Barrack Obama and the Game of Thrones

Graffiti on Mt. Kilimanjaro - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

This past spring I found my son reading the four book series A Song of Fire and Ice and by coincidence saw the initial episode of its first book Game of Thrones on HBO in March. After viewing the first ten shows I was hooked and could not wait until next spring to see the adaptation of the second book, so I bought the books, only to discover a fifth will be released this summer. 5000 pages of intrigue, deception, sex, violence, politics, heroes, and villains for less than $40 is cheap entertainment by any standard.

Although controversial, the book’s most loathsome character is Joffrey Baratheon, pubescent King of the Seven Kingdoms. Handsome, privileged, cruel, narcissistic, and conniving, he sits on the Iron Throne illegally thanks to the Machiavellian maneuvers of his powerful and wealthy family, the Lannisters. For all of his flaws, his ascension to the throne establishes a legacy for his ambitious supporters whose strength waxes as they gain control of the treasury, political apparatus, and propaganda services of the Seven Kingdoms. Joffrey is unfit to lead; he is strictly a puppet with more capable, yet nefarious orchestrators pulling the strings.

Who pulls the President’s strings? As long as his image of the second Messiah remained untarnished, his personal abilities were not called into question. His role was to bask in the adoration of the masses and leave governance to key advisors who formulated policy and spoke through his rich baritone. Yet as the President’s masterly crafted facade began to crack, the public received a glimpse of the real man, the man whose talents were overwhelmed by the problems that faced him.

Joffrey Baratheon is a despicable character, and his entourage and political advisors are well aware of his foibles. Yet their mutual success is dependent on his continued reign and the ability to convince his subjects he is the rightful heir to the throne. When the legitimate king Stannis Baratheon discloses that Joffrey is the bastard son of his mother the Queen Cersei and her twin brother Jaime, Joffrey’s retinue vigorously denies the truth and smears Stannis’ credibility.

Game of Thrones is entertaining fiction, but demonstrates effective propaganda can transform real people of modest ability into fictional personalities, who are more god than human. Cersei, the queen regent, holds the kingdom's populace in gross contempt but gives them her perfect son to lead them. If hateful, tell them he is loving. If slow witted and self serving, tell them he is brilliant and caring. If unable to lead during times of hardship or develop coherent policies, tell them he possesses unrivaled leadership abilities and sees the future with clear vision. Sound familiar?