+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
More

GoT's controversial 'lesson' on how rape can shape a person sparked a great conversation with fans.

*Spoiler Alert*

GoT's controversial 'lesson' on how rape can shape a person sparked a great conversation with fans.

**Spoilers for Season 8 Episode 4 are below**

In Season 8 Episode 4 of "Game of Thrones," a long-awaited reunion between two characters took place. However, it left many fans reeling over a particular moment concerning Sansa's trajectory.

Sansa and Sandor Clegane, aka the Hound, hadn't seen each other since the Battle of the Blackwater all the way back in Season 2. Obviously a lot's happened to both of them in that time, but when Sansa joins the Hound in the dining hall, the focus falls to her and her "lost innocence."

The Hound remarks that when he first knew Sansa, she was too afraid to look him in the eye. She replies that she's seen much worse than him since then.

This is where it starts to get weird. The Hound digs into Sansa's canned reply by saying she's been "broken in hard," and even though she claps back by saying she gave Ramsey his by feeding him to his hounds, The Hound solidifies his case that she's different now by invoking his pet name for her.

[rebelmouse-image 19562022 dam="1" original_size="540x304" caption="Gif via HBO/tumblr" expand=1]Gif via HBO/tumblr

However, he is mostly sympathetic, saying if she'd come with him when he left King's Landing, he could've saved her from the horrors she's endured, specifically the horrible men who abused her repeatedly. Then she takes his hand and says, "Without Littlefinger and Ramsey and the rest, I would've stayed a Little Bird all my life."

For many fans, this was a major record scratch moment. To them, it sounded as if the writers were saying Sansa's the strong woman she is today BECAUSE of all the sexual abuse she lived through.

Some felt the scene must've been written by a man, because a woman would understand why it's imperative for trauma to be portrayed in a more mindful way.

Others thought the conclusion Sansa comes to is dangerous for young, impressionable minds because it's a major misrepresentation of what goes along with surviving trauma.

But there were also some people who felt everyone was blowing the scene's "message" way out of proportion.

Meanwhile, several abuse survivors think her stance, while oversimplified, is on point.

Is there a "correct" interpretation of Sansa's remarks about the abuse she survived? Of course not. However, actress Jessica Chastain, who worked with Sophie Turner (actress who portrays Sansa) on the upcoming "Dark Phoenix" movie made a pretty compelling argument for what's wrong with Sansa's character development culminating in this way.

Eloquent, to the point and also a nice plug for her upcoming flick.

But just because she's a star and her tweet went viral doesn't necessarily mean she's automatically right. All schools of thought on this divisive moment should be welcomed because conversations around tough issues like this ultimately help creative folks portray them better in future TV shows and films.

So what do you think about it?

Family

Korean mom has a perfect response to the teacher who called her son's lunches 'disgusting'

Good for her for standing up for her child's culture.

via Roman Harak/Flickr

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less
parenting
Pop Culture

Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler have the cutest friendship, and she has the receipts to prove it

Plenty of teasing. Lots of love.

The Tonight Show/ Youtube

Jennifer Aniston appearing on "The Tonight show"

Let’s face it, platonic relationships between men and women rarely get the same amount of attention as romantic ones, to the point where we debate whether or not they can actually exist in the first place.

That’s what makes a clip of Jennifer Aniston gushing about her decades-long friendship with Adam Sandler so cool to watch. There’s no Harry-Met-Sally-ing here, just one pal talking about another pal.

Aniston sat down with Jimmy Fallon to promote the film “Murder Mystery 2,” starring both Aniston and Sandler, but the conversation quickly veered into several anecdotes about “The Sand Man,” including how the two first met at a deli in their 20s.

As with any healthy friendship, there’s plenty of ragging on each other.

Keep ReadingShow less
video
Family

Ring doorbell video captures the phenomenon of what it's like to be the default parent

Millions of us know what it's like to be the "default parent."

Toniann Marchese/TikTok

Ring doorbell video captures what it's like to be the default parent.

Kids, man. I'm not sure of the scientific way audacity is distributed, but kids have a lot of it and somehow make it cute. That audacity overload is especially interesting when you're the default parent—you know, the parent kids go to for literally everything as if there's not another fully capable adult in the house. Chances are if your children haven't sought you out while you were taking a shower so you could open up a pack of fruit snacks, then you're not the default parental unit.

One parent captured exactly what it's like to be the default parent and shared it to TikTok, where the video has over 4 million views. Toniann Marchese went on a quick grocery run and *gasp* did not inform her children. Don't you fret, they're modern kids who know how to use modern means to get much-needed answers when mom is nowhere to be found. They went outside and rang the doorbell.

Back when we were children, this would've done nothing but make the dogs bark, but for Marchese's kids, who are 3 and 6 years old, it's as good as a phone call.

Keep ReadingShow less
parenting
Family

Help is on the way for a desperate mom who couldn't find size 23 shoes for her teenage son

Her son Eric Kilburn Jr. is a 6'10" freshman in high school.

via GoFundMe

A size 21 Nike shoe made for Tacko Fall.

A local reporter at Hometown Life shared a unique and heartfelt story on March 16 about a mother struggling to find shoes that fit her 14-year-old son. The story resonated with parents everywhere; now, her son is getting the help he desperately needs. It's a wonderful example of people helping a family that thought they had nowhere to turn.

When Eric Kilburn Jr. was born, his mother, Rebecca’s OBGYN, told her that he had the “biggest feet I’ve ever seen in my life. Do not go out and buy baby shoes because they’re not gonna fit,’” Rebecca told Today.com. Fourteen years later, it’s almost impossible to find shoes that fit the 6’10” freshman—he needs a size 23.

Keep ReadingShow less
parents
Education

Former teacher shares the funny 'secret code' she used when talking to parents

“Your son is going to make a great lawyer" is code for: "Your kid won’t stop arguing with me."

via Bored Teachers/TikTok

Miss Smith shares the "secret code" teachers use in emails to parents.

There are many things that teachers think but cannot say aloud. Teachers have to have a certain sense of decorum and often have strict rules about the things they can or can’t say about children, especially to their parents.

Plus, it’s a teacher’s job to educate, not judge. So, they find ways to kindly say what’s on their minds without having to resort to name-calling or talking disparagingly of a student.

Keep ReadingShow less
teachers
Joy

Teen with a fishing magnet found a safe full of cash. And then he returned it all to its owner.

The safe was stolen 22 years ago.

via Wikimedia Commons

It's incredible what a double-sided magnet can do.


A new trend in treasure hunting called magnet fishing has blown up over the past two years, evidenced by an explosion of YouTube channels covering the hobby. Magnet fishing is a pretty simple activity. Hobbyists attach high-powered magnets to strong ropes, drop them into waterways and see what they attract.

The hobby has caught the attention of law enforcement and government agencies because urban waterways are a popular place for criminals to drop weapons and stolen items after committing a crime. In 2019, a magnet fisherman in Michigan pulled up an antique World War I mortar grenade and the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate.


Keep ReadingShow less
good samaritan
Trending Stories