Will ASOIAF be a cultural phenomenon 50 years in the future?

[SeanF]

6 minutes ago, Craving Peaches said:

It depends on whether Hizdahr is serious about wanting those reforms or not. He wasn't on my mind when I was thinking about the masters, but I guess he would technically count. I was thinking more about the masters in Yunkai and Astapor, who are almost cartoonishly evil.

When one reads about chattel slavery and slave trading in detail, in real life, many of the participants do seem to be cartoonishly evil.

[Craving Peaches]

7 minutes ago, SeanF said:

When one reads about chattel slavery and slave trading in detail, in real life, many of the participants do seem to be cartoonishly evil.

I don't understand how the system can actually sustain itself in Slaver's Bay. The freeman to slave ratio is like 1:10. And all their armies seem to be composed of slave soldiers, aside from New Ghis. I don't understand why there weren't more slave revolts in Yunkai, Meereen and Astapor.

[SeanF]

15 minutes ago, Craving Peaches said:

I don't understand how the system can actually sustain itself in Slaver's Bay. The freeman to slave ratio is like 1:10. And all their armies seem to be composed of slave soldiers, aside from New Ghis. I don't understand why there weren't more slave revolts in Yunkai, Meereen and Astapor.

The ratio of slave to free probably fluctuates, given how many are bought and sold.  The rulers depend a lot on sellswords, and there have been societies like the West Indies, where the proportion of slaves was high as 85%, and the system was upheld by extreme cruelty.

But yes, there ought to have been slave revolts, and slave soldiers ought to have seized power.

[BalerionTheCat]

34 minutes ago, Craving Peaches said:

I was thinking more about the masters in Yunkai and Astapor, who are almost cartoonishly evil.

Yes. The the Yunkai's commanders. I feel GRRM should have written them more believable. They are ludicrous (with the exception of Yezzan zo Qaggaz).

Astapor's Kraznys mo Nakloz was better done.

[BalerionTheCat]

11 minutes ago, SeanF said:

But yes, there ought to have been slave revolts, and slave soldiers ought to have seized power.

And have the rest of Essos against them? It would need to be all cities. And then it would collapse, like Astapor.

[Craving Peaches]

Just now, BalerionTheCat said:

And have the rest of Essos against them? It would need to be all cities. And then it would collapse, like Astapor.

Even if all of Essos save Braavos were against them, I don't think that would stop slaves from revolting, even incredibly low chances of success are still something, the cruelty of the masters would make them desperate, they don't have to be successful slave revolts I just really think there ought to have been at least some given the cruelty of the masters and the large advantage of numbers the slaves had.

[BalerionTheCat]

9 hours ago, Craving Peaches said:

I just really think there ought to have been at least some given the cruelty of the masters and the large advantage of numbers the slaves had.

I'm sure there have been. But so minor, no one talks about it. And as brutal as they are, I'm sure the masters found ways to make it regret to anyone actively or passively contributing or witnessing it. To serve as a lesson.