Very well argued.

I agree with the conclusion, though I arrived there indirectly: by thinking about the effects that I see the series have on people. I haven’t seen any of it myself nor do I ever plan to.

I don’t share your general dislike of fantasy: I love Tolkien, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (the latter is arguably more satire than fantasy though). Actually, I think it’d be better to use the word “fairy-tale” because “fantasy” is such a confusing term, as is also argued in one of the articles you link to. Anyhow, I would argue that despite the dragons and quasi-medieval setting, GoT is not fantasy (a fairy-tale) at all, but a disturbingly violent and misogynous soap opera which borrows some fantasy tropes.

Anyhow, I’m glad to read I’m not the only one who dislikes GoT so intensely.