Michelle and JimBob aka J'Chelle and Boob

[RazzleberryPie]

My DOG's crate is bigger and more comfy than that baby cage.

 

Reminds me of this http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2178140/Baby-taking-room-Try-solution-1930s--window-CAGE-hanging-air-infant-crawl-in.html

[cmr2014]

Josh and the older children certainly have a basic high school education. To graduate in Virginia at the basic level isn't particularly rigorous, and I imagine they could meet those standards. And as I said, I'm not particularly upset that most of the Duggars don't read, as most people don't read. It's their antipathy for reading and books in general.

 

I would question that. I would believe that they read at about the 6th grade level, but I doubt that have even the basic framwork of knowledge in math, science, history, etc. to qualify for a high school diploma. They may have "passed" some multiple choice quizzes on their computers, but I just don't see any signs that any of the kids has any real grasp on much of anything school-related.

 

While I agree that a lot of people don't read, they do get information from other sources. Even people who don't read watch television and movies, surf the internet, pick up the occasional newpaper or magazine, etc. The Duggars -- as far as I can tell -- actively and aggresivley prevent any information from infiltrating their various head holes.

 

One of the things that really struck me was their statement that they didn't watch television except for the occassional Andy Griffith re-run (which they talked about afterward to clear up any moral ambiguity). There is tons of education stuff available on television: biographies, documentaries, nature programs, etc. You can rent DVDs from most public libraries for free.

 

My gut feeling is that their internet access is also extremely limited -- they "unblock" a few approved sites rather than "blocking" a few offensive sites.

 

I suppose newspapers and magazines cost money, so that's just a non-starter for JB. I would imagine that the older children have some limited access to Fox news content.

[Churchhoney]

I would question that. I would believe that they read at about the 6th grade level, but I doubt that have even the basic framwork of knowledge in math, science, history, etc. to qualify for a high school diploma. They may have "passed" some multiple choice quizzes on their computers, but I just don't see any signs that any of the kids has any real grasp on much of anything school-related.

 

While I agree that a lot of people don't read, they do get information from other sources. Even people who don't read watch television and movies, surf the internet, pick up the occasional newpaper or magazine, etc. The Duggars -- as far as I can tell -- actively and aggresivley prevent any information from infiltrating their various head holes.

 

One of the things that really struck me was their statement that they didn't watch television except for the occassional Andy Griffith re-run (which they talked about afterward to clear up any moral ambiguity). There is tons of education stuff available on television: biographies, documentaries, nature programs, etc. You can rent DVDs from most public libraries for free.

 

My gut feeling is that their internet access is also extremely limited -- they "unblock" a few approved sites rather than "blocking" a few offensive sites.

 

I suppose newspapers and magazines cost money, so that's just a non-starter for JB. I would imagine that the older children have some limited access to Fox news content.

 

This sounds right on the money. Disturbing how many people want them brought back to tv because they're such great "role models."

[Sew Sumi]

Pickles has a picture of MEchelle in an airport being picked up by Derick and Jill.

That is a pic of Mechelle and James dropping them off at the airport. Pickles even said as much. From what I remember of the NWA airport, I concur. 

[BradandJanet]

That was my first thought too, the guy is fat and the kids are hungry.

 

Mom is perpetually pregnant and the kids are hungry and ignored. Jill Rodrigues-Michelle Duggar Quiver tossup. 

 

David Rodrigues started married life pretty thin. Keeping him in pants he can button must cost money. Well, anyway. . . .

[riverblue22]

The last pictures I saw of the Rodrigues kids was when they were living in Jill's sister's house, and they looked much better than usual.  I think the sister may have taken her house back and kicked them out however.

[SomePity1066]

Twenty-three percent of Americans did not read a book last year. Interestingly enough, the same number of households did not purchase a book, either. According to Pew, however, reading for pleasure is on its way back, which thrills me. (I have a tough time understanding people that don't read.) I think the ability to carry one's library around on an e-reader or tablet also helps with people who'd like to read but don't want to pack a book around all day.

 

I would not be surprised to learn that one or more of the Lost Girls or Howlers does not know how to read. We know that at least one of the younger boys is not reading at anywhere near his grade level. It's sad that Jim Boob and J-Chelle are more interested in ignorant and compliant children than those who can visit new and exciting worlds through the pages of a book.

Missy Vixen - I, too, have a hard time understanding people that don't read, and I'm thrilled as well that reading is making a "comeback", as odd as that sounds. To me, it's like saying that breathing is making a comeback ! As one of the basics that make up the concept of "civilization" - domestication of animals, farming, building shelter, commerce, etc - the written word is as essential to our progress as humans as fire or the wheel. Even if 23% of Americans (which I can certainly place the Duggars in) didn't read a book last year, that means that 77% did. That's heartening to me as an avid reader (I'm 22 books into the year so far) but the Duggars' willful ignorance takes all of the air out of my balloon.

 

They seem to be downright damn proud, defensively so, even, of the holes in their education. Shakespeare - who ? Hindenburg - what ? Amelia Earhart - what - a WOMAN flying a plane ? Har-dee-har-har...

 

I'm not saying that they have to spend their days poring over Dickens and Melville, but maybe, just maybe, a little bit of the outside civilization that they live in wouldn't be so bad. And that's saying that they might benefit from a REAL teacher - Michelle has long abandoned her post and they're running out of the older girls rapidly. I often wonder if they ever really have the SOTDRT at all anymore...

 

My favorite fact about JB and his view on education ? His favorite book, the one that rules his life and guides his hand, is the Bible, specifically the King James Version that they use as per Gothard teachings. 

 

Yet, inexplicably, the man who runs the home as the Headship and spiritual guide, thinks that King James actually WROTE that Bible. 

 

The irony is both laughable and palpable. You can't make up shit like this... 

[Happyfatchick]

They think that is an appropriate place for a baby to sleep? Too tiny, only front & top ventilation. My goodness it looks like an umbrella stand. It has a cover!!!!!!!! This is so wrong. 

 

So many swears and no one to hear them ...

I'm not all that sure about the top ventilation - looks to  me like when the top is down, the clothing covers it up. There are people in jail for putting children in bigger cages than that. 

 

1) OK, so their kids sleep in a shoebox.  But it looks as though it's lined with cedar - so I guess it's sort a luxury shoebox. 

They live in a camper, right?  14 of them???  FOURTEEN???  How on earth do they procreate in a camper with children EVERYWHERE???

 

2) I've only ever seen Pris and Anna in pics know who they are.  They should seriously be on their knees every night (and so should their husbands) thanking God they took after their father.  'Nuff said, although CLEARLY, more wants to be let out.

[Micks Picks]

hfc they are getting a place to live from Jesus but he hasn't quite come through yet.  Her sister was in an accident a few months ago that left the sis paralyzed so they moved into the mom's home for a few weeks while visiting in the hospital, and all the kids sing (I would so get up and run out of the church if I had to listen to some huge family singing or whatever) so churches sometimes let them hook up in a parking lot for a few weeks or  put them up in the basement very temporarily.  But the churches are getting wise to this and they travel through a lot states looking for a chance to give others the opportunity to please Jesus by helping them out.  

[Defrauder]

David Rodriques, pictured below with his wife Jill and Ma and Pa Keller, is the spitting image of Alfred E Neuman

They live in a camper with their eleven Dickensian waif children. Here's their camper's baby cage:

That's the baby's crib (cage) are you kidding me!  Even a small infant would have trouble moving in there, and please don't tell me the camper actually travels because the baby would be hitting against the sides on movement. That's just ludicrous.

[Skittl1321]

 

I'd like to think that most of the Duggars at least can read above a fifth-grade level, but am I giving them too much credit? This link says that the KJV is written at the 12th grade level.

I think the older Duggars can read at a high middle school level. They all had an okay education; most got GEDs.

The younger kids- well who knows.

 

The thing is, most intelligent Americans, although capable of reading at a high reading level, don't actually do it very often. I mostly enjoy fun novels. They are probably written at a 6-8th grade level. Yes, I can parse highly scientific text, but I don't do that except on very rare occasion for work.

 

As for the KJV. If we gave them a passage they didn't read as part of their typical day, and then a standard comprehension test, I think the KJV would be well beyond the ability of most of the Duggars, including Michelle and Jim-Bob. They know what the KJV says because of all the accompanying "Bible studies" that go with it.  The actual text is very difficult to read.  The youngest kids might not even make it through the reading of it to be able to test the understanding of it!

[GEML]

Most best sellers are written at a sixth grade level or so. That's not a slam, but the idea is that a book should be a page turner. You aren't turning pages if you are concentrating on text. Most natural dialog is rarely over fifth grade level anyway. Few people from anywhere have perfect grammar, for instance, or don't use slang occasionally, or put place holder type markers in their speech.

[galax-arena]

The thing is, most intelligent Americans, although capable of reading at a high reading level, don't actually do it very often. I mostly enjoy fun novels. They are probably written at a 6-8th grade level.

Oh, definitely, but that's still a notch above a 5th grade level, which is pretty damn low. IIRC, a lot of newspapers are written at the 6th grade level or so. The question for me isn't whether the Duggars read a lot of material at the advanced high school level - god knows I don't - but whether they even can. 

 

 

Most natural dialog is rarely over fifth grade level anyway. Few people from anywhere have perfect grammar, for instance, or don't use slang occasionally, or put place holder type markers in their speech.

Slang and pitch-perfect grammar aren't really how a lot of reading levels are determined, anyway*, although of course there are a bunch of different reading level tests out there so I can't speak for all of them. A lot of the popular formulas determine it by assessing some kind of average syllable count for the words used, so it's more vocabulary than anything else, along with sentence length.

 

Maybe we need to see how many polysyllabic words the Duggars use...

 

* Although I'm sure there's some correlation with a lot of common slang and how ~complicated (i.e. how many syllables) the word is, e.g. "pot" instead of "marijuana."

Edited August 4, 2015 by galax-arena

[Happyfatchick]

Ah, the wonderful place markers.  Absolutely, GEML!  My husband uses "you know" as his place holder.  My current youngest grand (about to be promoted up a notch in December) says "Uhmmmm".  Habitual place markers make me absolutely INSANE.  I had a dear, dear friend once who ALWAYS said "...and all" at the end of every sentence, and sometimes in the middle.  My cousin (one of the Ohio peeps - whom we spend A LOT of time with) says "there" for commas and periods.  How you doing, there?  Or Jimmy just called, there, and he wants to ___, there."  THESE THINGS MAKE ME NUTS!!!!!  I said to the cuz once, "I counted 17 'there's' in that sentence.  Take out at least half and try it again."  This guy actually had a job once where they referred to him (TO HIS FACE!) as "Bill There".

 

And I most certainly have mentally noted that we don't actually converse at the top of our vocabulary.  It is EXTREMELY irritating to me when someone does so on a routine basis.  If we're (for example), sitting on your back porch, drinking tea and watching butterflies, I probably don't need to hear you explain that "I got utterly confused on the downtown connector yesterday and was forced to detour the circuitous route".  (Excuse me, is the Queen behind me???)  Yes, I know those words.  I know the definitions and am able to use them correctly.  I just DON'T in normal conversation.  I constantly "dumb down" my vocabulary and speech patterns because 1) it does serve to make me more approachable and "friendly" and 2) I'm never absolutely confident with the reception.  I want to use the appropriate level of my extensive vocabulary; will this person think I'm pretentious and obnoxious if I use the circuitous route?  Generally the only time I break out into "high" English is when I'm giving someone hell about service over the phone! 

 

Then again, I suppose every language has a dumbed-down slang version of every day speech. 

[msblossom]

I came across a woman years several ago and if not for her constant use of the word *see* she would have been forgettable. She worked in housing on the campus where my husband was enrolled in grad school and she was giving us a tour of all the housing options. She would insert *see* two or three times in each sentance. It went something like this: "If you'll follow me, see, over to such & such apartments, see, you'll see how large the one bedroom with a study nook is, see. They come with washer and dyer hookups, see, although we do have washer and dryers that can be rented, see, for an extra $40 a month and to be included in your rent, see." We nicknamed her the See Lady. A couple years ago we had lunch with a friend and former student and I'm not sure how it came about, but I mentioned the See Lady and he knew exactly who I was referring to without explanation. Every now and then my husband will crack me up and start talking like that. I've never heard anyone use the word see as a place marker before or since. Except maybe Bogart, and old gangster movies. It was really strange.

Edited August 4, 2015 by msblossom

[Flowers]

It's not just the Duggars who use place markers regularly in our speech. The president of the United States is infamous for "uhhhhhh"-ing his way through his speeches. I'm just sayin.

[Bella]

Once again, we are way off-topic.

 

This is the Michelle and JimBob thread, not the reading and linguistics thread.

 

People who follow this forum see new posts in a thread and expect to read about the topic of the thread. And instead, these off-topic posts make them wade through umpteen posts on something else entirely different. That is really unfair to them.

 

Also, posted at the top of this forum are instructions on how to ignore posters who bug.

 

Just a teeny tiny bit more effort on everyone's part will make this place better for all of us. So please comply.

 

Thanks!

[sometimesy]

It must be difficult to be aging (menopause?) in such a public way. especially for Michelle who has been almost worshipped for childbearing.

[kokapetl]

It must be difficult to be aging (menopause?) in such a public way. especially for Michelle who has been almost worshipped for childbearing.

The goalposts for her were delivering a living baby, with the infant care being the busywork she did between scoring those goals. It's hard to guess how she feels about her "career" being over, she's a very opaque person. Deep down she could be distraught, but Michelle has some stunning maladaptive coping mechanisms that allow her to ignore stuff like that.

[Julia]

It must be difficult to be aging (menopause?) in such a public way. especially for Michelle who has been almost worshipped for childbearing.

 

 Particularly since she's arranged her life for the last twenty years so that she doesn't have to do any of the heavy lifting, literal and figurative, of raising her family because she's been too busy gestating and turned expressing milk into a full time job (which, come to think of it, is kind of a genius way to arrange to be seen as an earth mother without ever being in contact with children). She's going to have to come up with a whole new reason to neglect her grandkids.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Julia

[Defrauder]

It's hard to think of MAD as a grandmother because she acts like such a spoiled child herself with her 3 year old baby girl voice.  Her own kids take care of HER. 

[JoanArc]

 

she's a very opaque person. Deep down she could be distraught, but Michelle has some stunning maladaptive coping mechanisms that allow her to ignore stuff like that.

Very true. I don;t wish mental illness on anyone, but I can see Michelle doing some heavy duty dissociation and abusing fantasy life in the coming years.

 

EDIT: From the other kids thread -

 

This woman has admitted to shoplifting as a teen, so there you have it...already a dishonest heart in her...

 

WAIT WAIT What? I haven't heard this one. Not to defend Michelle, but you can't necessarily extrapolate teen hooliganism to adult behavior. (Well maybe, the woman is mentally 15).

Edited August 4, 2015 by JoanArc

[kokapetl]

Very true. I don;t wish mental illness on anyone, but I can see Michelle doing some heavy duty dissociation and abusing fantasy life in the coming years.

EDIT: From the other kids thread -

WAIT WAIT What? I haven't heard this one. Not to defend Michelle, but you can't necessarily extrapolate teen hooliganism to adult behavior. (Well maybe, the woman is mentally 15).

I think Michelle will react poorly when significant numbers of her children have their own families, and those families don't involve sister mom arrangements. She seems to avoid socializing with families outside her circle of likeminded Quiverfull types, but she'll find it nearly impossible to cut ties with her kids, and their likely normal interest and affection for their children will make Michelle feel like the piss poor parent she is/was.

[latetotheparty]

I think Michelle will react poorly when significant numbers of her children have their own families, and those families don't involve sister mom arrangements. She seems to avoid socializing with families outside her circle of likeminded Quiverfull types, but she'll find it nearly impossible to cut ties with her kids, and their likely normal interest and affection for their children will make Michelle feel like the piss poor parent she is/was.

 

I fucking hope so.  Maybe she'll shut up about what great examples they are.

[Churchhoney]

I think Michelle will react poorly when significant numbers of her children have their own families, and those families don't involve sister mom arrangements. She seems to avoid socializing with families outside her circle of likeminded Quiverfull types, but she'll find it nearly impossible to cut ties with her kids, and their likely normal interest and affection for their children will make Michelle feel like the piss poor parent she is/was.

 

I hope so. Can't say it worked in my family, though. The piss-poor went right on thinking they were the greatest no matter what the younger generations did. Hopefully Michelle will have a better heart. Or maybe having a full bakers'-dozen-and-a-half kids to show her better examples will do the trick. It would be nice if she could see it. Might send her right around the bend, though, if she did. If the truth actually did strike the guilt might be nearly unbearable.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Churchhoney

[cmr2014]

I don't think so. IMO, she is just not capable of that sort of self-reflection. i think she will be as disinterested in her grandchildren, and the relationships her own children have with their children, as she is wtih her own children now.

[Micks Picks]

Another article appears that talks about the Duggar home life in 2002-04.  The conditions may come into the lawsuit by the non-family molestation person.

http://www.inquisitr.com/2306378/duggar-family-outed-for-child-endangerment-and-maltreatment-2/

 

I think something is seriously off with Michelle.  She seemed a normal fun teen, and it still breaks free in her chances to waterski, roller-skate, and interact in outside activities.  Just why she is so enamored with JB, and why she is so supposedly in to Gothard, is unknown to me.  I do not believe for a minute that it is her nature.  She forces herself into it every day.  She seems afraid to cause JB any displeasure.  Yet even at her little school reunion last year she couldn't help herself and actually talked to old high school friends (male ones too).  JB must be so controlling that she will pay for that.  It's like her sense of self is gone.

[kokapetl]

I hope so. Can't say it worked in my family, though. The piss-poor went right on thinking they were the greatest no matter what the younger generations did. Hopefully Michelle will have a better heart. Or maybe having a full bakers'-dozen-and-a-half kids to show her better examples will do the trick. It would be nice if she could see it. Might send her right around the bend, though, if she did. If the truth actually did strike the guilt might be nearly unbearable.

You're probably right. If Michelle recognises her failure, it'll just go on to the mountain of unpleasant thoughts she purposes to ignore.

[floridamom]

YES, when the season finale interview aired on TLC, (the one where it seemed now obvious that the family knew the scandal was going public), there was a segment with JB and Michelle on camera together, that he was yet again listing her bikini lawn mowing sins to

the viewing public, then added that Michelle had shoplifted as a teen...and Michelle concurred, that yes, that happened and was true..It wasn't on the Megyn interview, but that season finale with the whole family in the living room and those glaring looks at Josh from Derick and Ben...

[Satchels of gold]

I find the psychology of Michelle fascinating. I was raised and think so differently she might as well be from Mars. I would love to know what she really thinks about her life and if she is honestly happy. I pity her and am revolted by her simultaneously and I'm sure if she knew me the feeling would be mutual. Jim Bob is a simpler creature, it's good to be King.

[yogi2014L]

Another article appears that talks about the Duggar home life in 2002-04.  The conditions may come into the lawsuit by the non-family molestation person.

http://www.inquisitr.com/2306378/duggar-family-outed-for-child-endangerment-and-maltreatment-2/

 

I think something is seriously off with Michelle.  She seemed a normal fun teen, and it still breaks free in her chances to waterski, roller-skate, and interact in outside activities.  Just why she is so enamored with JB, and why she is so supposedly in to Gothard, is unknown to me.  I do not believe for a minute that it is her nature.  She forces herself into it every day.  She seems afraid to cause JB any displeasure.  Yet even at her little school reunion last year she couldn't help herself and actually talked to old high school friends (male ones too).  JB must be so controlling that she will pay for that.  It's like her sense of self is gone.

I'm waiting for the tell all. I think Jboob is abusive, at least emotionally. You have to be a sick fuck to keep your wife pregnant all those years. I think he has a mean streak and used her past 'indiscretions' to break her down and erase her self confidence until she turned into this baby voiced robot. 

I'm not excusing her from fault but I think perhaps the whole sister mom thing is her big FUCK YOU to her situation./boob. 

 

Kind of like sure I'll give you all these kids but im not lifting a finger to raise them sort of thing. I bet there are a lot of terrible dynamics going on between the two of them. Jboob has creepy abusive ass hat written allll over him. 

[Happyfatchick]

hfc they, and all the kids sing (I would so get up and run out of the church if I had to listen to some huge family singing or whatever)

Ah, see, Micks, this is where I make a better team player than you. If I saw on a church sign advertising that they were singing, I would make it a point to go and suffer thru. (And I would video and post it here so we could all "enjoy"). You should work on that team spirit thing.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Happyfatchick

[BitterApple]

Michelle certainly wouldn't be the first teen to pilfer something out of a department store. It's funny how Boob uses that and the bikini incident as examples of how Gothardism saved Michelle from the fiery pits of hell. To hear Boob tell it, she was on the fast track to drugs and hooking before he stepped in to play White Knight.

Edited August 5, 2015 by BitterApple

[barbedwire]

So JimBoob can keep bring up/harping on MeeShell's binkini wearing and shoplifting, but no one is suppose to bring up Josh's teenaged "mistake?"  Suuurrreee, that makes sense.

[SometimesBites]

Many of the Republican women in Washington County are irritated with Jim Bob Duggar, who is running against incumbent Tim Hutchinson in the May 21 Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

    

    The problem? They can't ever seem to get Duggar to address any of the issues.

    

    At a Washington County Republican Women luncheon on April 24, each candidate was given only three minutes to talk about issues. Instead, Duggar paraded some of his 13 children up to the front and had them sing a song.

    

    Anne Britton, a candidate for constable and member of the group, tried to stop the Duggar clan from singing and get him to talk instead.

    

    But Duggar dismissed her in front of the group by saying, "Well, you're a Hutchinson supporter."

    

    The kids sang, and Duggar said he would answer questions after the event.

    

    "He's clearly exploiting his kids," Britton said the next day. "I told him it's bordering on child abuse. I've had it."

Just...wow. What a nitwit. Hooking up with TLC was the luckiest thing imaginable for this dim bulb.

[Micks Picks]

Barbed wire, your post is perfect.  It needs to be restated.

 

 

So JimBoob can keep bring up/harping on MeeShell's binkini wearing and shoplifting, but no one is suppose to bring up Josh's teenaged "mistake?"  Suuurrreee, that makes sense.

[Churchhoney]

So JimBoob can keep bring up/harping on MeeShell's binkini wearing and shoplifting, but no one is suppose to bring up Josh's teenaged "mistake?"  Suuurrreee, that makes sense.

 

As someone here said yesterday, regarding another matter: One of those people has a penis.

[AnJen]

It makes sense for Michelle to be in an abusive situation; she never seems to want to be there, and her personality does come through in the above-mentioned instances. She was likely a very lively, happy teen, but now she's hard and cold, and her family seems mystified as to what happened to her.

 

But I just have the hardest time picturing anyone being afraid of JimBob. He's a complete dorkwad. It's 100% possible that he's a tyrant to his family when the cameras aren't rolling, but having seen his face and behavior before, I just can't picture a scenario where anyone would be intimidated by him in the slightest! I'd love to have a glimpse into what they're like when they aren't "on" for the camera, because if normal JimBob is anything slightly resembling "reality show JimBob" I don't see why his wife or children would take him seriously, let alone him being in a position of power. 

[Aja]

Don't let Jim Bob fool you. I was with a man who wasn't just liked by everyone he met--he was straight up LOVED. Generous, funny, uncannily perceptive and good at reading people, an excellent ice-breaker and tension diffuser in social situations. Did not mind one bit beating the crap out of me behind closed doors. It makes it trickier for people to believe the abuse victim, too. I don't put anything past anyone. There's no telling what comes out when the cameras are off.

[JoanArc]

I'm sorry Aja.

[magpye29]

I was with a man who wasn't just liked by everyone he met--he was straight up LOVED. Generous, funny, uncannily perceptive and good at reading people, an excellent ice-breaker and tension diffuser in social situations. Did not mind one bit beating the crap out of me behind closed doors.

 

People said the same thing about my parents, who were abusive to each other and to us kids.  The thing is, monsters wear their nice-guy masks in public, so people rarely get a look at what's really going on behind closed doors.  I can totally believe JB is a controlling blankety-blank when he's alone with his family.

 

(edited due to jumping cursor typos)

Edited August 5, 2015 by magpye29

[Churchhoney]

Don't let Jim Bob fool you. I was with a man who wasn't just liked by everyone he met--he was straight up LOVED. Generous, funny, uncannily perceptive and good at reading people, an excellent ice-breaker and tension diffuser in social situations. Did not mind one bit beating the crap out of me behind closed doors. It makes it trickier for people to believe the abuse victim, too. I don't put anything past anyone. There's no telling what comes out when the cameras are off.

 

Bears repeating.

[amitville]

Don't let Jim Bob fool you. I was with a man who wasn't just liked by everyone he met--he was straight up LOVED. Generous, funny, uncannily perceptive and good at reading people, an excellent ice-breaker and tension diffuser in social situations. Did not mind one bit beating the crap out of me behind closed doors. It makes it trickier for people to believe the abuse victim, too. I don't put anything past anyone. There's no telling what comes out when the cameras are off.

So sorry Aja

[JoanArc]

Sociopathic types are often the nicest people. It sucks.

[Quilt Fairy]

I just read the Inquisitr article. Wow, the gloves are really off! That is some mean snark. I particularly liked how Josh rates an arrow to identify him in the family picture. I would feel bad about them going on and on about the size of the house they lived in 15 years ago, but apparently no one challenged them on it then, so it's about damn time.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[Cherrio]

I'm sorry Aja.

Me too Aja.     

[Julia]

I'm sorry, Aja and magpye. That sucks.

 

Keep in mind too that Michelle has no family not in Jim Bob's pocket, no friends not in Jim Bob's pocket, no education, no job skills, no credit, probably no access to the family finances, and almost certainly a covenant marriage which leaves her few options.

[Churchhoney]

 I would feel bad about them going on and on about the size of the house they lived in 15 years ago, but apparently no one challenged them on it then, so it's about damn time.

 

Particularly when he'd crammed the kids into that inadequate house but then blithely threw away $250,000 on his clearly ridiculous Senate campaign -- during which, instead of answering voter questions, he repeatedly trotted the kids out on stage and tried to use them as his entree into high office, as we learned from the article Julia turned up the other day. They've been used and abused for going on two decades now, at least, and he's such a manipulator that he's actually got most of them thanking him for it. It's truly disgusting.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Churchhoney

[Albanyguy]

I can see Michelle doing some heavy duty dissociation and abusing fantasy life in the coming years.

 

 

"I'm still big...it's reality television that's gotten small!"

[Cherrio]

It makes sense for Michelle to be in an abusive situation; she never seems to want to be there, and her personality does come through in the above-mentioned instances. She was likely a very lively, happy teen, but now she's hard and cold, and her family seems mystified as to what happened to her.

 

But I just have the hardest time picturing anyone being afraid of JimBob. He's a complete dorkwad. It's 100% possible that he's a tyrant to his family when the cameras aren't rolling, but having seen his face and behavior before, I just can't picture a scenario where anyone would be intimidated by him in the slightest! I'd love to have a glimpse into what they're like when they aren't "on" for the camera, because if normal JimBob is anything slightly resembling "reality show JimBob" I don't see why his wife or children would take him seriously, let alone him being in a position of power. 

I think the happy lively teen she was might of possibly been a cover for a very unhappy and troubled person.    Doing things like bikini mowing and shoplifting can be behaviors for much needed attention.

 But on the other hand, I have a really hard time understanding how anyone could want Jim Bob, but that goes again to my theory of her depression and desperation perhaps.

           I do agree she was worn down by verbal and maybe physical abuse, along with the cult beliefs.    But, there is that Michelle who was full of seething anger on the Fox interview.   She let her monster voice be heard.