thinky stuff

I recently learned that President Barack Obama is a big fan of Game of Thrones, so much so that he was given advanced copies of upcoming seasons, and with the constant mantra of “King Obama” from the Right, I started thinking how the leader of the Free World’s interest in the show plays into his political ambitions and pursuit of partisan power.  As Obama’s approval ratings continue to slowly sink and as his use of executive orders increases, even CNN began to draw a parallel between the POTUS and the show’s Robb Stark character.

 

There are numerous lists that have been published drawing comparisons between the show’s characters and today’s politicians. With a greatly divided Congress and the constant attempt from both sides of the isle to undermine one another’s agendas and promote their own highly partisan visions of what each sees as a “True America”, it is no surprise that a show such as Game of Thrones is high on the list of political leaders. 

 

Game of Thrones is a thinly veiled critique of contemporary Western capitalism, social and political division and power grabbing.  As America has moved further from a Representative Democracy and deeper into the Oligarchy realm, fictitious depictions of money and power being consolidated in fewer and fewer hands are more popular than ever. 

 

But Game of Thrones not only looks at the division among a small handful of feuding leaders, it also focuses on the division between the Haves and the Have-Nots, or what some refer to as the 1% and the 99% in today’s terms. 

 

As fewer and fewer families control more and more of the nation’s wealth and power and the political oligarchy shift can be illustrated with the potential Clinton v. Bush Part II race in 2016, Game of Thrones becomes increasingly more intriguing as a dark dramatization of modern power struggles.

 

And the race to the Iron Throne is nothing new.