'Game of Thrones': Despite lack of characters of color, the show celebrates diversity in all its flawed glory
Diversity has been pitched as an important aspect of storytelling in the beginning of the 21st century, an era where differences are being considered as the biggest reason of acceptance. HBO's 'Game of Thrones' has been time and again criticized for not including enough characters of color, and even the ones that are there, are either not the main characters or serve as servants to kings and queens.
Fans and stars, including John Boyage, have expressed outrage at the show's lack of diversity, but if you look closely, George RR Martin's story, inspite of being set in the medieval West, celebrates diversity in all its flawed glory.
When a fan posted on Martin's personal blog that "the lack of diversity in both the show and books has really been troubling lately. [...] So far in the series there has only been one black woman with a speaking role and while i love that she's getting a romantic storyline too but that hasn't been enough for me....must all black people in the series be servants, guards, or charlatans?", the author came up with quite a rational explanation. He wrote, "Westeros around 300 AC is nowhere near as diverse as 21st century America, of course... but with that being said, I do have some 'characters of color' who will have somewhat larger roles in WINDS OF WINTER. Admittedly, these are secondary and tertiary characters, though not without importance."
