By now we shouldn’t have to discuss how Game of Thrones parallels the social, political and economic climate of black America. But this season, the show wasn’t just a metaphor for being black in America—it was a guide for survival. It was a parable about resistance. It was a preamble for the resistance (and by “the resistance” I mean Jon Snow literally putting the “D” in Daenerys Targaryen).
For some people, “Dem Thrones” is just an hour of entertainment, while some of us can clearly see the literary subtext of a white devil flying on the resurrected carcass of white privilege destroying the wall that prevents lifeless, evil white people from taking over the world. The seventh-season finale of Game of Thrones posed some thought-provoking questions that black America can no longer ignore.
1. Is Donald Trump a racist?
Some people will call Cersei Trump an agent of the “alt-white” because when the Lannister administration was presented with undeniable proof of the threat that white (Walker) supremacy poses to this great nation, Cersei still chose to ignore the violent attacks that happened a few weeks ago in Charlottesville beyond the wall. Even after her advisers finally convinced her to make a statement and pledge to join efforts to fight the snow Nazis, she didn’t really mean it.
Instead of protecting citizens, Cersei is too busy colluding with Euron “Putin” Greyjoy, and using her term in office to make herself rich. It’s not that Cersei doesn’t care about the teeming masses of lifeless, rhythmless pale faces who want to take over the country; it’s just that she is only concerned about herself.
Cersei knows that she will eventually have to face the army of the dead, or the ruthless immigrant Unsullied and Dothraki hordes. She knows she can’t beat any of them, so she figured she might as well get rich or die trying. Even Jamie, her highest-ranking Cabinet member, quit in disgust over her refusal to repudiate ice supremacy. She’s just covering her ass by condemning the violence ...
... on both sides.
2. Can we trust white allies?
Through a series of seemingly benevolent and heroic acts, Lord Petyr Baelish seemingly managed to weasel his way into the Starks’ trust circle. Luckily, during Arya’s pledge process with Delta Sigma Faceless Sorority Inc., she learned that just because someone seems like an ally doesn’t mean you can trust them. They will plant seeds of doubt in your head that will make you question your own sister, but in the end, black unity and sisterhood is the only thing that can protect us.
Even the Hotep community helped out. Yes, Bran has gone full Hotep on us, fam. All he wants to do is sit at the tree and talk about ancient Kemet. But we must admit his third eye did help Sansa “overstand” the level of duplicitousness that the white man had up his sleeve.
I’m not saying that Littlefinger was on Team Lannister and he was lying to the Starks just so he could undermine them and grab the throne for himself ...
... but I bet that 53 percent of his “employees” voted for Cersei.
3. Can Omarosa or Ben Carson be saved?
I know that many readers have taken umbrage with my classification of the Starks as “our cousins.” Here is my argument for why the Starks are black:
- They can all fight.
- They live in a segregated neighborhood that doesn’t care to fuck with the uppity white folks in Westeros.
- Arya carries a box cutter in her purse.
- Catelyn let Ned bring home a “break baby” (Jon) and raised him as her own.
- In the first season, when Ned’s line brother, Robert Baratheon, came to visit, the first thing they did was have a huge cookout.
- Jon is grown as fuck and still doesn’t know who his real daddy is.
Anyway, besides Jon, the Starks also raised Theon Greyjoy. Although Theon seemingly suffers from inadequacy issues that stem from having his penis amputated, the entire existence can best be described as “fuckboyish.” As soon as he left the black community, Theon turned his back on his people. Every time he had the opportunity to stand up for us, he chose safety and comfort over courage.
Now he says he wants to “resist” and fight for his people. We’ll see if he has the balls to—you know what? That was probably a bad choice of words.
4. Is it incest if you didn’t know?
We could all see the auntie-nephew sex scene coming from a mile away. Some didn’t think the writers and producers would let it happen. I always reminded those people of the fifth-season scene where a brother (Jamie) raped his twin sister ...
... in church...
... on top of the body of their dead son.
This is going to make the family reunions very uncomfortable. Especially since Jon and Daenerys are the only Targaryens left. And I’m not sure that ship has a condom dispenser in the bathroom, so what if Jon gets Daenerys pregnant? Will the child be his son and his first cousin? Will Daenerys be the first woman to have her own grandnephew? If Samwell Tarly reveals the secret, is it considered “cock blocking”?
Maybe I’m being too critical, but it seems like Bran should have pulled this up on his Hotep dream DVR a long time ago.
5. Is it in bad taste to say, “I told you so”?
We have been warning you for years, but you have ignored us. You figured it was a myth. You dismissed us as paranoid or stuck in the past. You said we didn’t want to “Make the Seven Kingdoms great again.”
We tried to tell you about it during the last administration, but you thought it was over. We screamed about it as the new ruler ascended to the Iron Throne. We told you that a wall would not save you. We told you how we could feel the cold winds of hate getting closer. We could feel them getting closer and stronger. They were empowered by your apathy. They were enabled by your unwillingness to fight them for the hundreds of years during which they grew their army.
Now you have seen them. Now you know they are here. Now you have witnessed the empty space where their hearts should be. Now you can feel the cold chill of hate on their tongues. They are spreading. Your refusal to confront them has given them more weapons and more followers. They are flying now. They are now a fire-breathing menace descending upon us all, hoping to transform the world into the same cold, soulless place we have screamed about for centuries.
Winter is here.