#NoConfederate Trends on Twitter During Game of Thrones, HBO is Unfazed

A lot of people are really upset about the very concept behind HBO’s far-off, forthcoming Confederate—so upset that, during last night’s Game of Thrones episode, thousands of protesting tweeters, led by #OscarsSoWhite creator April Reign, drove #NoConfederate to the number-two slot in worldwide trending topics, per THR. The hope was that a large enough negative backlash on Twitter could possibly get HBO to reconsider creating their alternate-reality show where the South wins their independence during the Civil War.

Despite all that effort, HBO continues to appear largely unfazed by the controversy. The company said in a statement yesterday:

We have great respect for the dialogue and concern being expressed around Confederate. We have faith that [writers] Nichelle, Dan, David and Malcolm will approach the subject with care and sensitivity. The project is currently in its infancy so we hope that people will reserve judgment until there is something to see.

At this point, it seems unlikely that HBO will back down from the project before anything has really been written or developed. Honestly, all this attention may actually be emboldening HBO, as everybody who both has Twitter and lives on Earth is now very aware of the show. You better believe that pilot episode is going to be widely viewed—even if only so detractors can bash it later.