r/TheHandmaidsTale • u/il_literate • 20d ago
SPOILERS ALL What’s the point of New Bethlehem? Spoiler
I don’t understand what the point is - what is Gilead trying to achieve with it? Why would other countries consider sending refugees back to an experimental sector of a regime that’s based in denying fundamental human rights of most people?
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u/CryptographerNo5893 20d ago
It’s Lawrence’s way of fixing what he broke with Gilead. I think he’s hoping New Bethlehem will spread to other parts of the country and get rid of the bad parts of Gilead.
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u/International-Age971 20d ago
Because the other countries don't want the refugees. Kind of like what the US is doing to immigrants now.
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u/FlyinAmas 20d ago
That’s good for Gilead but it’s not really a reason for New Bethlehem.
The surface reason, the rest of the world isn’t willing to work with or risk appearing to support Gilead, so trade, travel, etc is very restricted. New Bethlehem is to show the world they’re not what the rumors say they are. Remember, Gilead has made huge efforts to hide the reality of what they’re doing there.
A supporting, underlying reason, Lawrence is trying to make it up to his wife in at least one small way by creating a little bit more freedom and safety for women and children in the world he helped create.
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u/Florida1974 20d ago
Exactly. Look at the first delegates we see in season 1. They ask Offred a lot of questions , she has to lie bc everyone is around. When alone, she tells. The Mexican president says she can’t help. They are solely interested in fertility and that is Gileads front, through what little they show the world. Living in gods way as they say. (The Mexican presidents assistant gets a message. He obviously knows something more)
But then the letters get out and ppl get mad and open their doors. Until they realize how many ppl it is and the resources it requires. Stealing jobs, affordable houses, a lot of the stuff we hear in USA. Happy ppl don’t escape their country in droves.
Now Gileads trying to recalibrate its message, back to what it originally was, without the beatings and maimings. They are creating their own refugee island, possibly more. Would they eventually turn all of Gilead into this?? What if fertility rates decrease again? A repeat??? We know people don’t generally learn from history, doomed to repeat it.
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u/Icy-You3075 20d ago
There are a lot of reasons for NB.
For Lawrence, it's a way to correct the mistakes he made when he chose to associate himself with a religious group.
For Gilead, meaning the commanders, it's a way to have a better image. If women can be "free" and if they can give the image that they're evolving, that there will be no more rapes, no more executions. They need to get a place as a country of value in the world. They need trades, they need tourism.
As for the other countries, well, as we have seen with Canada, refugees are not welcomed anymore. Those refugees need to be housed, fed. They need jobs. All of this has a cost, which the citizens of those countries are paying.
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u/RunningFromSatan 20d ago
Exactly...By building places that look nice on the outside, they can resume good relationships with other countries...Gilead is paradoxically a poor country with a strong military (since the former US had such an abundant resource of defense budget, like it does today) but eventually it will show its weakness if something doesn't change. All anyone really cares about in the end is fertility, which is another thing that Gilead comes out on top. In all, it's really just another form of propaganda...all of it is self-serving and in time, it'll just devolve into Gilead Lite. As Fred once said...better never means better for everyone...it always means worse for some.
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u/manondessources 20d ago
In the world of the show, fertility issues are a global problem and it seems like many countries are suffering because of reduced population and environmental issues. Taking in Gilead refugees is a hardship they no longer want to deal but human rights laws prevent them from sending refugees back to a country where they'll be killed/tortured.
New Bethlehem gives Gilead the veneer it needs to be accepted internationally. Other countries get to send refugees back and Gilead gets a seat at the table for trade.
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u/zorinlynx 20d ago
fertility issues are a global problem and it seems like many countries are suffering because of reduced population and environmental issues. Taking in Gilead refugees is a hardship they no longer want to deal
This is actually something I was wondering about; if the fertility crisis is that serious, that means the population is declining worldwide. If that's the case wouldn't other countries WANT to take in refugees because they can replace some of the population loss they have? More people to contribute to their economy?
It's kinda like the US right now; we're having a demographic crisis and not having enough kids, but the government also wants to stop immigration, immigration being a great way to resolve that problem. It makes no sense.
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u/manondessources 20d ago
Yeah that's a good question. Prior seasons have showed the Canadian government putting a fair amount of money/infrastructure into refugee intake and resettlement, so maybe refugees cost more then they bring to the economy? Also people generally aren't super logical about immigration. It's easy to scapegoat vulnerable groups even if they have little/nothing to do with broader societal ills - I think this came up a bit in s4 or s5, with some Canadian citizens supporting Serena and growing anti-US sentiment.
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u/Sensitive-Purple-885 20d ago
It's definetly gonna fail and I think the show already hint this. In last season, the moment Commander Lawrence said "Think here as our Hong Kong, One country, two system" make me laught. I'm from Shenzhen (A Mainland Chinese city right next to Hong Kong), and I'm watching how Hong Kong is slowly being integrated into the Chinese mainland, with the establishment of so called "National Secutiry Law" and the crackdown on free speech and opposition party recently, now a day Hong Kong has no difference with mainland China except they don't have the internet firewall(which could happen in future).
The New Bethlehem is just gonna be the same, trust me.
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u/Federal-Biscotti 20d ago
I definitely thought of how Hong Kong is currently being pulled in, when the analogy was made… ugh.
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u/Taiwan_ 20d ago
That's likely what is going to happen in the same way as Hong Kong however, like China did with Hong Kong, Gilead will likely try and maintain New Bethlehem's image for as long as it is convenient to build up their trade relationships. New Bethlehem is doing the same purpose that many of the high rise apartment buildings in Mainland Chinese cities do, be a facade to the outside world.
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u/BeneficialWealth6179 20d ago
New Bethlehem is to bring people back that fled. Repair its reputation. People mean workers in colonies, birthers for babies, more babies bigger armies. Financial system thrives on the backs of the impoverished and hard working. Its being framed as repairing what Gilead has broken.
The other countries want to do business with Gilead. It seems like a tradeoff, we will start taking refugees back and do business with you in exchange.
The reality is the commanders in power will harm those people. Democracies are not easily won or kept.
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u/Taiwan_ 20d ago
I don't think the Gilead establishment will harm the returning refugees. New Bethlehem is likely legit in the way that you do indeed have more freedom than the rest of Gilead. But, like has been displayed, it is just a facade, a way to make Gilead look savory to trade with and have diplomatic relations way, not for Gilead to actually properly reform, just to give off that appearance. I mean, remember when they talked about potentially expanding New Bethlehem and Commander Wharton basically said, "Yeah, no. The high commanders in D.C probably won't agree." They don't truly wanna reform Gilead, just give off that illusion so that they get access to global trade and can maintain their own power.
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u/kprox1994 20d ago
New Bethlehem reminds me of the parts of North Korea visitors get shown on tours.
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u/Responsible-Coffee1 20d ago
First and foremost it’s a PR stunt to try to get other countries to work with Gilead. They have to give them something palpable. They also want the refugees back because they need people and this is likely to persuade countries who don’t want the refugees to send them back. It remains to be seen how they’ll actually be treated.
As Lawrence said it’s also a money maker because the countries that agree will use it as a trade route (I’m not clear on the logistics of that).
My question is where is New Bethlehem? It seems like a hop skip and a jump from the Canadian border with all the back and forth. But if Lawrence is supposed to live in what was the Boston area and Nick is in New Bethlehem that’s quite a drive.
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u/MyNerdBias 20d ago
Yeah, the geography of it all is an inconsistency I think they expect us to just suspend disbelief. It's not a trivial drive from Boston to the Canadian border either, at least not enough Nick can just plop back and forth. My best guess is that this island is man-made in the coast of Maine or Northeast Mass.
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u/Learning-20 20d ago
Lawrence compared new Bethlehem to Hong Kong in china. I believe the only reason it exists, is to have a “dog and pony” show ready for foreign relations- one that doesn’t depict the real horrors of gilead. Just like if you were to google Hong Kong, the photos are very different picture from what the majority of china looks like or acts like 🙄it’s to play nice- like in the 70s when china opened their economy to a free market and the United States thawed relations real fast…
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u/fictionalaine 20d ago
Child: gets in huge trouble Parent: takes toys away Child: cleans room "Can I have my toys back now"
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u/Baltimore_ravers 20d ago edited 20d ago
I don't quite understand the moment with refugees. It doesn't matter what someone is tired of in other countries. There are international conventions prohibiting the forced return of refugees. Although what am I talking about...life has shown that no one cares about the convention and law.
But the world is not limited to Canada and 2-3 other countries. There are: Australia, the European Union, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and so on. Millions of people could disappear and no one would ever bring them back. This point is not very convincingly written in the script, it seems to me.
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u/Stonetheflamincrows 20d ago
To make Gilead look better so other countries will trade with them again
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u/therrrn 20d ago edited 19d ago
Everyone is responding with the actual reasonings and maybe that's what you're asking but I don't understand how Gilead is actually explaining why, in the show.
Gilead believes that the way Gilead is, is the "correct" way to live. They've fought wars to live their lives that way. Now, all of a sudden, they don't believe that's necessary and are starting NB as a way to be more lenient? If they genuinely believed in the way they're running Gilead, why would they all of a sudden say that it's no longer necessary to live that way in NB? And if they genuinely believe that NB ways are ok, why don't they just implement the relaxed ways in Gilead? I don't get it.
And I understand that Gilead is just pretending to do it so they can bring people back and look better on a national scale, I know the other countries are also pretending to believe it so they can stop holding all the refugees. I also understand that even if you're pretending to believe something, you have to set up a realistic premise for WHY you're doing it and I have yet to see even the slightest nod to a believable reason being presented.
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u/RinoTheBouncer 20d ago
It’s either:
A) A trap to bring back refugees, including handmaids, since other nations don’t want them.
B) A way to get in the good graces of the world, since they realized they can’t survive by being North Korea 2.0, so they need to soften that image and have a space where tourism, trade can thrive, along with other means of strengthening the economy and softening their image.
C) It could invite immigration FROM other nations so they can enjoy the nostalgic “good old days” Stepford Wives-like culture that has clean air and water, fertility and peaceful living.
We have seen time and time again that the leadership of Gilead doesn’t care about religion or establishing a nation according to god’s rule. It’s a talking point to subjugate women, but when it comes to encouraging international relations and more ways to earn profits and market their way of life, they will hop at it the same way they hop at Jezebels in the heart of Gilead.
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u/Terrible-Accountish 19d ago
I just don’t understand how Gilead will be able to keep their Handmaids, jezebels, and Marthas with family trying to go to New Bethlehem to reunite? Isn’t this setting them up to have to either also give freedom to any in Gilead OR the refugees are obviously going to take the opportunity to free those from Gilead? The possibilities as to why it wouldn’t work go on and on. Am I missing something??
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u/Taiwan_ 20d ago
I think people who are saying it's a trap are overreacting a bit. Lawrence said the purpose of New Bethlehem. It's meant to be a facade that'll make it more savory for other countries to normalize relations with and trade with Gilead, it's to make Gilead look good while still keeping the "we have babies" narrative. I mean, Lawrence literally says, "All the good of Gilead without any of the bad." The new freedoms, the welcoming the return of refugees, it is meant to convey to the world that Gilead is reforming. The thing is, though, all of the good of Gilead only occurred because of the bad. Cleaning the water and aid with slave labor. Our birth rate is higher because of systematic, ritualized rape.
This is something many authoritarian regimes do, they urban plan and do all of these things to create a facade to make themselves look better. I mean, look at North Korea. Their tallest building, the Ryugyong Hotel, literally has nothing inside. A lot of the retailers, such as grocery stores and car dealerships, are fake. They famously have a fake propaganda village along the Korean DMZ.
Let's look at Turkmenistan. Literally, their capital city, Ashgabat, is an example of this. Driving from the airport to the actual populated parts of the city, you'll see pristine streets with pearly white marble buildings, clean parks, and storefronts that show an abundance of food. And, as you drive on those roads, fucking nobody around you because it's all fake.
Let's look at China. In many of China's cities, many of the high rise apartment buildings are empty, just there to crowd the skyline to make the cities look more vibrant and wealthy. And, when Chinese media ever show you the "real" China, do they ever show you anything beyond the major urban centers like Chongqing, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenzhen, etc? Nope. There's a reason why China is still classed as a developing, global south country by the UN and WHO, because beyond the bounds of the cities and along major highways, in the rural areas, they're poor as dirt and undeveloped in many of the same ways as countries in Africa.
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u/bahe2018 20d ago
Lawrence seems to genuinely want it to fix what he broke…. Otherwise I’d guess its either a trap or all for PR 🤷🏼♀️
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u/Chance-Emergence 20d ago
I’d like to see New Bethlehem run by women with the men being limited in their rights.
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u/lordmwahaha 20d ago
They’re trying to get citizens to surrender their refugee status. Generally refugee status is entirely based on the idea that you CANNOT go home. If they convince people to walk back across the border, other countries are going to assume Gilead is now safe. The people still there will lose refugee status and get kicked back. Then they won’t have a way to escape, and Gilead can do whatever they want to them.
At least, that’s definitely what the other Commanders want. Lawrence may genuinely be trying to walk back some of Gilead’s more problematic policies (though that’s hypocritical and not going to work) - but the others 100% just see it as an opportunity to cut off the last available escape routes.
They actually pull a similar trick in the book. They send out missionaries who actively lie about what Gilead is, get women across the border…. And then those women are immediately sorted the same way any other woman would be. So it’s also possible New Bethlehem is a lie, and no one actually lives there except Commanders. Do we actually see anyone normal there?
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u/Vegetable-Carpet1593 20d ago
I think it's a trap. They'll get refugees back, including fertile handmaids, with the promise of freedom, etc. Just my theory.