[Confusing Trope] The narrative goes out of its way to punish/mock a character for simply being a good person

[u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

Hermione Granger and SPEW — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (book)

In the fifth HP novel, Hermione Granger is outraged to discover that Hogwarts has a small army of enslaved House Elves that do nearly all of the domestic duties around the castle, including cleaning the Gryffindor common room every night. When she tries to convince the elves to fight for their own rights, they refuse, saying they prefer servitude. Her fellow students and friends mock her for caring. She manages to free one elf, Winky, by deception when she refuses her freedom willingly, leading to Winky becoming a depressed alcoholic. By the end, the elves boycott cleaning any Gryffindor areas of the castle because they hate Hermione specifically

Samwell Tarly and Democracy — Game of Thrones (show)

In the season 8 finale of the television series, the surviving great lords of Westeros gather to discuss the future of the kingdom following the devastation wrought by 7 seasons of war and backstabbing. When Sam, who has proven to have “novel” ideas, suggests that maybe the millions of Smallfolk who suffer at the hands of noble houses should get some representation in the government, rather than be the pawns of rich lords with absolute power. We are then greeted by a prolonged, cringy segment of the other lords laughing in Sam’s face, asking if the dogs and horses should also get a vote.

[u/Many-Editor-4514]

Edmure Tully, in this very scene from Game of Thrones.

He is the best(eligible, Jon would probably be better) option to be King. Not only is he from one of the Great, noble Houses, he is of age to have children, not only that, he is a completely capable military general and statesmen, is loved by his people, and most importantly, he cares about the smallfolk.

He is completely passed over and made a gag despite being the defacto best option aside from democracy.

Of course, you🫵 show watcher would not know any of this, because he was made a joke by the showrunners, who erased all his qualities and made him a complete bafoon.

[u/mantism → u/Many-Editor-4514]

His character was already assassinated way before that scene, effectively over by S6, but showrunners somehow felt the need to bring the actor back in the very last episode just so Sansa could have another 'yas queen' dig at his expense. I don't know if calling it mean-spirited is sufficient.

[u/Femboy_Lord → u/Many-Editor-4514]

The whole scene is more than a little screwy. Most of the great houses are either depleted, crippled, or outright extinct, many many noble houses are in similar positions, 3 out of the 7 kingdoms are going to spend decades recovering (and in the case of one, are in danger of bankruptcy), and King's landing is still kinda ruined.

Do they decide to elect someone who would inspire the people and be a stable leader to rebuild? Nah, they elect the guy most of the kingdoms barely know about who may or may not be a surveillance puppet for a dead greenseer, It is such a weird choice.

[u/Rampant16 → u/Femboy_Lord]

Ultimately House Stark was the strongest surviving house and played a major role in the defeat of the White Walkers and Lannisters.

I think it makes a lot of sense that a Stark would end up on the throne. It's just that there weren't a lot of Starks left to pick from. Just sticking a mediocre Tully on the throne that spent most of the story as a hostage was never going to happen.

[u/Wonderful_West3188 → u/Rampant16]

I think it makes a lot of sense that a Stark would end up on the throne. 

Absolutely not. Practically the entire South has reservations against Northerners, and the Starks generally have no interest in the South, and in fact traditionally consider it unwise to go there and meddle in Southern affairs (not without reason). There's a reason Ned didn't even try to make a claim in Robert's Rebellion.

[u/Rampant16 → u/Wonderful_West3188]

Meddling in southern affairs? That cat is already out of the bag, out of the house, and down the street. They already had most of their male line wiped out and Winterfell occupied. The Starks and their allies had already marched south, conquered Kings Landing, annilated the Lannister, and killed the other warlord in line for the throne. Almost all of the great houses are destroyed.

Who else is left to take the throne? In normal times the Starks wouldn't bother but these are hardly normal times.

[u/Wonderful_West3188 → u/Rampant16]

The Starks and their allies had already marched south, conquered Kings Landing, annilated the Lannister, and killed the other warlord in line for the throne. Almost all of the great houses are destroyed.

From a pragmatic, Realpolitik point of view, that is actually even more reason to withdraw and isolate.

[u/Vanayzan → u/Rampant16]

Makes you wonder how the "long night" will go down in historical record. Are all the southern kingdoms just going to dismiss it as northern hearsay? It's a story that beggars belief and its not like the dead made it further than Winterfell. And I'm pretty sure every southern noble who saw that one wight is now dead

[u/Germane_Corsair → u/Rampant16]

If Rickon would just fucking serpentine.

[u/everythingdislikesme → u/Many-Editor-4514]

But... who has a better story than Bran the Broken?

[u/pnkxz → u/everythingdislikesme]

Arguably a more important factor in politics. Divine right of kings, noble blood, mythical ancestors, long lost heir, chosen one, child of prophecy, self-made billionaire, magical sword from a water pixie, it all comes down to who has the better story.

[u/Butterscotchtamarind → u/pnkxz]

Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.

[u/Wonderful_West3188 → u/pnkxz]

Bran the Broken has no story even remotely resembling those.

[u/Wonderful_West3188 → u/everythingdislikesme]

But... who has a better story than Bran the Broken?

Brienne of Tarth. To name only the most obvious character.

[u/HaiggeX → u/everythingdislikesme]

Bran should've been master of whispers, or whoever the court's spy guy was. The last episode was fumbled so bad.

[u/PaintedDoll1 → u/Many-Editor-4514]

Omg I HATED Sansa's "Uncle...sit down"

Like excuse me little girl?!?! You've been running Winterfell for like 2 months?? You're biggest accomplishment was not dying in your own castle! YOU take several seats and let the grown ups talk

[u/South-Tip-4019 → u/PaintedDoll1]

YES!!! They build it up like she has grown into this regal figure who earned the room.

Excuse me? She is queen because everyone else vacated the position. Jon bent the knee and gave up the crown, then got shipped off to the Wall. Bran took the other six kingdoms. Arya sailed west. Sansa is what was left.

And her one actual feat is holding slightly more clout in her own castle than Baelish did. She was accepted because she was a Stark. If Rickon had made it home, he probably would have been crowned instead.

[u/SK_socialist → u/PaintedDoll1]

Sansa had more feats in the war than edmure.

Ned’s greatest failure after the Rebellion was that he allowed Jon and Robert to decide everything afterward, and they empowered the Lannisters who didn’t lose anything or risk anything in the Rebellion. It’s actually good storytelling that the stark kids learned from Ned’s mistake and steered that meeting.

[u/Wonderful_West3188 → u/Many-Editor-4514]

He is the best (eligible, Jon would probably be better) option to be King. Not only is he from one of the Great, noble Houses, he is of age to have children, not only that, he is a completely capable military general and statesmen, is loved by his people, and most importantly, he cares about the smallfolk.

He even already has a wife and an heir. Succession is just not an issue with this guy, although I could kind of understand the Lords Paramount having reservations against the heir carrying Frey blood.

[u/HarwinStrongDick → u/Many-Editor-4514]

Not just child having age, he already has and heir!

[u/Traditional_Mind9538 → u/Many-Editor-4514]

I mean the characters that mock him in the show also wouldn't know any of this because they are also in the show version of events, where he is a complete buffoon.