It's been bugging me so I'm going to say it.

Accusing the "opposing" side of being actually horrible people (terfs/zionists/misogynists etc.) - when there isn't evidence to suggest that the people you are accusing think that way - is treading into dangerous terrain imo.

Like, it's genuinely mind-boggling that these incredibly loaded, serious terms (in a political environment where these are SERIOUS real-world topics that genuinely impact real-life people) are being thrown around as a "gotcha!" to prove that your fictional "team" is morally superior.

It's a medieval-esque fantasy show so YES it's going to be difficult when it comes to morals. On top of that, ASOIAF presents a lot of morally grey and ambiguous characters. If you think about it too much, most characters you love are probably fucking awful or pathetic or go against your morals. I guarantee that if you put almost any character into a modern context, they'd be rotting in jail.

We're all subject to bias, of course. We like to defend the characters we love, that's understandable. We all have different interpretations and understandings of characters. And we all have different life stories, values, upbringings and positionalities that inform our opinions and consumption of media.

So can we just acknowledge that there are awful people on both sides and which characters you like/don't like does not determine your moral values and beliefs? To go just that bit further, I think the polarisation in the fandom caused by taking sides is ridiculous imo. It's a fictional world with fictional characters. Of course, we will have bias and when there's literally factions of course we're inclined to and guided by the media to support one side over another. However, I think it's necessary to remain cautious and remember that it's fictional at the end of the day. Harassment and attacking others, attempting to suggest that a group of people are X, Y or Z isn't behaviour I condone. That goes for both sides. Obviously, it will happen (as is the way of social media) but it shouldn't, ideally.

If you're treating people like shit and getting so in your feels that you're attacking the character of other people because you don't like that they enjoy different fictional characters to you, please take a break from the online world and go reconnect with nature and the material world for a bit. Take issue with people's opinions all you like, but trying to baselessly suggest that a group of people hold heinous beliefs is a step too far imo.