Discussion Main / QueerPeopleAreFunny

In response to this: "Debatable: Westerosi society seems on the whole about as homophobic as a backwards backwoods US town today, ie, not necessarily outright murdering the queers, but not friendly to them. It's generally (more) villainous characters who do this, and the audience really isn't meant to laugh along, nor are the speakers aiming to score a laugh so much as a wound. George R R Martin himself is almost ridiculously liberal in the best tradition of scifi and would not invoke this trope. If Queer People Are Funny in Game of Thrones, it's because of a well-worded insult, not because of the queerness itself, which is fundamentally not this trope."

The morality of this universe isn't relevant, and whatever Martin says in a completely different medium is entirely irrelevant. As for the rest, whether the zingers are supposed to hurt or make people laugh is very much a question of hair splitting. What the readers think of it is partly subjective, but considering that there is no counterpoint for at least half the series, you can't seriously argue that the easiest conclusion is that the comments are in bad taste.

Finally, a trope regarding Acceptable Targets that doesn't bitch about Unfortunate Implications!