Blog #2 Betty Dedrich and her influence on a Non-violent Synanon

Blog #2

            The founder of Synanon was, obviously, Charles Dederich, but the person who kept that man grounded was his wife Betty.  Betty Dederich first went to Synanon as a heroin addict.  In Synanon she met her future husband Charles, in 1959.  The couple did not get married until 1972, and made a family. 

            Betty Dederich held a high position of power in Synanon and often counseled Charles on important matters.  Her guidance was important to him and allowed Synanon to function smoothly.  Within Synanon they played The Game, which was a meeting where members would verbally abuse each other and point out their flaws in order to better that individual.  Betty Dederich was not against The Game, but she did create her own game called “Betty’s Game.”  This was the opposite of the original Game, and members would often pick a strong attribute someone had and build on that attribute positively. 

            Charles Dederich was also famous for being so progressive for his time when it came to race.  Betty was an African American woman, who he fell in love with, and many believe that is a large part, if not the main reason, he was able to be so ahead of his time when it came to racial equality.  Along with racial equality he was for equal treatment of the sexes. 

            In 1976 Betty was diagnosed with diabetes, which led Charles to make the executive decision to take all processed sugar out of Synanon food.  To save the health of the woman he loved he changed the diet of every one of his followers.  The news would not get better for Betty though.

            It was also during this time period that a group of younger members became known as the “Punk Squad.”  These members were known to be violent, and both Betty and Charles fought against them as they rebelled.  The young members would often be beaten so as to stop the violence they would create.  Betty wrote about the squad, “We’re beginning to find some creeps amongst the squares.”  So at this point in time, with Betty alive, Synanon remained against violence, and would actually punish members for being violent. 

            Just one year after finding out she had diabetes, Betty was also diagnosed with lung cancer.  After this diagnosis, Betty died in April of 1977, and Dederich found himself alone.  He immediately announced that he would accept applications from any women who wanted to marry him. Six applied and he eventually chose a thirty-one-year old. He was so delighted with the experiment that he ordered all married couples to take separation vows and pick a new mate every three years.  The woman whom he chose was named Ginny, and they remained married until Charles died of cardio respiratory failure in 1997. 

            After the death of Betty was when Synanon became violent, and outgoing in it’s efforts to fight those who opposed them.  Violence became a staple among Synanon members.  Many cases have come up in my research, but the worst may e that of Jack Hurst.  Jack Hurst was a former board member for the local newspaper, The Point Reyes Light, and when he spoke out against Synanon he came home to find his door open, and his guard dog hung in his living room. 

            It can also be argued that the violence began before Betty died, and that Charles was beginning to lose his mind before she passed away.  In 1973 there was an incident referred to now as the root beer incident.  While playing The Game, Dederich was repeatedly interrupted by a girl showing him little respect, and in retaliation he walked over to her and poured root beer over her head.  With Dederich breaking his own rules of The Game it may have become apparent to other members of Synanon that he was losing his way, or maybe just his touch. 

            Now it can also be argued he was dealing with the grief of Betty’s health, even in 1973.  With a hospital on the site of Synanon I find it hard to believe they would only catch her lung cancer a year before it advanced so far.  I may be playing devils advocate, but if I were Charles Dederich and I had found out about my wife’s sickness, it may be difficult to stay calm and not resort to violence when faced with opposition.  In no way am I condoning the actions of Synanon.

            Also during this time, in 1978, a group in Guyana may have participated in violence, assassinating a congressman, and initiating the largest mass suicide in history.  Jonestown as occurring at the same time, so it is obvious why the government may have begun to push Synanon even harder, supporting the fight against them with Paul Morantz, especially once their violent acts came into light with the local papers.  Within days, the police raided Synanon. Incriminating material was found, including a recording of Dederich’s “New Religious Posture.” Dederich himself was nowhere to be found, although he was later tracked down to a Synanon property in Arizona known as Lake Havasu.  When over thirty police officers burst into the house, they found the sixty-five-year-old Dederich sitting by himself in a stupor. In front of him was an empty bottle of whiskey.  Dederich was later convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder. 

            I truly wish to have known more about Betty, but information on her scarce.  I also wish I could have seen how Synanon would have turned out if she had not passed away in 1977, but instead been able to council Charles on what to do with his group.