Could Daenarys keep control of slaver's bay and the 7 kingdoms?

[Varysblackfyre321]

3 hours ago, Tagganaro said:

This.  I viewed her whole arc in ADWD as coming to terms with the mistake she made back in ASOS deciding to stay in Mereen.  She doesn't belong there and despite her best efforts, she is not capable of changing an entire way of life in a few short years.  Especially with her outsider status and the fact that she truly doesn't get or understand the Meereeneese nor does she really care to try and reach that understanding.  We see through her own POV that she has a ton of natural sympathy for slaves and their plight, but she has only contempt for Meereenese culture.  She hates the "floppy ears" and at a certain point in ADWD, essentially abdicates ruling over Mereen and lets Hizdahr and her council handle all the daily audiences with the people.

And yeah, as to your bolded, I have to wonder whether we are supposed to be viewing that as bias on Dany's part or whether GRRM intended the Meereenese to come across that way...I'd definitely say the former is more likely especially in light of Dany's "epiphany" at the end of ADWD about not planting trees and all that good stuff.  

I feel her story arc is dispelling this common trope of "defeat the bad guy, everything will be fine", that the problems of slaver's bay can be solved that easily. That she can merely bend anything to fit her vision of what the world should be easily.  Arrogance some would say. Even banning the gladiator matches(which bring the city a lot of money), because she personally found it distasteful. Eventually learned but still.  And honestly, it doesn't appear she's learned her lesson. She's committed indiscriminate slaughter in Astahphor(killing all the male noblemen ages 12+), and appointed good people to rule it and left. For that the majority of the slaves she sought to rescue are in a worse state than they were when she arrived in the city. And now it appears she's just proposing to do the same thing on a much grander scale. Honestly, it's quite apparent, the line of thinking of slavery being acceptable isn't just something thought of a small percentage of elites to which Daenarys needs to kill to make everything sunshine and Lolly pops.

[Sea Dragon]

Yes because she has dragons. This is the same reason why Aegon the conquerer was able to have multiple wives and practice incest. Dragons let you have lots of things normal people can't have or do. 

[Ralphis Baratheon]

10 hours ago, Megorova said:

It's possible that Mirri lied about Rhaego. Could be that everything she said was a lie. The baby was born normal, and alive.

It's also possible she only lied about half of it and that he was born half dragon-lizard/half human but is alive. Being half reptilian means he will have grown faster than regular humans and be able to fight and lead other grown Dothraki instead of being a human toddler trying to do it, which would just be silly. He may not even need a dragon because he has wings of his own and can breath fire.

I'm convinced that if Rhaego lives then he is a dragon-man hybrid who will basically be fully grown by the time he comes back into the story. So we'll have to agree to disagree.

[Nevets]

Daenerys cannot keep effective control over Meereen while she is present.  After she leaves, it will be essentially impossible.  Meereen is essentially a way station for her, a place to learn, grow up, and get some experience under her belt before she joins the main story, kind of like Arya in Braavos and Sansa in the Vale.  Slaver's Bay is only important insofar as it develops Danerys's story.  And I think she is deciding that she isn't going to be able to make a difference there, and will leave soon. 

[Lord of Raventree Hall]

On 3/23/2018 at 9:28 AM, Megorova said:

Even Targaryens with their five huge dragons were unable to simultaneously control Westeros and Essos. Eventually they had to completely withdraw from Essos, and focus their attention only on Westeros. 

You seem badly misinformed on the history of GRRM's world. The Targaryens were just one family from the Freehold of Valarya. As wel, they only controlled Dragonstone after the Doom of Valarya. They never had any control in Essos. And the Valaryons didn't withdraw from Essos, they all died in sort of huge volcano magic fueled apocolyptic doom. I cannot even respond to your Rhaego theory. It's too unrealistic to even be fun to talk about.

[Lord of Raventree Hall]

11 hours ago, zandru said:

I've always liked the Shavepate. He seems to be aligned with Daenerys and her goals, and with Meereenese culture. Not sure why Barristan Selmy is so distrustful of him, but hopefully we'll find out in Winds of Winter. (stop that laughing; I know it will eventually come out!)

So I take it you don't think the Shavepate poisoned the locusts? He is aligned with Daenerys but more out of coincidence. He wants and probably wanted to destroy the old Meereen order well before Daenerys' arrival. 

10 hours ago, Megorova said:

 By that time Rhaego will be 3 years old, closer to 4. Children of that age already can be horseriders.

..... You have a fundamental misunderstanding of how children work. Yes, a 3 year old can get on a horse. No, a 3 year old cannot ride into battle on a horse, nor can they "lead" anyone. I teach 3 year olds. They can barely sit in their seats. Holding a pencil is difficult for them. In a controlled situation, a 3 year old can sit on a horse. Let's see them control a horse when it gets spooked by a coyote or something. When they are at a full gallop on uneven ground. Anyways, Rhaego is dead. He is unimportant to the story. If you actually think he is important, you clearly have not read enough of GRRM's works or simply have misunderstood where Daenerys' arc is taking her up to this point. Badly misunderstood.

[Megorova]

7 hours ago, Lord of Raventree Hall said:

Anyways, Rhaego is dead. He is unimportant to the story. If you actually think he is important, you clearly have not read enough of GRRM's works or simply have misunderstood where Daenerys' arc is taking her up to this point. Badly misunderstood.

Could be that I'm wrong. That's if three heads of the dragon is not actually a prophecy. If that is just Rhaegar's misconception, then there will be no other dragonriders besides Dany. Or could be that the dragon is Dany, and three heads are Drogon, Rhaegel and Viseryon. Then there's also no need for additional two dragonriders. But if three heads of the dragon, are three people with Targaryen blood, and I mean people with lots of Targaryen blood, not just a few drops like Ben Plumm, then those two are Jon and either Rhaego, or maybe Tyrion (though I don't believe in a theory, according to which Tyrion is son of Mad King, and not Tywin Lannister).

I don't misunderstand where Dany's path is going. She needs to accept who she really is, and go back home - to 7K, and stop trying to be perfect little Queen for slavers, and mother for ex-slaves. Though is it really necessary for Rhaego to stay dead, for Dany to accomplish her goal, and become a "real Targaryen"? Can's she become, what she needs to be, if her son is alive? Is he some sort of an obstacle on her path?

I, on the contrary, think that he could be a great asset - thru him Dany may establish full control over all Dothraki, and with their help seize entire Essos. If Dany will have on her side the Stallion of Dothraki's prophecies, then she can conquer entire world, not only hold control over two out of five continents on Planetos.

[Damsel in Distress]

On 3/22/2018 at 7:13 PM, Varysblackfyre321 said:

I feel the only way to preserve any sort social Justice Daenarys had made in the region would be to set up a new dominion and make her presence in the region more permanent. So can it be done successfully?

Yes, through marriage.  The Dothraki are the power house of the east.  Dany will have control of the eastern continent if she can take control of the Dothraki people. 

On 3/23/2018 at 4:18 PM, Widowmaker 811 said:

For most rulers, I say no.  For her, it is possible.  She has the followers of R'hllor on her side and religion is a powerful tool.  The story may indeed go in that direction.  Honestly, there will not be much to rule over in the west.  There will be little incentive for a hunting and gathering people to unite and follow one leader.  I don't see too much in the way of civilization continuing in the west if the winter lasts for more than a few years.  

Religion could become one of her many tools that she will use.

On 3/23/2018 at 4:38 PM, cpg2016 said:

But no, she can't rule both.  It's too far

As a micro-managing ruler with a small council, no.  The distance is too far.  However, Empress Daenerys Targaryen will be able to if she marries the right sort.  Let us say she wins the Dothraki over, forges them into one giant Khalasar (because the entire world will be her khalasar!) and marries the most powerful of the khals.  She can use them to enforce her Anti-Slavery policies across the whole continent.

On 3/23/2018 at 4:18 PM, Widowmaker 811 said:

Honestly, there will not be much to rule over in the west.

The new capital doesn't have to be in King's Landing.  What's the use of a city under a thick blanket of ice.  She can sit in the east and wait out the winter while dreaming of spring.

[Stormking902]

IMO if and I mean IF Danny takes the Iron Throne I believe she could rule slavers bay as their queen with a lord loyal to Danny ruling in her stead and give him some sort of title. If Danny controled the 7k and the combined fleets of all kingdoms then who would wanna attack slavers bay? Sure you might be able to attack hit and run style but could you truly take slavers bay with the threat of Dannys fleet crossing the narrow sea and destroying you?. 

[HallowedMarcus]

On 23/03/2018 at 3:01 PM, Dorian Martell's son said:

Of course not. she can't even keep one city under control

    You are being fatalistic. It is not in control now, but I believe it will be after she returns (if she does so) and their enemies are defeated (if they are). I believe she will win, then go to Volantis and win there too before returning to Westeros. Do not forget if Tyrion survives he will probably aid and advice her. 

   Now that said, after being and trying to take Westeros i really don't believe she will be able to keep both but I believe she will be able to keep the end of Slavery where she has abolished. I might be wrong of course.

[Dorian Martell's son]

36 minutes ago, HallowedMarcus said:

    You are being fatalistic. It is not in control now, but I believe it will be after she returns (if she does so) and their enemies are defeated (if they are). I believe she will win, then go to Volantis and win there too before returning to Westeros. Do not forget if Tyrion survives he will probably aid and advice her. 

You assume a lot. It took her marrying a local to keep the peace in one single city which means she has no control and never had it. 

36 minutes ago, HallowedMarcus said:

   Now that said, after being and trying to take Westeros i really don't believe she will be able to keep both but I believe she will be able to keep the end of Slavery where she has abolished. I might be wrong of course.

how could she control all of westeros if she can't control one single city. She is a foreigner in both places. 

[Megorova]

On 25.03.2018 at 6:13 PM, Damsel in Distress said:

Yes, through marriage.  The Dothraki are the power house of the east.  Dany will have control of the eastern continent if she can take control of the Dothraki people. 

And with whom out of dozens khals should she marry? Dothraki are not united, they don't have a single leader, thru marriage with whom Dany can gain control over all of them. The only one who can rule all Dothraki, is the Stallion. And that Stallion should be - 1. male, 2. Dothraki, and Dany is neither of those.

If Rhaego is really dead, then GRRM will have to pull some other Deus Ex Machina, to make Dany rule over all Dothraki.

On 25.03.2018 at 6:13 PM, Damsel in Distress said:

Religion could become one of her many tools that she will use.

Though Dothraki won't serve to R'hllor. Their long awaited Messiah is the Stallion. If the Stallion will turn out to be Azor Ahai/promised Prince, then that's entirely different matter - then they will follow him. Red priests believe that Dany is Azor Ahai, but is that in any way relevant for Dothraki? They are not followers of Azor Ahai, so whatever red priests believe, has nothing to do with Dothraki's motivation, whom they should follow.

On 25.03.2018 at 6:13 PM, Damsel in Distress said:

Let us say she wins the Dothraki over, forges them into one giant Khalasar (because the entire world will be her khalasar!) and marries the most powerful of the khals.  She can use them to enforce her Anti-Slavery policies across the whole continent.

There's no such thing, as the most powerful khal. Same as there was no single ruler of wildlings beyond The Wall. Mance had to defeat all of them, to become their King. Same with Dothraki - to become ruler of all of them, he/she will need to defeat all of them. Of course GRRM can make Dany to perform that trick - she can use Drogon to burn all khals, and then all other Dothraki from their khalasars, maybe will bend the knee to Dany. Though currently not all khals are at Vaes Dothrak. Khal Pono has one of the biggest khalasars in the world (30 thousands), and now they are near Selhorys, not near Vaes Dothrak. And distance between Selhorys and Meereen is 1.500 miles, and to Vaes Dothrak is 2.500 miles. So at least for now, Pono's khalasar is out of Dany's reach. And who knows how many other khals are also away on their hunt.

On 25.03.2018 at 6:13 PM, Damsel in Distress said:

The new capital doesn't have to be in King's Landing.  What's the use of a city under a thick blanket of ice.  She can sit in the east and wait out the winter while dreaming of spring.

Essos is not southern continent like Africa in our world. Water canals in Braavos are already covered in ice. And Meereen is located on the same line as Stormlands in Westeros, and there's already late autumn there during JonCon's last chapter. So winter will come to Essos too, and in Meereen will be falling snow. And there's already a shortage of food in Slaver's Bay, because of Dany's bad management of local economics, trade, and everything else. So she won't be able to just sit out in the east, until the winter will be over.

[Tagganaro]

On 3/23/2018 at 4:38 PM, cpg2016 said:

She is capable of changing the culture of Slaver's Bay, the problem is she hasn't really tried.  What she should have done was stripped the Masters of every scrap of wealth they possessed, and redistributed that, and left an actual military force to hold the area.  Her problem is that she only takes the barest minimum of the human and portable wealth of the Masters; she doesn't take their land or buildings or means of production.  Which means the former slaves are immediately dependent on their slavers for sustenance, again.

I definitely agree with you on this, I think one of Dany's biggest problems in Slaver's Bay is that she is taking half-measures and not really committing to anything (i.e. not sacking Yunkai after defeating them in the field), largely out of her own moral and humanitarian concerns.  I don't think she really has the stomach to take all the wealth and lands of the Masters, as she repeatedly leaves them alone despite constant warnings and entreaties from the Shavepate and Daario about how they are clearly the Sons of the Harpy.  

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And by the way, we are meant to feel contempt for Meereenese culture.  It's driven home again and again.  First off, the whole culture is invented out of whole cloth, there IS no history to it; it was made up after Valyria fell 400 years ago.  They don't even speak their own language, just a corrupted form of High Valyrian.  The entire point of Slaver's Bay is that the slave culture has so distorted every aspect of life there; the society itself is devoted to obscenity and violence to such an extent that it's warped the very culture (for example Astapor's Harpy holds a chain instead of a lightning bolt, symbolizing how the Ghiscari have reinvented themselves to be slavers, and not are slavers because that's their culture).

This is totally a fair point and I certainly agree with you that Dany's chapters leave us feeling nothing but contempt for the entire culture, which as I said I find a bit icky as far as tropes of "Otherness" go.  You may be right that GRRM is going for this idea that slavery has corrupted the entire culture and there's really nothing left of value there, whereas you get really a far more understanding and balanced portrayal of the Free Cities like Braavos and Pentos.  

On 3/23/2018 at 5:53 PM, Varysblackfyre321 said:

I feel her story arc is dispelling this common trope of "defeat the bad guy, everything will be fine", that the problems of slaver's bay can be solved that easily. That she can merely bend anything to fit her vision of what the world should be easily.  Arrogance some would say. Even banning the gladiator matches(which bring the city a lot of money), because she personally found it distasteful. Eventually learned but still.  And honestly, it doesn't appear she's learned her lesson. She's committed indiscriminate slaughter in Astahphor(killing all the male noblemen ages 12+), and appointed good people to rule it and left. For that the majority of the slaves she sought to rescue are in a worse state than they were when she arrived in the city. And now it appears she's just proposing to do the same thing on a much grander scale. Honestly, it's quite apparent, the line of thinking of slavery being acceptable isn't just something thought of a small percentage of elites to which Daenarys needs to kill to make everything sunshine and Lolly pops.

There is definitely a lot of arrogance from Dany, it's probably the key thing that leaves a bad taste in my mouth after reading her chapters.  I do think for example her banning the gladiator matches comes from a good place and good intent (she really can't stomach the senseless killing and bloodlust behind it) and I'd honestly say her fears are confirmed immediately upon re-opening the pits when they want to set the lions on Tyrion and Penny.  

The problem as I said above, at least in Mereen, is that Dany isn't really defeating the "bad guys."  She's largely leaving all the slaving families intact with no threat of violence or retaliation against them.  Even taking the cupbearer "hostages", Dany makes it clear she can't fathom killing them in front of possible enemies like the Green Grace.  

[Varysblackfyre321]

39 minutes ago, Tagganaro said:

There is definitely a lot of arrogance from Dany, it's probably the key thing that leaves a bad taste in my mouth after reading her chapters.  I do think for example her banning the gladiator matches comes from a good place and good intent (she really can't stomach the senseless killing and bloodlust behind it) and I'd honestly say her fears are confirmed immediately upon re-opening the pits when they want to set the lions on Tyrion and Penny.  

She left the management/regulation of the   games of the areana to entities she didn't much trust, people accustomed to a certian level of brutality. Abuses can be attempted to be tried. But, the overall good that could possibly come from this(revenue for a city which is struggling, a way to bring people together ect), outweighs the potential bad. 

at least in Mereen, is that Dany isn't really defeating the "bad guys."  She's largely leaving all the slaving families intact with no threat of violence or retaliation against them.  Even taking the cupbearer "hostages", Dany makes it clear she can't fathom killing them in front of possible enemies like the Green Grace.  

Again this matter is more complicated than there being a clear cut specific group to which could be deemed bad and the solution being to simply bear them. She slaughtered all the "bad guys" in Astaphor, and it turned out worse. It's not just a matter of a few elites driving this. Their world view of slavery being just, being needed, permunates throughout the people,hell Tyrion recounts how there are slaves among slaves, sees slaves express disapproval to other slaves talk of wanting Dany to free them, take the most powerful families out of the equation was never the by all solution, people will simply revert back to the type of ways that  their mind set is accustomed to. 

[Son of Man]

On 3/22/2018 at 7:13 PM, Varysblackfyre321 said:

I feel the only way to preserve any sort social Justice Daenarys had made in the region would be to set up a new dominion and make her presence in the region more permanent. So can it be done successfully?

It would be unprecedented but this is Daenerys we're talking about, the agent of change, the Mhysa.  I would say it is easier to take control and keep control of the Seven Kingdoms because her family is already recognized as the rightful rulers.  They have tradition on their side.  The Baratheon rule is a drop in the bucket in terms of tradition.  Ruling the Seven Kingdoms is an easy transition.  Slaver's Bay is a different dog altogether.  The motivation to practice slavery is very strong among the children of the harpy and it is easy profit.  I see the only way to keep slavery from returning is to maintain a strong military presence.  It can be done but she will have to rule from Slaver's Bay and rule by proxy in Westeros.

[kissdbyfire]

34 minutes ago, Son of Man said:

It would be unprecedented but this is Daenerys we're talking about, the agent of change, the Mhysa.  I would say it is easier to take control and keep control of the Seven Kingdoms because her family is already recognized as the rightful rulers. 

Sure. By Targ loyalists, that is. 

 

34 minutes ago, Son of Man said:

They have tradition on their side.

Beg to differ. Targs ruled for less than 300 yrs, and the continent's history goes back thousands and thousands of yrs. 

34 minutes ago, Son of Man said:

The Baratheon rule is a drop in the bucket

As is the Targaryen rule, as I said above. 

[Son of Man]

1 minute ago, kissdbyfire said:

Sure. By Targ loyalists, that is. 

 

Beg to differ. Targs ruled for less than 300 yrs, and the continent's history goes back thousands and thousands of yrs. 

As is the Targaryen rule, as I said above. 

George has said on an interview that the Targaryens have history and tradition on their side.  

Three hundred years of unbroken rule over Westeros is an achievement greater than any family has ever achieved.  So yeah, they have legitimacy and they built the kingdom.  

[HallowedMarcus]

On 25/03/2018 at 9:40 PM, Dorian Martell's son said:

You assume a lot. It took her marrying a local to keep the peace in one single city which means she has no control and never had it.

    She might if she (through Varys or not) discovers who the Harpy is (I believe it is the Green Lady). Also, Tyrion might aid her. All also might change if she returns and uses her Dragons to defeat their foes in the Mereen war. I, however, do agree with your logic and you might be right. I just don't believe that GRRM will allow her to return to Westeros as a failure.

 

On 25/03/2018 at 9:40 PM, Dorian Martell's son said:

how could she control all of westeros if she can't control one single city. She is a foreigner in both places.

   People still remember and somehow see as godly or "magical" the time the Targaryen had Dragons. The Targaryen have dragon "blood". When she arrives in Westeros she will be seen with some negative points indeed but do not forget the positive ones. The Targaryen rules for 300 years. Only the last 18 years the did not. Danny has brought the Dragons with her which input awe and fear in people and noble minds and also justify her right to rule. She is a Targaryen and can say the  Dragons came back through her because the "gods"  brought them back to life. A person cannot make dozens or more years old fossil eggs to become real normal eggs again; only the "gods" can do that. So the "gods" want her to rule.

PS: If all that fails she can just burn everything asunder. 

[cpg2016]

18 hours ago, Tagganaro said:

This is totally a fair point and I certainly agree with you that Dany's chapters leave us feeling nothing but contempt for the entire culture, which as I said I find a bit icky as far as tropes of "Otherness" go.  You may be right that GRRM is going for this idea that slavery has corrupted the entire culture and there's really nothing left of value there, whereas you get really a far more understanding and balanced portrayal of the Free Cities like Braavos and Pentos.  

Yes, well Braavos isn't a slaving society, so... yeah.

And we get a far more nuanced perspective on the Dothraki, who are slavers as well.  Even the Qartheen, who have a slave society, have some positives (*some*).  But the Ghiscari are meant to be evil and awful, because their culture demands it.  Any society in which slavery is so omnipresent, and violence so commonplace, is meant to be contemptible.

18 hours ago, Varysblackfyre321 said:

Again this matter is more complicated than there being a clear cut specific group to which could be deemed bad and the solution being to simply bear them. She slaughtered all the "bad guys" in Astaphor, and it turned out worse. It's not just a matter of a few elites driving this. Their world view of slavery being just, being needed, permunates throughout the people,hell Tyrion recounts how there are slaves among slaves, sees slaves express disapproval to other slaves talk of wanting Dany to free them, take the most powerful families out of the equation was never the by all solution, people will simply revert back to the type of ways that  their mind set is accustomed to. 

No, the problem in Astapor is that Dany is naive.  She leaves the city without a military or policing force, and so immediately a strongman takes over.  This is realistic, and is a commentary on Dany's longer-term arc of good governance versus "fire and blood", not a question of who the bad guys are.  The Ghiscari are the bad guys.  In the entire world, they may be the worst actors out there.

Look, Slaver's Bay and Dany's experience there is (as many others have said) a near direct analogy to Reconstruction after the American Civil War, except that there are far more slaves in Slaver's Bay.  Rconstruction didn't fail because former slaves "reverted back" to the default of slavery - it happened because despite being free, they had no land, no money, no political clout, no nothing.  They were wholly reliant on the federal government for protection, which worked.  The Klan and white supremacists were kept down and often put on trial in the postbellum South - it was only after the federal army withdrew that things went south.  Because the former slaveowners had full economic, military, social, and political control, because Lincoln/Johnson were unwilling to strip them of those advantages (for various reasons, good and bad).  Once the external force guaranteeing the rights of freedmen was removed, all of those natural advantages led to the effective re-enslavement of the black population of the South.

Not hard to substitute "Ghiscari" and "Slaver's Bay" and "Dany" in the appropriate places and see the 1 for 1 parallel.

[Tagganaro]

19 hours ago, Varysblackfyre321 said:

She left the management/regulation of the   games of the areana to entities she didn't much trust, people accustomed to a certian level of brutality. Abuses can be attempted to be tried. But, the overall good that could possibly come from this(revenue for a city which is struggling, a way to bring people together ect), outweighs the potential bad. 

Does the good outweigh the bad?  This is certainly up for debate.  Hizdahr and his pit fighters make shiny arguments for the benefits of the fighting pits, and yes, I would agree that perhaps within a slave society wherein most of the population is stuck in beyond shitty predicaments, that pit fighting offers a possible way out.  But in a "free" society?  Definitely much up for debate, not least of which is that the fighting pits glorify violence and cruelty.

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Again this matter is more complicated than there being a clear cut specific group to which could be deemed bad and the solution being to simply bear them. She slaughtered all the "bad guys" in Astaphor, and it turned out worse. It's not just a matter of a few elites driving this. Their world view of slavery being just, being needed, permunates throughout the people,hell Tyrion recounts how there are slaves among slaves, sees slaves express disapproval to other slaves talk of wanting Dany to free them, take the most powerful families out of the equation was never the by all solution, people will simply revert back to the type of ways that  their mind set is accustomed to. 

It's certainly more complicated I agree, but there is a middle ground as @cpg2016 suggested above, which I agree with.  There's a middle ground between slaughtering all the masters and basically leaving them alone.  

1 hour ago, cpg2016 said:

Yes, well Braavos isn't a slaving society, so... yeah.

And we get a far more nuanced perspective on the Dothraki, who are slavers as well.  Even the Qartheen, who have a slave society, have some positives (*some*).  But the Ghiscari are meant to be evil and awful, because their culture demands it.  Any society in which slavery is so omnipresent, and violence so commonplace, is meant to be contemptible.

Yeah, I mean this is my point though about the POV nature of it all, and how you have to take some of Dany's thoughts and narration with a whole lot of salt.  What is there to really separate Dothraki, Ghiscari, and Qartheen?  They are all beyond awful when you look at them impartially, all of them have "omnipresent" slavery, violence, etc.  You could argue the Dothraki are worse than anyone else, as they take the glorification of violence and sexual violence to new levels.  But Dany gives us a more nuanced perspective of them because she is part of them and she comes to love Khal Drogo, who himself thinks absolutely nothing of killing, enslaving and raping entire groups of people.  

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No, the problem in Astapor is that Dany is naive.  She leaves the city without a military or policing force, and so immediately a strongman takes over.  This is realistic, and is a commentary on Dany's longer-term arc of good governance versus "fire and blood", not a question of who the bad guys are.  The Ghiscari are the bad guys.  In the entire world, they may be the worst actors out there.

Look, Slaver's Bay and Dany's experience there is (as many others have said) a near direct analogy to Reconstruction after the American Civil War, except that there are far more slaves in Slaver's Bay.  Rconstruction didn't fail because former slaves "reverted back" to the default of slavery - it happened because despite being free, they had no land, no money, no political clout, no nothing.  They were wholly reliant on the federal government for protection, which worked.  The Klan and white supremacists were kept down and often put on trial in the postbellum South - it was only after the federal army withdrew that things went south.  Because the former slaveowners had full economic, military, social, and political control, because Lincoln/Johnson were unwilling to strip them of those advantages (for various reasons, good and bad).  Once the external force guaranteeing the rights of freedmen was removed, all of those natural advantages led to the effective re-enslavement of the black population of the South.

Not hard to substitute "Ghiscari" and "Slaver's Bay" and "Dany" in the appropriate places and see the 1 for 1 parallel.

 

I'd argue that the naivete is prevalent throughout Dany's POV, and perhaps even worse in Meereen.  But yes, I agree that certainly what she did in Astapor was naive.  Dany is focused in on the micro issue of slavery in Slaver's Bay, while seemingly not aware of the larger socio-economic implications of the entire slave trade throughout the entirety of Essos (and really Planetos if we're being fair).  It's one large brutal eco-system with pretty much everyone profiting off of it, which I don't think Dany really realizes until "Ducksauce " declares war on her.  I don't really see the Ghiscari as the worst, they are simply cogs in the international system.  

I definitely agree on the parallels to the South after the Civil War.