X @)x When ‘Game of Thrones’ fails to meet our expectations >» We only have ourselves to blame for the disappointment Roshni Riar Staff Writer know that we've all probably had enough Game of Thrones talk to last a lifetime but before we're totally burnt out on the subject, I want to talk about the series finale. Most of all, I want to shift the blame away from the show creators to the show watchers. That's right, I’m blaming you for your own disappointment. When the season started, viewers knew that there would only be six episodes. From that knowledge alone, I think we all should have thrown our expectations out of the window and just enjoyed the ride. With the all the loose ends, we should have known it would be impossible to have everything resolved neatly. George R. R. Martin created an expansive, rich universe filled with complex storylines and characters. He did so because he could—he didn’t have the same limitations that the television show had. The show writers and production team really tried to do the books justice and I believe that when they had the books as source material, they truly did. In trying to do the books justice, the writers tried to include as many details and storylines as they could and of course, with only six episodes to the final season, not all those storylines could be resolved and wrapped up. Going into the final season, I think that fans should have kept the various limitations to the television show in mind. We all expected so much—too much, in fact—and were somewhat unrealistic in our expectations. After episode five, we should have realized that with only 70 minutes left to the entire series, it just wouldn't be possible to feel totally satisfied. Sure, if things had maybe been done differently, those plot holes and loose ends could be forgivable, but this is where we've ended up and we must deal with it. In light of the series finale, fans have gone so far as to create a change. org petition demanding season eight to be rewritten with different writers—many people have cited David Benioff and D. B. Weiss as responsible for the downfall of Game of Thrones. While I understand the frustration Dont be ignorant | of cultural norms if you re travelling » You're an embarrassment when you don’t respect etiquette Janis McMath Senior Columnist The popular tourist city of Kamakura, Japan (home to the largest Buddha) issued an announcement this April to raise awareness of the cultural norm of not eating while walking. Sadly, this is not the first time a city in Japan has had to spend money to try to make tourists more aware of their cultural rules—one previous attempt was Kyoto’s 2017 etiquette guide. What an embarrassment this is for all travellers. Tourists should know the basic dos and don'ts of a country the same way a guest should be aware of the same in someone else’s home. Arespectful guest acknowledges that it is a privilege to be invited to and enter someone's personal space and they abide by the host’s rules because they understand this. Guests also respect the host’s rules and are on their best behaviour because they want the privilege of being invited again. Tourists should not feel entitled to enjoy the culture of a country they are entering if they don’t intend to abide by the rules that maintain that culture. It is a privilege to be let into a country asa visitor and one should be aware of that fact, expressing said awareness by making an effort to be culturally aware. It is unfair that many tourists benefit from the the fun parts of the culture while disrespecting the cultural rules—ruining the image of tourists everywhere. There is really no excuse to not know simple etiquette. It’s not like you're being asked to learn an entire language; picking up 10 simple no-nos won't take up too much brain space. If you have enough money to travel, you likely have Have an idea for a story? M opinions@theotherpress.ca and am equally disappointed in the last season of the show, the petition won't do anything to right the alleged wrongs of the finale. Even if the writers were aware of how the final season might be perceived, it’s not like they’re sitting in a conference room with bated breath waiting for someone to demand a revision. Unfortunately, it’s over. All we can do now is wait—and cross our fingers—for the release of the final books of A Song of Ice and Fire series by GRRM. Fans should take their post-finale anger and channel it into support for the actors, crew, and the hundreds of people who spent months of their lives working on the show. In that spirit, a fundraiser was created by fans of the show in order to collect donations for Emilia Clarke’s—who played Daenerys Targaryen—foundation SameYou. The foundation was created enough money for a phone and internet, which gives you unlimited access to all of that information about manners at all times. Travellers spend time researching where they will be going for the day, what restaurants they will eat at, what trains they need to be taking, et cetera. If you can research any of those things, why can’t you research what polite manners are? Many tourists take a full hour finding a restaurant to eat at; frve minutes spent researching local etiquette such as not sticking your chopsticks straight into your bow! of rice (because to the Japanese it resembles a funeral rite) is easy research work in comparison. The concern for not knowing cultural norms is not only related to rudeness either—if you don’t respect the cultural ¢ Don’t be ignorant of cultural norms if you're travelling ¢ Rants in your pants ¢ Game of Thrones ..and more! ‘Game of Thrones' still via Petty Mayonnaise by Clarke after she suffered two brain aneurysms while filming Game of Thrones. Its main goal is to raise funds and increase access to rehabilitation after brain injury. The funds raised by fans will all be donated directly to Clarke’s charity and I feel like that is a respectful, meaningful way to honour the show and Clarke’s impact on a lot of people. While we're allowed to be angry, I think it’s important to do something with that anger—especially since the show isn't coming back. Support the people you watched on your television screen for 10 years. Remind yourself that a lot of people put their blood, sweat, and tears into bringing this show to you. Hope that GRRM finishes those damn books. Find a new show to watch and just hope the ending wont be as disappointing as this one. rules you could literally be ruining things without realizing. For example, many clothing stores in Japan have thin, sheet- like face masks to cover the faces of those who wear makeup in their fitting rooms. Ifa tourist who wears makeup does not realize that they need to put the mask on, they could ruin the clothes (according to Japanese standards) and make an employee's life difficult. If you have a reason to travel somewhere, obviously you have some interest and admiration for that nation’s culture. If you like a country and culture enough to visit it, you need to pay it the respect it deserves. It is unfair that many tourists travel to countries and enjoy the culture but disrespect the norms and the people to whom that culture belongs.