incestuous relationship with her brother is forced to have sex with him, despite her cries of no.

Rape is often presented in television plot lines, where it has far-reaching and lasting consequences for the affected characters. But critics of “Game of Thrones” fear that rape has become so pervasive in the drama that it is almost background noise - a routine and unshocking occurrence.

(continued)

[SteveB]

That whole Jaime rapes Cersei was just a directorial mistake. He doesn't actually rape her in the book and it was written the same way in the show. It just doesn't show up that way. So director's fault.

The rest is rape. You'd think there would be a lot rape considering like thousands of people have died already throughout the series in the various battles and such which is true to the times and so is the rape. The medieval times were very rapey and violent.

[pErvinalia]

Fair point, I guess. This goes back to that previous thread I think you made, scumple, where you queried whether period drama should be more sexist. The problem with this show is that it's not a historical analogue. It's fantasy.

Now that i've been reminded of it, I remember I was pretty shocked by the Jaimie - Cerces scene.

[cronus]

Fair point, I guess. This goes back to that previous thread I think you made, scumple, where you queried whether period drama should be more sexist. The problem with this show is that it's not a historical analogue. It's fantasy.

Now that i've been reminded of it, I remember I was pretty shocked by the Jaimie - Cerces scene.

I do wonder if this is actually more about expanding the franchise into those misogynistic cultures and 'emerging markets' in the Far East, where things are far from balanced between the sexes, far from good? Part of America's geo-political pivot towards the asian arena - an aggressive cultural imperialism and using what is already there to undermine reformist elements within competitors and their cultures? Imagine how much clothes and shoes would cost 'here' if women in the Far East had the same socio-economic muscle as men 'there'?

Always nice to armchair dig for evidence to support a conjecture, and find some too.

http://qz.com/205135/chinese-censors-tu ... cumentary/

[pErvinalia]

I suspect it's more about pushing boundaries than anything else. Controversy sells.

[cronus]

I suspect it's more about pushing boundaries than anything else. Controversy sells.

Pushing boundaries would be women raping men. A female seduction-castration cult or something. Gotta be accurate for those medieval times.

[JimC]

Rape's what?

[cronus]

Rape's what?

....ran out of space for the full title. Then I knew any mention of the 'r' word would bring 'em flocking in here.

[Hermit]

Rape's what?

...recurring role. It's the title of the article Scrumpolino is quoting. Difficult to discover, I know.

[Hermit]

Martin wrote that as an artist, he had an obligation to tell the truth about history and about human nature.

“Rape and sexual violence have been a part of every war ever fought, from the ancient Sumerians to our present day,” said Martin

He forgot to mention that people look to books, films and cartoons that feature miniature shoulder-dwelling dragons, a cast of characters where all men are physically strong, of well shaped, unless of course they are freaks and women have been cast by Penthouse central, for "truth about history".

I may of course be ill-informed, for apart from following up on two or three links to teasers available on youtube and reading a few articles, I know bugger-all about Game of Thrones, but it strikes me that the HBO production is not in the least concerned with historical integrity. For fucks sake, it's a fantasy soap opera. The various rape scenes contribute nothing to "truth". They are bolted on to the plot of this action drama for the sake of titillation, and their entire purpose is to drive up the ratings - and with it advertising revenue. I for one will not get sucked in by this high production value, lowbrow crap.

[pErvinalia]

apart from you last sentence... Yep.

[JimC]

apart from you last sentence... Yep.