An Upcoming NSW Housing Development Is Called ‘Gilead’, Which Is Unfortunate
Blessed be the fruit.
Margaret Atwood did not invent the word Gilead, but The Handmaid’s Tale certainly shifted its meaning. It may be a place of religious significance in Jordan, but in our cultural consciousness it’s associated first-most with Atwood’s theocratic nation of nightmares.
It’s also the name of a delightful bit of country just off Campbelltown in South West Sydney. With a population around 400 people, it’s currently a quiet place, befitting of Gilead’s biblical definition, ‘hills of revelation’. And sometime later this year, those hills will be live with the sound of urbanism, as developers Lendlease open a planned community — also called Gilead.
“There was an Offred before me. She helped me find my way out. She’s dead. She’s alive. She is me.” — Offred, The Handmaid’s Tale S1E4
As Daile Kelleher points out on Twitter, the utopic descriptions of the site’s amenities take a slightly ominous turn if you’ve watched The Handmaid’s Tale.
“No matter how busy life gets, it’s refreshing to know that your home and community will always have an uplifting sense of tranquility.” — ‘Live Life To The Fullest’, Gilead development brochure.
When the website mentions that “Gilead will offer a new kind of community and lifestyle”, we’re not exactly picturing neighbourhood book nights and poke bowls.
WOWWWW way to miss the mark Lendlease…
“Gilead will offer a new kind of community and lifestyle…” https://t.co/ruCHr6gFNx pic.twitter.com/DbIJPnTYrv
— Daile (@DaileKelleher) July 5, 2018
Of course, it’s something of a Catch 22. It’d be silly to rebrand a town with a 200-year-old name, just because of some small cultural phenomenon. But still, it’s a little… uncomfortable.
“Set yourself free.” — Gilead development brochure.
We’re sure it’ll be a lovely place to live, raise a family, and enjoy democratic freedoms. But our tv-addled brains are a little too creeped out by the prospect — perhaps it’s actually just a genius marketing technique to keep droll prestige TV viewers away, the type who would continually badger their neighbours for never watching The Wire or Six Feet Under.