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The Duggars: In the Media and TLC


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As a reminder, the site's Politics Policy remains in effect.  Yes, Jim Bob is apparently running for office again. That does not make it an acceptable topic of conversation in here - unless for some mysterious reason, TLC brings the show back and it is discussed on there. Even then, it would be limited to how it was discussed on the show.

If you have any questions, please PM the mods, @SCARLETT45 and myself.

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I notice in the introduction the hostess uses the word "Quiverfull." I thought the Duggars have said they are not in the Quiverfull movement. 

I had noticed that in an earlier watching. It made me think Quiverfull might be fairly popular on TBN. I'm not a watcher of that channel, but I wondered. The hostess said it in a way that suggested viewers would be familiar. 

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If I remember correctly, the photo put in the above mentioned article is from when Michelle miscarried Jubilee and Jim Bob was speaking about that incident. That's an old file photo from then and has nothing to do with the article it is attached to. Anyone else remember that press interview?

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If I remember correctly, the photo put in the above mentioned article is from when Michelle miscarried Jubilee and Jim Bob was speaking about that incident. That's an old file photo from then and has nothing to do with the article it is attached to. Anyone else remember that press interview?

I remember I've seen that exact photo before, don't remember the occasion. I'd say it's a stock photo. 

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NOTE FROM MOD:  I'm deleting all the above posts about late-term abortion vs. early delivery, etc. for two reasons:

 

1) Unless any of you is a medical doctor who has specific expertise and experience in this area, I don't think it's productive for us to get into battles over how we define particular medical terms like "late-term abortion" or "miscarriage" or whatever.  Your definition of these terms, a doctor's definition, and the Duggars' definition may not necessarily match, which means at best you end up talking past each other.  And even if we do have medical doctors willing to weigh in, unless you were a doctor involved with this specific case, you can't really know enough about the situation to pass judgment about the medical decisions the Duggars and their doctors made (and frankly most physicians I know would never presume to diagnose someone's condition without having personal knowledge of the case).

 

2) When has a conversation about abortion on online message boards ever ended up changing anyone's mind about their stance on the issue?  You may not agree with the Duggars and that's fine.  You may not agree with each other, and that's also fine.  But there seems to be no point in airing those differences here.

 

So, the TL;DR version: don't discuss abortion here.   I am allowing the link to the original article to stand, though.  Feel free to discuss your opinion about it on the article's comments.

 

Thus spake Rhondinella.  So let it be written.  So let it be done.

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Says JimBoob, "people think we are overpopulating the world but we are following our convictions" to overpopulate the world. With nitwits. Double-speak doesn't make it right, Jim Boob.

Edited by jcbrown
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My guess is the "change" is another baby. Which wouldn't be much of a change for anyone with the last name "Duggar."

 

So maybe the 'change' is that they are done having kids? (Hope springs eternal)  Because surely having a billion babies is just the norm in Duggarland.

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I think the change with Anna and Smuggar is that they are homesick and miss the family support, so they are going to import random Duggars to keep them company.  I've heard that Jana has been with them for quite awhile.  Anna needs babysitters!

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Change for the Smuggars is another recycled plotline. They're both much slimmer now than they were in the Spring. We know they filmed Smuggar running the 5k. So there you have it. We get to see Anna grilling veggies and Smuggar setting up a home gym.

 

*yawn*

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Oh I hope Anna isn't pregnant just yet. She was getting a bit of a break. They are releasing the wedding special way too late. So much is already out, it's old news by now. Good thing they have another wedding around the corner;) I'm glad that Jessa gets to leave home everything else about the whole situation seems pretty awful. They are so over exposed in the media, it is less about the family going on vacations and more about their next media blitz. Reality TV has never ended very well for anyone. I don't think they will be the exception. 

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Yawn, Ben gives Jessa a ring. 

 

Wouldn't a ring be expected though? I wish we could speculate that they broke off their courtship, but instagram says otherwise. I'd say it would have to be something more unexpected than that. Maybe Ben decides to do overseas mission work like Derick for two years? That would be unexpected. It'd also be the perfect segue out of the courtship. 

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Wouldn't a ring be expected though? I wish we could speculate that they broke off their courtship, but instagram says otherwise. I'd say it would have to be something more unexpected than that. Maybe Ben decides to do overseas mission work like Derick for two years? That would be unexpected. It'd also be the perfect segue out of the courtship. 

Ah yes, send the unsuitable suitor on the Grand Tour. Wait, no that's Downton Abbey. 

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Micelle said,  “I doubt that Fayetteville parents would stand for a law that would endanger their daughters or allow them to be traumatized by a man joining them in their private space.”.  Her own daughters were put in this situation. What did she do?

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Michelle's robo call denouncing Arkansas' anti-discrimination bill is further proof that TLC needs to be called out for airing 19 Kids since their parent company Discovery Communications is LGBT friendly. Also, the other media outlets that feature the Duggars need to be chastised because they are promoting a family that is homophobic and transphobic.

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“I don’t believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls,”

I mean, I wouldn't want a man or woman with a past child predator conviction to be around boys, either... that is such a red herring. But of course Michelle equates transgender people with being sexual predators. 

Edited by galax-arena
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Apparently Michelle also doesn't know that male to female trans aren't the only trans people out there. Guess she hasn't heard of Chas Bono? Michelle (and probably her whole clan) are extremely homophobic and transphobic and phobic of pretty much anything involving sexuality that they can't control. I seriously hope a couple Duggars come out of the closet eventually. I mean, out of 19 children chances are one of them is gay. Of course I'm sure they're completely ashamed and trying to hide it, lest they be sent away to some de-programming center. I wouldn't put it past that family.

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I seriously hope a couple Duggars come out of the closet eventually.

I’m not sure I do, because I wouldn’t wish the Duggars as a family for any gay child.

 

I do think that personally knowing gay people as individuals instead of some amorphous, abstract blob can do a lot to diminish homophobic attitudes, but from what I’ve seen, that’s usually if the homophobia isn’t as completely entrenched as it seems to be with the Duggars.

 

ETA: Sorry, I just realized that this breaks the "no sexual orientation discussion/speculation" rule about minors! 

Edited by galax-arena
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I do think that personally knowing gay people as individuals instead of some amorphous, abstract blob can do a lot to diminish homophobic attitudes, but from what I’ve seen, that’s usually if the homophobia isn’t as completely entrenched as it seems to be with the Duggars.

 

The vicious cycle in the evangelical community--and please understand, I'm an embedded agent in that world--is that because gay people are too frightened or self-loathing to come out, a lot of run-of-the-mill church folks don't realize that there are actual gay people in their own neighborhoods, Sunday school classes, and families. I can't tell you how many times I've said to someone at church, "If you'd just speak with some gay people I think you'd see..." only to be told, "I don't know a single gay person." And they're serious. Thus the amorphous blob remains an amorphous blob.

Edited by Portia
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I mean, I wouldn't want a man or woman with a past child predator conviction to be around boys, either... that is such a red herring. But of course Michelle equates transgender people with being sexual predators. 

 

Agreed!  I'm totally against child predators hanging out in kiddie locker rooms at gyms, pools, etc. I don't much care what their gender or orientation is, though.

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Criminals come in all shapes, sizes, forms and sexes. To single out a particular group of people isn't right of Michelle, IMO. I have known many gay people who are the nicest human beings I have ever met. How many gay people does Michelle know or associate with? I am led to believe that she does not have any relationship with her own gay sister. Does she believe her own sister to be a predator? She may be tolerated at family gatherings that the Duggars are obliged to attend. How sad.

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ETA: Sorry, I just realized that this breaks the "no sexual orientation discussion/speculation" rule about minors! 

I wasn't trying to break any rules, or speak specifically about any of the kids....just that statistically it's very likely out of 19 kids. Same as the possibility of one of them being born as special needs, as Josie was. Or it's very likely at least one of them will rebel and shun the ATI lifestyle, maybe even go to a real college and get an education for a good career. I'd love to see one of those younger girls become a nurse or something. I think once most of the older children are gone and married off the younger ones will have a better chance, because there's no way Michelle and JimBob can control their own kids. Not unless Nanny Jana is around.

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I do not care for child molesters at all, but the Duggars scare me more because of their ignorance. They want to take over the world with their beliefs. Imo, they are more dangerous to our country's wellbeing than any child molester or sex offender.

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I'm sorry, but I have to disagree bigskygirl.

I'd rather be oppressed than have my children go through what my sister went through. She was molested by a relative for some time, and now is strained from the family, and an alcohol & drug addict.

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I am very sorry for what your sister has been through. I was diagnosed with PTSD because of mad childhood and was sexually harassed by certain male family members.

 

My problem with the Duggars is the way they label transgender people and gays/lesbians. To label them as potential molesters and sex offenders, in my opinion, is wrong in so many ways. And just because someone finds God does not mean they are above temptation and would use physical and mental ways to molest an innocent child or someone who may have a mental or physical disability.

 

In fact, there was a news story about seven men who were arrested for wanting to meet a thirteen year old for sex in western Montana. One of the men arrested was a youth minister. Mullet needs to realize a man or woman may use church to pick up his or her next victim.

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I am very sorry for what your sister has been through. I was diagnosed with PTSD because of mad childhood and was sexually harassed by certain male family members.

 

My problem with the Duggars is the way they label transgender people and gays/lesbians. To label them as potential molesters and sex offenders, in my opinion, is wrong in so many ways. And just because someone finds God does not mean they are above temptation and would use physical and mental ways to molest an innocent child or someone who may have a mental or physical disability.

 

In fact, there was a news story about seven men who were arrested for wanting to meet a thirteen year old for sex in western Montana. One of the men arrested was a youth minister. Mullet needs to realize a man or woman may use church to pick up his or her next victim.

I think the Duggars believe that all men can stray with a look, be a predator or worse. That's why they "nike", have computer accountability, quick engagements and overall limit family friendships to people in their circle. They pretty much believe men are pretty faulty creatures which makes for quite the disconnect when they then put males in complete authority over women and children. This being the case it makes prefect sense in their world to be challenged by anything that doesn't fall within their narrow view. So really its just not LGBT people they have a problem with its any sex outside of marriage and any situation that might lead to that.

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One of the men arrested was a youth minister. Mullet needs to realize a man or woman may use church to pick up his or her next victim.

Especially when all she has to do is look at Gothard to see an example of exactly that.

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My younger sister was the victim of a child molester.  It took her years and years to get over it (if you can ever really get over something like that).  Sorry, I would rather have the Duggars spout their beliefs all they want.  I am free to ignore them or disagree loudly.  I am empowered to do that.  A child has very little or NO power over a child molester.  They are monsters.  They are evil.  The Duggars are merely ignorant or misguided.  There is no comparison.

 

I do not care for child molesters at all, but the Duggars scare me more because of their ignorance. They want to take over the world with their beliefs. Imo, they are more dangerous to our country's wellbeing than any child molester or sex offender.

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I don't think it has to be a competition; it's like comparing apples and oranges. Both groups are scary for very different reasons. 

You are correct.  It's impossible to compare someone as sinister and derranged as a child molester to the foolish and frequently ignorant opinions of the Duggars.  But I disagree that the Duggars are scary (and certainly not as scary as someone who abusies children).  To me they are amusing (except I feel badly for their kids...no real education or exposure to the rest of the world).  They are only as important as WE make them by commenting on them.  If they had no ratings they'd disappear.

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But I'm not talking about the Duggars alone, I'm talking about the sort of fundy group that they represent. If they were content to live and let live, it'd be one thing, but people like the Duggars want to legislate morality for the rest of us, too. Just look at the posts upthread about Michelle Duggar speaking out against an anti-discrimination ordinance, which is what sparked this comparison in the first place. If the show went away, maybe Michelle's voice wouldn't have been on that robo-call, but she and people like her would still be attempting to impose their own beliefs upon the rest of us. And yes, I do find that very scary. When you consider things like gay kids already being at a higher risk of attempting suicide, seeing these groups try to push through bills and defeat ordinances that tell GLBT people that hey, you deserve to be treated like humans, is terrifying. (Thank goodness for all those judges who have been striking down those marriage bans recently. They're the ones truly doing God's work.) 

 

Like I said, it's apples and oranges and I find them both scary for very different reasons. It doesn't have to be a zero sum game. 

 

I’m not saying this flippantly: If I had grown up with the Duggars or a family like them, I think that there is a good chance that I would have killed myself by now. So, yeah, something like that is scary to me. 

Edited by galax-arena
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But I'm not talking about the Duggars alone, I'm talking about the sort of fundy group that they represent. If they were content to live and let live, it'd be one thing, but people like the Duggars want to legislate morality for the rest of us, too. Just look at the posts upthread about Michelle Duggar speaking out against an anti-discrimination ordinance, which is what sparked this comparison in the first place. If the show went away, maybe Michelle's voice wouldn't have been on that robo-call, but she and people like her would still be attempting to impose their own beliefs upon the rest of us. And yes, I do find that very scary. When you consider things like gay kids already being at a higher risk of attempting suicide, seeing these groups try to push through bills and defeat ordinances that tell GLBT people that hey, you deserve to be treated like humans, is terrifying. (Thank goodness for all those judges who have been striking down those marriage bans recently. They're the ones truly doing God's work.) 

 

Like I said, it's apples and oranges and I find them both scary for very different reasons. It doesn't have to be a zero sum game. 

 

I’m not saying this flippantly: If I had grown up with the Duggars or a family like them, I think that there is a good chance that I would have killed myself by now. So, yeah, something like that is scary to me. 

Would you take away their right to express an opinion you don't agree with?  There are all kinds of activist groups out there both on the right and on the left.  The Duggars use their 'fame' to push their viewpoint just as many liberal Hollywood stars use their 'fame' to push a different viewpoint.  Neither one scares me.  The Duggars  are much less famous than any number of Tinseltown celebrities who support liberal causes.  Their fundamental beliefs are based on their biblical interpretations.  I may not agree, I may dislike it ( a lot!) but they are no more scary to me than politically active libs like Alex Baldwin, Barbra Streisand, Stephen Spielberg, and on and on...people who are much more famous and gets lots more publicity. They do the same things as the Duggars but from a different  point of view.  I'm independent.  I don't need anyone on the right or the left to convince me about what my beliefs are.  There are people of all types of political beliefs trying to shove their opinions down our throats.  I don't see the Duggars or their ilk as more dangerous than any of the others.

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Would you take away their right to express an opinion you don't agree with? 

Who’s even saying that? They have the right to say what they think, and I have the right to say that I think their opinions are bigoted and scary as fuck. I’m not the government, talking about how shitty I find the Duggars on a message board isn’t going to censor them in any way. (For the record, I don't think the Duck Dynasty family or Benham brothers were hard done by for facing consequences with their networks, either.)

 

But the point is that they weren’t simply trying to express an opinion, like all they wanted to do was talk about it; they were trying to impose on and take away other people’s rights. Pushing through legislation that contributes to a culture driving gay teenagers to suicide goes beyond having a simple opinion. The Hobby Lobby goes beyond having a simple opinion. Josh Duggar gave a speech at some recent thingamajig - it’s on youtube IIRC - where he even said as much, saying that it wasn’t about everybody having their own opinions, but about ~standing up for what is right~ or some shit. Yes, strictly speaking that’s still their opinion too, but your right to extend your fist stops at my nose, thank you very much. But hey, that's just my opinion. 

 

The Duggars  are much less famous than any number of Tinseltown celebrities who support liberal causes

If these Tinseltown celebrities were attempting to take away rights for marginalized groups, you’d bet I find them scary as well. The two sides are not equal in that regard. I have a lot of problems with the left, but they’re not the ones espousing hatred here. It’s not the level of fame that’s the issue here, it’s the specific platform.

 

. Their fundamental beliefs are based on their biblical interpretations

Yes… I know. And these Biblical interpretations are scary. 

 

There are people of all types of political beliefs trying to shove their opinions down our throats.  I don't see the Duggars or their ilk as more dangerous than any of the others.

It’s dangerous because the Duggars’ side is the one that is trying to strip away rights for an already marginalized group of people. It’s that simple for me.

 

ETA: I have a very devout Christian friend who personally “disapproves” of abortion, but supports keeping abortion legal because, “It doesn’t matter what I think. Women are going to have abortions anyway, so they should at least be able to get them done safely.” That is a live and let live attitude that I can get behind, as opposed to those who want to strip women of bodily autonomy.

Edited by galax-arena
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