What Do Authors J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin Have In Common?

[Yavin4]

They both are highly successful authors of fiction, and they both relied on public assistance at one point in their lives. In fact, without that assistance, they would have never written the books that made them rich.

The lesson here is that public assistance is a hallmark of a civilized society that understands that people may need help at some point in their lives. They are not "moochers". They are in need of assistance.

[white_wolf]

1. As far as I know they are both fairly progressive as well.

I haven't heard much about Martin's views save for somethings he's said in interviews, but I think he was against Bush and he protested and refused the draft as a C.O. Here is a link to an interview with him by George Stoumboulpoulos [link:

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[Bluenorthwest]

4. Mr Martin is quite liberal. Quite.

nt

[Ikonoklast]

7. And a real hoot.

Very personable fellow, gregarious, and intelligent.

[MattBaggins]

10. Martin is a genius

A Song of Ice and Fire; and the HBO show Game of Thrones are just incredible.

[Yavin4]

6. Martin on Voter Suppression

. George R.R. Martin, author of "A Game of Thrones", has slammed "Republicans and their Teabagger allies" in so-called swing states for what he calls "voter suppression."

In a recent blogpost on Martin's website, he refers to recent voter purges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, saying that "The people behind these efforts at disenfranchising large groups of voters (the young, the old, the black, the brown) are not Republicans, since clearly they have scant regard for our republic or its values. They are oligarchs and racists clad in the skins of dead elephants."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/13/game-of-thrones-author-republicans_n_1773283.html

[XemaSab]

9. My reading of his books

is that they're about a world where huge rich men with swords have virtually all the power, and the entire plot is people who aren't huge rich men with swords trying to get and keep power.

Danerys, Tyrion, Jon, Bran, Arya, Sansa... You've got three women, a dwarf, a cripple, and a bastard.

These books are hella liberal.

[Egalitarian Thug]

2. And, IIRC J.K. Rowling got a grant from their version of the NEA to write Harry Potter.

One note; You should have used written in the second sentence, first paragraph. Sorry, it just seemed especially egregious considering the piece is about authors.
& R

[CBHagman]

8. And here in the States, what has Mitt Romney targeted for cuts?

Why, programs for public broadcasting, the arts, the humanities, Amtrak, and legal services. His standard stump speech line is that they're not worth borrowing money from China to support (yeah, like that buck-fifty per person for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is the reason we have a deficit).

[Bluenorthwest]

3. This is correct, except they did not just make themselves rich, they made others rich

and famous as well, both George and Ms Rowling have given flight to the careers of dozens of other artists, some of them extremely wealthy themselves as a result. Both of them have created stories that became large enterprises, employing hundreds of people.
The other thing they have in common is that neither of them forgets their roots, nor decides they are now some transformed creature just from the money.
Ms Rowling on why she remains in the UK rather than fleeing to a tax haven"
"I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Mr Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net, threadbare though it had become under John Major’s Government, was there to break the fall. I cannot help feeling, therefore, that it would have been contemptible to scarper for the West Indies at the first sniff of a seven-figure royalty cheque. This, if you like, is my notion of patriotism."

[Beaverhausen]

5. and JK Rowling gives away much of her money

http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/03/16/thankyoufriday-jk-rowling-no-longer-billionaire

[HopeHoops]

11. Money well deserved.