10/4/2024 - I’m writing this article as a personal reflection on how we often react more strongly to fictional violence than to the real suffering happening in our world.

 

[GAME OF THRONES AND HOUSE OF THE DRAGONS SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT]

Trigger Warning:

This article discusses violence, war crimes, and humanitarian crises in both fiction and reality, including descriptions of death, trauma, genocide, persecution, and violence against children. It also mentions sexual violence, human rights abuses, and public executions. Reader discretion is advised.

My central thought is: When a privileged person like myself watches Daenerys raze King’s Landing, we wince at the cruelty of burning civilians alive. But our discomfort with fiction doesn’t always lead to action or awareness when real cities, real people, face the same fate.

By including links to resources about real-life conflicts, I aim to help broaden public understanding and empathy for those affected. I understand how sensitive these topics are, and I deeply respect the experiences of those who live through such events.

In this article, my goal is to connect the emotional impact of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon with real-world conflicts, encouraging deeper reflection on how we respond to violence. The intent is not to oversimplify any political situation but to use storytelling as a way to raise awareness, empathy, and urgency.

One way to benefit from stories we consume is to bridge the gap between what we see on screen and the reality that so many face daily, and that is my intent here.

Imagine This

You wake up to the sound of explosions, the earth-shattering roars of destruction tearing through the morning sky. Massive firestorms ripple through the air, raining down on homes and marketplaces, leaving nothing but smoke and ashes in their wake. 

The streets—once bustling with the chatter of families, merchants, and children playing—are now battlegrounds. Each day becomes a desperate struggle to find safety, but there’s no sanctuary, no fortress strong enough to protect you from the chaos unfolding around you.

You grab your loved ones, huddling together in the smallest, darkest corner of your home, praying that the walls hold, that the ceiling doesn’t collapse. Your children’s cries of fear are muffled by the relentless booms of explosions—indiscriminate, unyielding, relentless. 

The city burns as if dragons have descended upon it, scorching the earth and devouring lives in bursts of fire and fury.

In a different corner of this war-torn world, a small child is pulled from the rubble, her face covered in dust and blood, eyes wide with terror and confusion. 

The bombs have left their mark—entire families are wiped out, neighborhoods are reduced to piles of concrete, and once-familiar streets are nothing but debris and twisted metal. 

The living count their losses while struggling to hold on to any shred of hope they have left. This could be a scene out of Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon with dragons razing King’s Landing or armies laying waste to the land. But this isn’t the realm of Westeros. 

This is Gaza—our world, today.

Since October 7th, 2023, Gaza has been engulfed in a storm of violence following an attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians. Israel’s response has brought relentless, widespread bombardment, airstrikes on residential areas, and a humanitarian crisis that has left civilians in despair.

Hamas committed war crimes on October 7th, and Israel has responded with its own war crimes, resulting in an estimated civilian death toll over 40 times greater. Israel has also occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip, for over 50 years with policies of land confiscation, illegal settlement building, and dispossession, leading to systematic human rights violations, restrictions on movement, and deprivation of resources like water and electricity for Palestinians.

The devastation is not from mythical creatures, but from modern warfare—the full-scale might of bombs and missiles that lay waste to cities and turn lives to dust. As entire neighborhoods are flattened, families scramble to survive, seeking refuge where there is none, while much of the world looks on in shock and debate, and much of the world remains shockingly apathetic.

The Horror of Indiscriminate Violence 

It’s nothing new, though it is no less devastating. Much like Daenerys Targaryen’s dragon turning King’s Landing into an inferno, airstrikes in Gaza tear through concrete and steel, incinerating homes and all they contain. 

Daenerys’ fury, bringing indiscriminate death to civilians and soldiers alike, mirrors the real-world nightmare faced by those caught in the crossfire of modern conflict. The mass destruction of a city is a fictional device in Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon meant to highlight the horrors of unchecked power—but it’s a stark reality for the people of Gaza who live under the constant threat of bombardment. An unstoppable force is tearing their loved ones away.

The scenes from Gaza evoke the terror and hopelessness of war-torn Westeros, but the tragedy here is that this isn't fantasy. The horror doesn’t end when the screen goes dark. 

These are real lives being torn apart by forces beyond their control—people who see their homes burn, who mourn the loss of children, siblings, and parents in a world where even the smallest semblance of normalcy is shattered by airstrikes.

But Gaza isn’t an isolated story. All around the world, scenes reminiscent of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon play out in terrifying realness. 

• According to Human Rights Watch, the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar involves the brutal persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority, who have faced mass killings, rape, and arson by the Myanmar military since 2017, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee to Bangladesh. Those who remain in Myanmar live under oppressive conditions, confined to camps with restricted movement and access to basic necessities. The international community has largely failed to hold the Myanmar military accountable, leaving the Rohingya without justice or freedom, and facing continued human rights abuses.

• According to Amnesty International, in Ethiopia's Amhara region, Tigrayan forces have committed serious human rights abuses, including the murder of civilians, widespread rape, and the looting of properties, according to Amnesty International. These atrocities, which took place in areas like Chenna and Kobo, include brutal sexual violence against women and girls as young as 14, and summary killings of unarmed civilians in retaliation for resistance from local militias. Amnesty International calls for the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to end such acts immediately and urges international bodies to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable for war crimes and potential crimes against humanity.

• According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Chinese government has detained over a million Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang since 2017, placing them in reeducation camps and subjecting them to intense surveillance, forced labor, and forced sterilizations. The United States and several other countries have described these actions as genocide, while a UN report suggests they may amount to crimes against humanity. Despite international condemnation and evidence gathered by journalists and researchers, China denies these abuses and claims the camps serve as vocational education centers aimed at preventing extremism.

• According to the UNHCR, in Sudan's Darfur region, nearly 4,000 civilians have been killed and 8,400 injured since April 2023 due to escalating violence, with many targeted because of their ethnicity. Civilians, including children, face severe dangers, with homes, schools, and hospitals being destroyed or looted, and many are unable to flee due to checkpoints and detentions. UNHCR calls for an end to the conflict and urgent support to provide critical humanitarian aid to those affected.

• According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the conflict in Yemen continues, with reduced fighting between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition but ongoing tensions, particularly around Red Sea shipping attacks. Dialogue between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, alongside regional diplomacy, has provided hope for peace, but progress has been limited, with ongoing violence and the resurgence of al-Qaeda activity complicating matters. The humanitarian crisis remains severe, with over 21.6 million people needing aid, including 11 million children, and more than 4.5 million displaced.

• According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the Syrian civil war has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands and displaced nearly thirteen million people, fracturing the country along lines of political and sectarian conflict. Indiscriminate violence has been a hallmark of the conflict, including brutal chemical weapon attacks by the Assad regime, aerial bombardments, and sieges on civilian areas, alongside extremist violence by groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda. The war's brutality has continued into an uneasy stalemate, with civilians suffering from economic crises, humanitarian blockades, and the devastation from the 2023 earthquakes.

• According to Amnesty International, human rights violations in Afghanistan have continued unabated under three years of Taliban rule, with severe restrictions on women's rights, freedom of expression, and political participation. Reports highlight arbitrary detentions, torture, enforced disappearances, and a lack of accountability, all while the international response has remained tepid. Amnesty calls for global action to pressure the Taliban to respect human rights, end gender persecution, and establish independent justice mechanisms for the Afghan people.

• According to Human Rights Watch, the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to face severe humanitarian crises due to ongoing armed conflicts, with over half a million people displaced by the Rwanda-backed M23 group in North Kivu alone. Government forces have also been involved in human rights abuses, including violent crackdowns on protests and the suppression of journalists and political opposition. Despite international efforts to impose sanctions and call for accountability, systemic reforms to address violence, corruption, and impunity remain limited.

• According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the war in Ukraine has led to mass displacement, destruction, and a humanitarian crisis, with over 10 million people displaced and 14.6 million in need of aid. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, over 30,000 civilian casualties have been reported, and active fighting has inflicted widespread damage to cities and infrastructure. Despite Ukraine's recapture of 54% of occupied territory, the conflict has stalled, with ongoing military operations and a global response totaling $278 billion in aid to support Ukraine.

• According to USA for UNHCR, Venezuela is experiencing one of the largest displacement crises in the world, with rampant violence, poverty, and shortages of basic needs forcing nearly 8 million Venezuelans to flee their homes. More than 6.5 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, making this the largest forced displacement crisis in Latin America's history. UNHCR is actively working to provide humanitarian aid, legal support, and promote socio-economic inclusion for displaced Venezuelans, with a focus on ensuring safe reception conditions, access to education, and integration into host communities.

The brutality of these conflicts may sound like fictional tales—dragons scorching cities, armies waging ruthless campaigns—but they are the hard, painful reality for millions of people.

When a privileged person like myself watches Daenerys raze King’s Landing, we wince at the cruelty of burning civilians alive. But our discomfort with fiction doesn’t always lead to action or awareness when real cities, real people, face the same fate.

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon may be lauded for their unapologetic portrayals of violence and power, but it’s crucial to recognize that they are reflections of our world rooted in the brutal truths of war, betrayal, and human cruelty.

This is Not Mere Fantasy

When the Red Wedding reveals its brutal betrayal, and the shock of political massacre hits the audience like a dagger, we gasp at the ruthlessness of a world where peace and hospitality are shattered in an instant. 

The Red Wedding’s real-world echoes can be found in historical events like the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, where political power struggles resulted in the slaughter of thousands under the guise of reconciliation. 

Such betrayals have been woven into our world’s history, manifesting in violence far beyond the screen.

When Blood and Cheese infiltrate the palace to exact vengeance in House of the Dragon, forcing a mother to watch her child die in a gruesome act of retribution, the horror of vengeance, loss, and violence hits viewers with chilling intensity. 

This brutal scene is not confined to the realm of fantasy; it mirrors real-world events like the Holocaust, where children were among the first to be targeted for killing because they were seen as "unproductive" or part of "dangerous" groups. During this dark period, the Nazis systematically murdered 1.5 million Jewish children, along with thousands of Romani, Polish, and disabled children, often alongside their families in mass shootings, gas chambers, and other acts of brutality.

Similarly, during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, over 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed in 100 days of intense and systematic violence. Children were frequently murdered in front of their parents to inflict maximum psychological suffering, with entire families targeted to prevent any survival of their bloodline. Such acts of vengeance and cruelty leave lasting scars, echoing across history with their devastating impact on humanity.

When Ned Stark is publicly executed in King's Landing to assert the Lannisters' power and silence dissent, the brutal spectacle draws parallels to the tactics of modern drug cartels. Just as Joffrey uses Ned’s execution to send a message of dominance, cartels often carry out highly public killings, displaying bodies in gruesome ways to intimidate rivals and instill fear in local communities. These public acts of violence are meant to control narratives, silence opposition, and demonstrate that challenging their power will result in deadly consequences.

This Article is Not Intending to Equate Fantasy to Reality

It's about recognizing that the violence and brutality in the shows have direct parallels to our world, demanding our attention and urging us to respond to the suffering of real human beings.

The dramatic scenes of conquest and vengeance in the shows are meant to be a metaphorical wake-up call—to spark not only awareness but also a deep sense of urgency to act when we encounter these same injustices in the headlines.

If we are moved by the tragedy of a fictional character, then it is incumbent upon us to learn the stories of those who face these horrors in real life. Our shared empathy, our collective understanding, is what forms the brain trust of society—a knowledge and awareness that shapes not only our present but the quality of life for our children and future generations. 

We owe it to ourselves and to each other to pay attention, to listen, and to act, ensuring that we don’t just wince at the fiction but respond to the reality, understanding that the greatest horror is not in what happens on screen, but in what happens when we choose to look away.