Anyway, all of the above is old news to anyone that has gotten to know a decent sample size of the human race. The adult lot is full of "disappointed dreamers" who feel emotionally (and perhaps socially) castrated and unappreciated for their greatness. What I find interesting though, is how many of them identify with the character of Cersei Lannister, perhaps one of the most notorious psychopaths in fiction. Not only that, but they admire her for her strength and dedication. When I found this out through several conversations, I was horrified and fascinated at the same time. Their reaction to my horror was priceless, because many of them didn't think it was bad to have admiration for a mass murderer. Another interesting fact: all of my samples are liberals. Yeah. These are people who want free health care for all, universal basic income for all, feel that the world would be a better place if love was everywhere and everyone had multiple sex partners and could stay stoned/high all the time so that there was only pleasure and no pain. Yes...these same people profess admiration for a woman that burned all of her enemies alive in wildfire and destroyed the entire Sept of Balor (the Westerosi equivalent of Vatican city). I was floored.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Cersei Lannister, she's a Machiavellian ruler who has stopped at nothing when it comes to seizing her throne. Her last living child even committed suicide because of the horrors that Cersei inflicted, and she hardly batted an eyelash. She even twisted his actions saying, "He betrayed me," as if in those three words it was completely okay that your son committed suicide by throwing himself to his death. If the murdering wasn't bad enough, she's tortured people to death or given them over as rewards to undead monsters to rape and enjoy, and she's had an incestuous relationship with her brother her entire life (while married to the king whom she cuckolded gladly). The list of her horrible traits is a mile long, and I thought for sure that there was nothing to admire there. Yet, it seems, if you are feeling "oppressed" in any way, she's probably the character you like most.
It makes me wonder why. The answer may be simple: oppressed people like Cersei because they wish that they could do what Cersei did to her enemies. And that single thought terrifies me. It's made me look at these liberal "friends" in a different light and made me realize, "Hey...I have different values than these people. There's no way I could do the things that Cersei Lannister has done. I'm just not that kind of person."
There's so much anger and hatred in this country that it feels like it's oozing through the polite cracks everywhere. I saw it on the political right first, but now I'm seeing it on the political left as well. It's been a real wake-up call, and it makes me worried for the future. I suppose a television series like Game of Thrones really does have something for everyone, and it should be a reminder to us all that evil makes a flower bed of anger and grows quite nicely if it is ignored.
I think you are exactly right. They want to be like her. Which goes against their grain, but they're bitter life didn't hand them everything because they're special. Interesting observation. And yes, it's a little scary the division of hate that's around us now.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the Otto Warmbier (the kid killed in North Korea) tribute page on Facebook. Some people were going there (both black and whites) trolling the page, glad he was killed because there was no white privilege in North Korea, saying white people were whiners and the guy deserved it. Have people lost their minds? They need to understand that the world owes them nothing.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the way she eliminated all her enemies like Michael Corleone in the Godfather but Daenyrs or Jon Snow are better leaders.
ReplyDeleteCersei started out as a pawn being married off to Robert Barathean, but she's proven herself to be quite the Machiavellian player.
ReplyDeleteThere is something in watching someone get at their enemies. I suppose. I couldn't make it past the second or third episode of this show because of the brutality, so I can't really speak to this.
ReplyDeleteYou are making some really bold claims here but I notice you only used anecdotal evidence as proof. That isn't proof. It's a small sample size and not representative of the population at large. Sorry if my comment comes off as angry but I really hate overreaching blanket statements. I know you are just doing a thought exercise.
ReplyDeleteI too get frustrated when I see some of the statements from the far right and far left. I see a lot of anger and naivety coming from both sides and that's worrying in a United States that is moving from a post WW2 prosperity economy that was impossible to maintain forever. The people in the middle need to make sure we aren't becoming too much like the principal from the Breakfast Club, worried about future generations. It sometimes scares me how he's become less of a villain to me as I've gotten older.
It is just a thought exercise, and yes, it is just anecdotal evidence. I suppose I just found these multiple conversations I was getting into over the course of several days startling. I've started to ask more people who I think "fit" within my definition of someone that lives with the idea that they are (in fact) oppressed and found one other person that also declared that love for Cersei Lannister. Of course, the sampling here is not only to identify people who may be "oppressed," but also that they need to be up-to-date and somewhat "passionate" about Game of Thrones to have an opinion. It's merely food for thought, but one I feel free to discuss on my little old blog. No offense taken, Kev. I love your opinions. BTW, would you by any chance be interested in doing a guest post?
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