George R.R. Martin slams “anti-fans” and toxic pop culture

Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin blogged about his unhappiness with the state of social media, and blamed the “toxicity” of pop culture.

Martin released the first novel of his A Song of Ice and Fire series in 1996 and received praise from the niche high fantasy literature crowd for his gritty, brutal writing.

Fast forward to 2016 and the premiere of the first episode of Season 6 of the TV adaptation Game Of Thrones, titled “The Red Woman”, and Martin’s fantasy creation had become the talk of the world. The HBO series, and consequently him as the original creator of the series, were heaped with praise.

That is, of course, until the controversial Season 8, which drew heavy criticism from fans – and even then it was the scriptwriters who were the targets of critics. However, Martin claimed in a blog on January 29 that social media and TV and movie culture in general had become toxic.

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George R.R. Martin slams hateful fans

In the latest post from Martin, he talks about politics and the state of the world, but most importantly for TV and movie fans the state of pop culture. He talked about his worries about warring countries, but that in the past he could find solace in books, TV, and movies – but perhaps not anymore.

“Well, I take solace where I can. In chocolate thrones, if nowhere else. In books. In films and television shows… though even there, toxicity is growing,” Martin said.

“It used to be fun talking about our favorite books and films, and having spirited debates with fans who saw things different… but somehow in this age of social media, it is no longer enough to say ‘I did not like book X or film Y, and here’s why.’ Now social media is ruled by anti-fans who would rather talk about the stuff they hate than the stuff they love, and delight in dancing on the graves of anyone whose film has flopped,” he continued.

Fans of both his novels and the television adaptations of the literature are hoping that Martin’s soured view of social media won’t affect the anticipated release of The Winds of Winter book or House of the Dragon Season 2.