When Women Regress in the Name of Progress – This milieu is ripe for scapegoating and what better than to use religion as the tool and women as the fool!
By Melanie Nathan.
When we move closer to parity between the races and sexes, equality in the realm of sexual orientation, and as we move further away from patriarchy and discrimination in general, all a form of control, there is an opportunity for backlash. This is happening to some extent in America, and South Africa is no different.
South Africa is a country once dogged by Apartheid, legislated institutionalized racism and discrimination, born from Colonialism and the implementation of Calvinistic ideals. Its a very long and insidious story.
It seems to me that while most Afrikaners have accepted or adapted to the new South Africa, some Afrikaners, the nationalistic white supremacist purveyors of Apartheid, have failed and are now using their religion to mask their grope at control, in several realms.
We see the backlash forming – and there are several enthusiastic ‘masters’ at the helm! These people develop movements and attract large numbers through pretense and scapegoating. They usually thrive in scenarios where there is more than wiggle room to insert religious dogma as a means to ‘right their perceived wrongs’.
I know I am over simplifying this, however let me just say, South Africa is ripe for this form of backlash. The Zuma government has failed the ANC of Nelson Mandela, creating a politically unstable climate. A mere 20 years into South Africa’s democracy, South Africa is fraught with crime, unemployment, poverty and overall dissatisfaction. There is a distinct failure to deliver promised services, all exacerbated by untenable corruption. This milieu is ripe for scapegoating and what better than to use religion as the tool and women as the fool!
Meet Gretha Wiid: I found her through my naive reflection after reading one page of her writings where she reflected on homosexuality with cruel ignorance and dangerous dishonesty. That one page of myth which happened to come my way spurred my concern – because I know it to be harmful, used to stigmatize – and I see her motive as one of financial gain, at the emotional expense of so many.
So I wrote her in my capacity as the Executive Director of The African Human Rights Coalition, asking for a correction and an apology and then attached my letter to an article, here: https://oblogdeeoblogda.me/2017/05/09/african-hrc-calls-for-apology-from-south-african-relationship-specialist-regarding-anti-gay-teaching/ . I know as a general rule the fundamentalist religious zealot type never yield and certainly did not expect her to respond, and that she would likely remain steadfast on her path. After all an apology would not serve the motivation.
My Article went viral and I received too many comments to moderate all; I also received many e-mails – most supportive, with a good few hateful and rude. Many included stories of people felt aggrieved and harmed by Ms. Wiid and her teachings.
And so I began to research beyond my initial Googling of her financial enterprises, including a wedding and conference game lodge in Johannesburg: She is indeed one of those protagonists of a new backlash movement, writing in the language of what was considered the South African oppressor, calling sheep to fold.
Gretha Wiid is the leader and apparent founder of the “Worthy Women” South Africa movement.* Included in the protocol of furthering her ideals is a conference called the Worthy Women’s Conference (WWC) . The conferences attracts thousands of women – and if you attend you will see all white faces in a country that has a black majority. Need I say more!?!
This is all very profitable – DVD’s, children and teen camps, school workshops, events, and her aims at control and oppression and profit are masked by the mission she reflect at www.grethawiid.co.za Notably, “Hoekom ons doen wat ons doen” – meaning “Why do we do what we do.” She tells the story of her marriage and its deliverance from pornography and adultery – together with MAN Francois, saved from divorce. And so in sharing their experience she attempts to sway women into her ideal and promises it will all lead to a great marriage. She blames everything on childhood hurts and does not attribute any blame or responsibility to men, patriarchy and that form of dominance over women. The very type of society that fostered Apartheid – where women knew their place!
Upon reading more and more it is becoming clear that in fact through what she says, while purporting to know the answers, couched in feigned progress, and enticed to collude with the privacy of her woman’s heart, what she is actually doing is the antithesis to how we understand feminism, progress, equality and the feminist movements. It is regressive – deceiving – it is muddied by progressive jibber jabber. She is persuading women to reject their progress and to go back into the mold of paternalism and dominance by men and she uses religion and her self styled credentials as her tools.
Women are falling for this in droves, hundreds and maybe thousands. It’s a scapegoat climate and many seem to be agreeing to participate in the scapegoating of themselves. At the end of the day while purporting to strengthen she serves to weaken. It is a fascinating paradox – one which not even Zeno could have conjured up!
Read about her ideology here.
There will be more…..
- It seems Gretha Wiid and her co-horts might have usurped this name from the American based organization – and we are looking into whether there is any affiliation or if they are using the same name?
REAL WORTHY WOMEN USA WEBSITE is HERE.
By Melanie Nathan
Contact:Commissionermnathan@gmail.com
@MelanieNathan1
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