„Three great men sit in a room, a king, a priest, and a rich man. Between them stands a common sellsword. Each great men bids the sellsword, kill the other two. Who lives who dies?”
„Depends on the sellsword.”
„Does it? He has neither crown nor gold, nor favor with the Gods.”
„He has a sword. The power of life and death.”
„But if it’s swordsmen who rule, why do we pretend kings hold all the power?”
„Power resides where men believe it resides. It’s a trick. A shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow.”
It is not the first time that we have sat in front of our TVs and engaged with politically and philosophically infused pop cultural products, indirectly shaping our narratives, attitudes and behaviour. Popular culture has long employed different ways and methods to portray political, philosophical, sociological and/or economic perspectives, focusing on the analysis of products such as movies, TV shows, books, news media, and many more.
One particular fictional TV show comes to mind for many when talking about the meaning of power, game theory and strategy: The Game of Thrones. The Game of Thrones, revolving around power (struggle), specifically carries significant symbols that have indirectly shaped the public understanding of its audience. One of the most famous lines in the history of television reflects an interesting interpretation of the nature and essence of power. How power is less about titles, wealth, and religion, and more about personal & collective perception and belief of who should exercise power and how it should be exercised. The riddle highlights that the ”three great men” represent power, but in completely different forms. Some may see the monarch as the traditional, ultimate source of authority, or one might believe real power derives from God(s) and their authorised religious agents, while others might believe power resides with the rich, gifted by money, gold and material value. Therefore, power can be interpreted as something very different depending on the individual and social construct. With the sellsword standing between them, real power is ultimately in his hands, and the outcome depends on his belief system and narrative, with holding a weapon, the power of life and death, the tool of destruction…even though he is a ”no one” without a title, next to the three great men.
„Power resides where men believe it resides. It’s a trick. A shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow.”
The encounter indicates that power is an illusion, and what people assume to be real authority is actually a perception and performance shaped by collective belief, something that is socially accepted. It also reflects that just like a shadow, power is something intangible, and it exists in our minds based on the performance we think we are witnessing as viewers. And even a ”no one”, someone with little formal power, may have huge influence on how power takes shape if they know how to strategise and play the game. A real-life example of this could be Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States, exposing thousands of classified information on the existence of global surveillance programmes. Without having any real formal power, he contributed to launching a global debate on the conflict between national security and the right to privacy, highlighting that knowledge and information are also dominant embodiments of power.
Despite being a fiction, the TV show communicates significant realities to its audience, it embeds narratives, reinforces and/or challenges dominant representation and encourages viewers to question and rethink the so-called obvious. Popular culture moves away from traditional politics and elite-centric analysis to how ordinary people engage with and make sense of world politics, influencing political interpretation and attitudes towards power & global politics. It reveals that politics is not only shaped by political leaders but is also heavily constructed through media, education, and cultural products.
Such a dialogue reminds us that power is not something that is fixed, but a construct that exists in places where people believe it should exist. Everything around us and among us: our governments, international organisations, corporations, or social movements are able to operate not only because of existing laws and formal structures, but because of the collective belief that justifies their legitimacy.