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| Game of Thrones rape? Care more about real assaults | Game of Thrones rape? Care more about real assaults |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| Watching the rape of Sansa Stark by her new groom, Ramsay Bolton, on Game of Thrones, I have to say that I wasn’t remotely offended. For me, it registered as a dramatic manifestation of Ramsay’s controlling malevolence and Sansa’s suffering, which I presume was what was intended. | Watching the rape of Sansa Stark by her new groom, Ramsay Bolton, on Game of Thrones, I have to say that I wasn’t remotely offended. For me, it registered as a dramatic manifestation of Ramsay’s controlling malevolence and Sansa’s suffering, which I presume was what was intended. |
| Certainly, with GOT (the TV series, rather than the books), it seems rather late to start complaining about “gratuitous” scenes. Personally, I’ve stuck with the show for the imaginative plotlines and strong characterisation – and very much despite the irksome “medieval” costumes (groan), stupid dragons (eye roll) and risible levels of female nudity that reduce it to soft porn for schoolboys (overgrown and otherwise) presumably too emotionally stunted to lust properly over, say, Lara Croft. In this way, far from being the porny antichrist, GOT is merely the tragic modern-day equivalent of what used to be furtive peeks at the bras section of the likes of Kay’s catalogue. Bless. | Certainly, with GOT (the TV series, rather than the books), it seems rather late to start complaining about “gratuitous” scenes. Personally, I’ve stuck with the show for the imaginative plotlines and strong characterisation – and very much despite the irksome “medieval” costumes (groan), stupid dragons (eye roll) and risible levels of female nudity that reduce it to soft porn for schoolboys (overgrown and otherwise) presumably too emotionally stunted to lust properly over, say, Lara Croft. In this way, far from being the porny antichrist, GOT is merely the tragic modern-day equivalent of what used to be furtive peeks at the bras section of the likes of Kay’s catalogue. Bless. |
| As for violence, there have been innumerable appalling assaults – sexual (including rape) and every other kind – on both male and female characters. Theon, the character forced to witness Sansa’s rape, previously had his penis chopped off. In fact, the amputation of male genitals is a recurring theme in GOT. In Theon’s case, the mutilator was (again) Ramsay, a character drawn so textbook-evil that rape is an entirely credible action for him. | As for violence, there have been innumerable appalling assaults – sexual (including rape) and every other kind – on both male and female characters. Theon, the character forced to witness Sansa’s rape, previously had his penis chopped off. In fact, the amputation of male genitals is a recurring theme in GOT. In Theon’s case, the mutilator was (again) Ramsay, a character drawn so textbook-evil that rape is an entirely credible action for him. |
| In this context, of the sort of show that GOT is known to be, it seems genuinely odd that, for all the horror of the crime, Sansa’s rape has generated such censure, including from US senators. A cynic might ponder: well, wouldn’t it be great if society took real rape as seriously as some people want a fantasy TV drama to take it? | In this context, of the sort of show that GOT is known to be, it seems genuinely odd that, for all the horror of the crime, Sansa’s rape has generated such censure, including from US senators. A cynic might ponder: well, wouldn’t it be great if society took real rape as seriously as some people want a fantasy TV drama to take it? |
| In some ways, this is fallacious and unfair. If you drew a Venn diagram, people who are worried about rape in the “real world” would doubtless overlap significantly with people who are concerned about the portrayal of fictional rape; nor are they wrong to be. In everything from Straw Dogs to The Accused to Game of Thrones, how sexual assault is handled in drama (that it’s never trivialised, sexualised nor normalised) remains crucially important. However, does this justify what appears to be the inappropriate levels of opprobrium aimed at the GOT rape scene? | In some ways, this is fallacious and unfair. If you drew a Venn diagram, people who are worried about rape in the “real world” would doubtless overlap significantly with people who are concerned about the portrayal of fictional rape; nor are they wrong to be. In everything from Straw Dogs to The Accused to Game of Thrones, how sexual assault is handled in drama (that it’s never trivialised, sexualised nor normalised) remains crucially important. However, does this justify what appears to be the inappropriate levels of opprobrium aimed at the GOT rape scene? |
| All of this seems particularly noteworthy in a week when a young woman from Hampshire was awarded £20,000 compensation for being arrested and branded a liar by police for reporting that she was raped. There was also the brilliant and harrowing BBC documentary series The Detectives, which tracked the Serious Sexual Offences unit of Greater Manchester, showing their struggles to secure justice for victims. | All of this seems particularly noteworthy in a week when a young woman from Hampshire was awarded £20,000 compensation for being arrested and branded a liar by police for reporting that she was raped. There was also the brilliant and harrowing BBC documentary series The Detectives, which tracked the Serious Sexual Offences unit of Greater Manchester, showing their struggles to secure justice for victims. |
| So, here were two snapshots about sexual assault: one showing that, while false rape accusations are relatively rare, rape denial still remains rife, even among some police – the very people who hold the key to any kind of justice. The second, depicting how other police officers are fighting a determined but losing battle against a system that appears to thwart attempts to help victims at every turn. | So, here were two snapshots about sexual assault: one showing that, while false rape accusations are relatively rare, rape denial still remains rife, even among some police – the very people who hold the key to any kind of justice. The second, depicting how other police officers are fighting a determined but losing battle against a system that appears to thwart attempts to help victims at every turn. |
| This was happening in just one country, Britain, in the course of one week. But what gets all the attention – a TV fantasy drama, set in faraway magic lands, featuring a vile assault that was nonetheless conducted mainly off-screen, and was entirely in character for the perpetrator? | This was happening in just one country, Britain, in the course of one week. But what gets all the attention – a TV fantasy drama, set in faraway magic lands, featuring a vile assault that was nonetheless conducted mainly off-screen, and was entirely in character for the perpetrator? |
| I’m not disputing Game of Thrones’ cultural reach, or the harm done by badly executed rape scenes. However, priorities, people, please. Should a TV fantasy drama be held to such impossibly high standards that it becomes effectively unworkable to feature any rape scenes at all? Moreover, isn’t what’s happening with real rape far more important than being overly judgmental of a disturbing (but wholly justified) television scene – even if the latter is much easier (and more populist) to shout about? | I’m not disputing Game of Thrones’ cultural reach, or the harm done by badly executed rape scenes. However, priorities, people, please. Should a TV fantasy drama be held to such impossibly high standards that it becomes effectively unworkable to feature any rape scenes at all? Moreover, isn’t what’s happening with real rape far more important than being overly judgmental of a disturbing (but wholly justified) television scene – even if the latter is much easier (and more populist) to shout about? |
| Briga-goons are quite right to put the party first | Briga-goons are quite right to put the party first |
| The misbehaving new SNP MPs, branded “goons” by Gerald Kaufman, have been making me giggle. There are stories about them marauding around the Commons, colonising the bars, being “chippy and confrontational”, feasting on chips and sweets (Mhairi Black), taking forbidden selfies at the PM’s dispatch box (you know who you are, Roger Mullin) and generally whooping it up. | The misbehaving new SNP MPs, branded “goons” by Gerald Kaufman, have been making me giggle. There are stories about them marauding around the Commons, colonising the bars, being “chippy and confrontational”, feasting on chips and sweets (Mhairi Black), taking forbidden selfies at the PM’s dispatch box (you know who you are, Roger Mullin) and generally whooping it up. |
| I didn’t like the attempt to bump Labour stalwart Dennis Skinner out of his frontbeach seat (come on, SNP – of all the people to pick on!), but the rest sounds suspiciously akin to how I’d have behaved, given similar circumstances and half the chance, back in the days when I was still “fun” (and yes, this feeling is closely related to the Commons bar). | I didn’t like the attempt to bump Labour stalwart Dennis Skinner out of his frontbeach seat (come on, SNP – of all the people to pick on!), but the rest sounds suspiciously akin to how I’d have behaved, given similar circumstances and half the chance, back in the days when I was still “fun” (and yes, this feeling is closely related to the Commons bar). |
| Nicola Sturgeon is said to be displeased, and you can see her point, but perhaps she and Kaufman need to get over it. It’s just new MP excitement – they’ll soon settle down to work. Where’s the harm? | Nicola Sturgeon is said to be displeased, and you can see her point, but perhaps she and Kaufman need to get over it. It’s just new MP excitement – they’ll soon settle down to work. Where’s the harm? |
| Modern politicians are always droning on about connecting with “ordinary people”. Messing about and having a lark in the Commons in their first few weeks could be seen as one way of doing it. | Modern politicians are always droning on about connecting with “ordinary people”. Messing about and having a lark in the Commons in their first few weeks could be seen as one way of doing it. |
| For Richter, for poorer.... | For Richter, for poorer.... |
| The extremely minor earthquake in Kent provoked a sarcastic Twitter storm, mocking how feeble it was. There were repeated jokes along the lines of “we must rebuild” alongside shots of upended wheelie bins and plastic garden chairs. | The extremely minor earthquake in Kent provoked a sarcastic Twitter storm, mocking how feeble it was. There were repeated jokes along the lines of “we must rebuild” alongside shots of upended wheelie bins and plastic garden chairs. |
| Sure, it was funny, but it was also an outrageous breach of seismic etiquette. It’s extremely bad form to deride another county’s earthquake, however hilariously pathetic and underwhelming it was, unless you either come from the affected region or were a former inhabitant. The fact that I have just made this new rule up makes no difference whatsoever. | Sure, it was funny, but it was also an outrageous breach of seismic etiquette. It’s extremely bad form to deride another county’s earthquake, however hilariously pathetic and underwhelming it was, unless you either come from the affected region or were a former inhabitant. The fact that I have just made this new rule up makes no difference whatsoever. |
| I grew up in Rutland, which also suffered a series of somewhat pitiable earthquakes; where garden furniture struggled to topple over, bird wings remained decidedly unruffled and the most frightening and dramatic report involved a glass wobbling a bit on a kitchen table. Was I mean and sarcastic about these earthquakes? Delighted by the exquisite banality of it all? Of course I was, but that was my right as a former Rutlander. | I grew up in Rutland, which also suffered a series of somewhat pitiable earthquakes; where garden furniture struggled to topple over, bird wings remained decidedly unruffled and the most frightening and dramatic report involved a glass wobbling a bit on a kitchen table. Was I mean and sarcastic about these earthquakes? Delighted by the exquisite banality of it all? Of course I was, but that was my right as a former Rutlander. |
| Non-Rutlanders had no such entitlement and the same is now true of Kent. Only current or former Kent dwellers are permitted to find the scenes of post-earthquake tranquillity, normality, even monotony, in any way comedic – unless of course they’d always laughed at Kent previously. | Non-Rutlanders had no such entitlement and the same is now true of Kent. Only current or former Kent dwellers are permitted to find the scenes of post-earthquake tranquillity, normality, even monotony, in any way comedic – unless of course they’d always laughed at Kent previously. |
| For this reason, Rutland feels Kent’s pain. Proud Rutlanders and former Rutlanders have also had their earthquake-lites mocked and their lack of drama and devastation lampooned by people with no love or knowledge of the affected area. On behalf of Rutland, I’d like to send a message of support to Kent. They may mock our upended plastic garden chairs and our gently swinging gates, but they will never break our spirit. | For this reason, Rutland feels Kent’s pain. Proud Rutlanders and former Rutlanders have also had their earthquake-lites mocked and their lack of drama and devastation lampooned by people with no love or knowledge of the affected area. On behalf of Rutland, I’d like to send a message of support to Kent. They may mock our upended plastic garden chairs and our gently swinging gates, but they will never break our spirit. |
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