20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About George RR Martin
19. During Vietnam, He Was A Conscientious Objector
The politics of Westeros aren't necessarily comparable to those of George R.R. Martin. Whilst the books feature all sorts of violent behaviour, Martin himself is an avowed (almost) pacifist. He was just old enough to be eligible for the draft when the US was entering Vietnam and, whilst he initially thought that America were the good guys and should be there, college radicalised him to a degree. I was what they called an objector to a particular war. I would have been glad to fight in World War II. But Vietnam was the only war on the menu, he has since said. So I applied for conscientious-objector status in full belief that I would be rejected, and that I would have a further decision to make: Army, jail or Canada. I don't know what I would've done. But he was accepted and avoided all of those potential fates. Instead, he did alternative service between 1972 and 1974 as a VISTA volunteer, attached to the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation, the domestic version of the Peace Corps, meaning he was essentially an educator working in underprivileged area. Which is much better.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
