Have watched the first episode of #EscapingUtopia - the doco about #Gloriavale and holy crap everyone in Aotearoa should see this. I had no idea. The show is really well done so far. While it is a heavy topic, it focuses a lot on the people helping others escape and seek justice, and that makes a difference.
CW for show: sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse. It's about a controlling religious cult, so pretty much everything you'd expect from that.
My parents also just watched this. This morning Dad sent this about egalitarian communes vs hierarchical ones and the power dynamics which exist in both.
https://communelifeblog.wordpress.com/2023/05/22/egalitarian-power-dynamics/
@HeatherInNZ yikes. My first day officially living in Aotearoa involved the wedding of one of the founder's granddaughters, making her my ex's sister in law.
She had a lot of gnarly stories, but mostly was raised outside of the cult, with a constant stream of refugees in their home, having to learn how to live in the majority society.
Her uncle, one of Neville Cooper's (Hopeful Christian, I think he renamed himself) sons wrote a book about his story. The main thing I remember is that...
Heather
Knee Neart
Ms_Pym