“Poetic License” is one thing. Game of Thrones (GoT) has vexed the spirits of those who love the books for the entirety of the show’s existence by taking poetic license. And while I completely understand the need to tweak the screenplay to make translation from novel to television screen flow better and provide the viewer with maximum entertainment value, one such adjustment just went too far for me. You probably already guessed that I am referencing the rape scene of Sansa Stark by the disgusting sociopath Ramsay Bolton. And, your guess would be correct.

To be perfectly honest, I have not watched Sunday’s GoT episode. I was exhausted and fell asleep. And I will not be watching the episode as it is just too much. For one thing, Sansa was never married to Ramsay in the books, and though he does rape his bride in the novel, to have the show use his character in such a manner to strip Sansa of the last bit of dignity she has is…obnoxious. Now I do not like Sansa’s character. I blame her for the deaths of her father, mother and brother (Lord, how I miss Ned, Catelyn and Rob Stark!!!), but she has already been brought lower than a snail. She has nothing left but her name and memories. She has been separated from her home, her remaining family members and is, for all intents and purposes, hated by everyone. Still, I would not wish sexual assault on ANY woman!

I would like to believe that no viewer hated Sansa that much. Were the writers trying to concoct an event that would endear her to us all? Newsflash: WE DON’T NEED THAT!!! It’s perfectly okay to dislike a character in a fictional television series! We are all adults (goodness, I HOPE only adults are watching GoT) and our lives will continue as normal despite us thinking Sansa is a complete dipshit. I simply fail to understand the show’s decision to deviate so substantially from the novels to portray a horrific, traumatic event that so many of us understand can forever (and ever and ever and ever) haunt and terrorize a woman.

I read an article yesterday about Senator Claire McCaskill’s tweet  expressing that she is done with GoT. I also found another regarding The Mary Sue’s decision to no longer promote GoT. While I provide the link to the actual articles, I originally accessed them by following links on Facebook. I think we can all agree that Facebook can be a horrible, terrible place, and the comments on the articles’ posts demonstrate my point. Commenters wanted to know why everyone was so up in arms about this particular deviation from the novels when there had be so many others. Also of particular concern with many men was why there had been no outcry by fans when Theon was being flayed or when his male parts were cut off and mailed to his father; why no one seemed upset by the general rampant violence of the show: the beheadings, the maulings, the dragons breathing fire on villagers and killing children. WHY, oh why was THIS scene so different? I will try to make you aware of why with a few questions that will require a small bit of research on the reader’s part:

1. Please speak to someone you know, or have heard of, who has been flayed, who has had a family member or friend flayed, or who works with victims of flayings, and ask how the scenes of Theon’s flayings affected them.

2. Please speak to someone you know (perhaps it’s you) who has had his penis cut off while being tortured at the hands of a psychopath (and maybe subsequently mailed to a family member or friend) and inquire whether this depiction in the show caused them to have flashbacks, nightmares or in any other way affected him.

3. Please speak with someone, who has access to HBO, HBO Go, or HBO OnDemand, and ask whether the scenes of beheadings, maiming, mauling, murder, or dragon fire breath remind them in any way of the last time they personally witnessed these things occurring in their city or town, thereby causing them to be upset.

4. Please speak with a rape victim, someone who works with rape victims, or someone who is a family member or close friend of a rape victim and ask the same questions from 1, 2, and 3 regarding the Sansa Stark rape scene.

Cheat: Go straight to #4. Someone close to you should come immediately to mind.