The Duggars: In the Media and TLC

[floridamom]

GeeGolly, I understand your point there.  What makes the Duggars hypocrites in hiding the "josh" matter to me, is that they went on TV as a family who flaunted their perfect family, 'encouraged' others to be like them. They also have implied that their strict Gothard system turns out 19 perfect cookie cutter children, who in their adolescence would never give their parents any hint of trouble or rebellion. They had all the answers to a perfectly happy life....which obviously, they DIDN'T. Michelle went on to make those robocalls saying that "those depraved, sexual predators, the homosexuals, out there in the world are the ones who want to sexually molest your children...she neglected to mention that she had a sexual predator right there in her own home. She was NOT protecting her own daughters from that, was she? It's this type of hypocrisy that bothers me. I don't like them very much at all, but I hate no one.

[Mollie]

6 minutes ago, floridamom said:

GeeGolly, I understand your point there.  What makes the Duggars hypocrites in hiding the "josh" matter to me, is that they went on TV as a family who flaunted their perfect family, 'encouraged' others to be like them. They also have implied that their strict Gothard system turns out 19 perfect cookie cutter children, who in their adolescence would never give their parents any hint of trouble or rebellion. They had all the answers to a perfectly happy life....which obviously, they DIDN'T. Michelle went on to make those robocalls saying that "those depraved, sexual predators, the homosexuals, out there in the world are the ones who want to sexually molest your children...she neglected to mention that she had a sexual predator right there in her own home. She was NOT protecting her own daughters from that, was she? It's this type of hypocrisy that bothers me. I don't like them very much at all, but I hate no one.

Josh Duggar after Ashley Madison scandal: "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever." 

[lascuba]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

When the Duggars agreed to filming way back when, did that somehow obligate them to share the molestations? They're a family that have and promote what I and many consider skewed beliefs. I'm not understanding how not openly announcing on camera what had happened is hiding what Josh did.

I know a few families who have dark secrets and they prefer to keep them as secrets. One friend of mine was molested by a priest. He was encouraged to come forward during the time this was all being made public. He didn't. He openly practices Catholicism and is a Deacon in the church. Is he obligated to share this? Or would he be if he was on TV?

Agreeing (actively seeking out a TV show is more accurate) to filming didn't obligate them to share the molestations. The molestations COMMITTED BY THEIR SON obligated them to not seek out a TV show where they could promote their beliefs; it obligated them to NOT use their fame by going around campaigning for politicians and maligning opposing candidates by implying or outright accusing them of immorality; it obligated Josh to not take job with a conservative political group that actively fought to impose conservative "values" on the populace. That they did all that made them fair game. It's like when anti-LGBTQ politicians get caught having gay sex. The resulting shaming isn't because of the gay sex per se, it's because of the hypocrisy of their beliefs abuse of political power, and because the people who go on about how deprave LGBTQ people are the same ones who forgive those politicians simply because they vote for the hateful policies they like.

Context matters. 

[Churchhoney]

2 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

When the Duggars agreed to filming way back when, did that somehow obligate them to share the molestations? They're a family that have and promote what I and many consider skewed beliefs. I'm not understanding how not openly announcing on camera what had happened is hiding what Josh did.

I know a few families who have dark secrets and they prefer to keep them as secrets. One friend of mine was molested by a priest. He was encouraged to come forward during the time this was all being made public. He didn't. He openly practices Catholicism and is a Deacon in the church. Is he obligated to share this? Or would he be if he was on TV?

In my opinion, yeah, if you bring your family, including numerous young children, onto a REALITY show in which your lives are depicted as being the second coming of the sweet-ass Waltons, which is exactly what Jim Bob and Michelle and TLC did. Then if you're hiding something that could actually be criminal, that you as parents clearly swept under the rug until you were forced to kinda sorta face it because a non-family-member became a victim, that you as parents obviously have coached your kids to sweep under the rug right along with you,  then you are committing an evil act if you sign up to have your lying facade put on television in the New Waltons REALITY SHOW.

And you're especially committing something evil if you and your molesting kid parade about the country giving public speeches accusing other people of molestation, lousy parenting, bad sexual mores, etc. etc. etc.! The Duggar parents -- and TLC and the Gothard enterprise -- have consistently held themselves and their family life up as HUGE Christian role models for others, while at the same time having a big fat festering mess that they never ever honestly dealt with stuck under there in hopes nobody would ever see it. To me, deliberately -- and constantly -- putting yourself out there as an international role model demands that you not be covering up some very big questionable judgments you as parents have made regarding the family that you're proudly declaring you've raised in about the best way possible. 

I don't see how this situation is similar in any way shape or form to your friend's story! He was a victim, not a perp, nor a person in power who spent time covering for the perp and shoving the victims aside. And he still believes in his faith and his Church, which unfortunately has produced some horrible people but clearly isn't horrible in every regard -- so he works in the Church. I expect that, while he may not tell the truth about his past, if he were to suspect that another child was being abused by someone in the Church, he'd try to do something about that, right? And he is not putting himself on tv as a role model for how to handle things!

The Duggars, by contrast, deliberately, and at a time when they really really really had reason to know what a lie it was, put themselves on tv as role models for how to have a wonderful family that doesn't suffer from the ills that afflict the rest of the world, especially the sexual ills, and as people who "somehow make it all work."  They have over and over again proclaimed themselves role models for this. They still do. In what way was that ever true?!!! How have Josh's outcomes illustrated that it's true? And yet they go on putting themselves out there proclaiming it! 

Not the same as your friend in any way, shape or form, as far as I can tell! 

Edited May 27, 2017 by Churchhoney

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, floridamom said:

GeeGolly, I understand your point there.  What makes the Duggars hypocrites in hiding the "josh" matter to me, is that they went on TV as a family who flaunted their perfect family, 'encouraged' others to be like them. They also have implied that their strict Gothard system turns out 19 perfect cookie cutter children, who in their adolescence would never give their parents any hint of trouble or rebellion. They had all the answers to a perfectly happy life....which obviously, they DIDN'T. Michelle went on to make those robocalls saying that "those depraved, sexual predators, the homosexuals, out there in the world are the ones who want to sexually molest your children...she neglected to mention that she had a sexual predator right there in her own home. She was NOT protecting her own daughters from that, was she? It's this type of hypocrisy that bothers me. I don't like them very much at all, but I hate no one.

I agree with all of this. 

But I hate Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. I grew up with this sort of hypocrisy. In my opinion, it should be hated -- and outed as often as possible -- for exactly the evil that it is. They've ruined the lives of 19 children and misled millions of people. And all to get money and power and adulation for themselves. If anything's hatable, that's it, in my opinion.

Of course I'm biased because I have known these kinds of evil hypocrites up close and personal. But sometimes I think that that makes me a better judge of whether they should be hated or not. Because people who don't know them up close and personal (and I mean really up close) are all -- 100 percent -- always just a leetle bit fooled into letting them wiggle off the hatability hook just a bit, into thinking, "Well, now, they aren't so bad." I know that because I've seen it happen with my own people a million times. Everyone who doesn't live with it -- and many who do live with it, unfortunately -- are suckered again and again and again into thinking that, "Oh, I guess they aren't so bad." 

But they are so bad. It's just that they spend a great deal of energy making sure that other people don't realize it. 

If I could pass along one message to the world about the Duggar parents (and their god Gothard) it'd be this. Hate 'em. Because they are so bad. 

Edited May 27, 2017 by Churchhoney

[Scarlett45]

9 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

In my opinion, yeah, if you bring your family, including numerous young children, onto a REALITY show in which your lives are depicted as being the second coming of the sweet-ass Waltons, which is exactly what Jim Bob and Michelle and TLC did. Then if you're hiding something that could actually be criminal, that you as parents clearly swept under the rug until you were forced to kinda sorta face it because a non-family-member became a victim, that you as parents obviously have coached your kids to sweep under the rug right along with you,  then you are committing an evil act if you sign up to have your lying facade put on television in the New Waltons REALITY SHOW.

And you're especially committing something evil if you and your molesting kid parade about the country giving public speeches accusing other people of molestation, lousy parenting, bad sexual mores, etc. etc. etc.! The Duggar parents -- and TLC and the Gothard enterprise -- have consistently held themselves and their family life up as HUGE Christian role models for others, while at the same time having a big fat festering mess that they never ever honestly dealt with stuck under there in hopes nobody would ever see it. To me, deliberately -- and constantly -- putting yourself out there as an international role model demands that you not be covering up some very big questionable judgments you as parents have made regarding the family that you're proudly declaring you've raised in about the best way possible. 

I don't see how this situation is similar in any way shape or form to your friend's story! He was a victim, not a perp, nor a person in power who spent time covering for the perp and shoving the victims aside. And he still believes in his faith and his Church, which unfortunately has produced some horrible people but clearly isn't horrible in every regard -- so he works in the Church. I expect that, while he may not tell the truth about his past, if he were to suspect that another child was being abused by someone in the Church, he'd try to do something about, right? And he is not putting himself on tv as a role model for how to handle things!

The Duggars, by contrast, deliberately, and a time when they really really really had reason to know what a lie it was, put themselves on tv as role models for how to have a wonderful family that doesn't suffer from the ills that afflict the rest of the world, especially the sexual ills, and as people who "somehow make it all work."  They have over and over again proclaimed themselves role models for this. They still do. In what way was that ever true?!!! How have Josh's outcomes illustrated that it's true? And yet they go on putting themselves out there proclaiming it! 

Not the same as your friend in any way, shape or form, as far as I can tell! 

I agree with @Churchhoney, I am very sorry that happened to your friend (and other ppl in that situation), but you can believe in the Catholic Chruch, want to serve it etc and still condemn the horrible people that hurt kids and used the church as a shield. Also as a VICTIM one has no obligation to share- if victims want to share to help others that's great, but if it's too painful for them or they would just rather not, I would respect their privacy. 

As we all know, JB & M were not thinking of the well being of their kids EVER when they pursued a tv show knowing this was going on in their home. They made a platform of "purity" blah blah blah when their eldest son, the "role model" was hurting their other kids. No. Just no. 

[toodles]

1 hour ago, Churchhoney said:

In my opinion, yeah, if you bring your family, including numerous young children, onto a REALITY show in which your lives are depicted as being the second coming of the sweet-ass Waltons, which is exactly what Jim Bob and Michelle and TLC did. Then if you're hiding something that could actually be criminal, that you as parents clearly swept under the rug until you were forced to kinda sorta face it because a non-family-member became a victim, that you as parents obviously have coached your kids to sweep under the rug right along with you,  then you are committing an evil act if you sign up to have your lying facade put on television in the New Waltons REALITY SHOW.

The Duggars, by contrast, deliberately, and at a time when they really really really had reason to know what a lie it was, put themselves on tv as role models for how to have a wonderful family that doesn't suffer from the ills that afflict the rest of the world, especially the sexual ills, and as people who "somehow make it all work."  They have over and over again proclaimed themselves role models for this. They still do. In what way was that ever true?!!! How have Josh's outcomes illustrated that it's true? And yet they go on putting themselves out there proclaiming it! 

 

And they continue to yammer on about their ridiculous courtship rules because heaven forbid you should steal a kiss from someone you love.  You could give your heart away or whatever bs they spout off.  The 'rents puff up like great, big, prideful and godly toads whenever they talk about this.  

But sweep it under the rug that Josh, the Perv Boy, stole the innocence of five little girls under their noses in their own house. 

The egregious list of their hypocrisies just go on and on.  It just pisses me off so I'm going to stop now.

[bigskygirl]

2 hours ago, Mollie said:

Josh Duggar after Ashley Madison scandal: "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever." 

I am waiting for the day we see Josh on television crying his eyes out or should I say pretending to cry and saying "I have sinned!" He could do the Jimmy Carter line by saying he has lusted in his heart.

Yes, I call the Duggars major hypocrites especially when they were going around saying gays, lesbians, and certain others are child molesters. My cousin is gay, and he served in the military, just retired from his job and opened up a restaurant/bar in a small town with his partner, and he and his partner are two nice guys. Can we say the same thing about the Duggars males *looking at you Josh, JB, Derick, Ben and the rest of the male family members* If it quacks like a Duggar, and walks like a Duggar!

[farmgal4]

On May 25, 2017 at 1:56 PM, ginger90 said:

I was looking for something else, and came across this. Some language would be considred strong, so if you're not in to that, skip the link.

https://defamingduggars.wordpress.com/

That is rich!  Thanks for the link!

[hathorlive]

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

When the Duggars agreed to filming way back when, did that somehow obligate them to share the molestations? They're a family that have and promote what I and many consider skewed beliefs. I'm not understanding how not openly announcing on camera what had happened is hiding what Josh did.

I know a few families who have dark secrets and they prefer to keep them as secrets. One friend of mine was molested by a priest. He was encouraged to come forward during the time this was all being made public. He didn't. He openly practices Catholicism and is a Deacon in the church. Is he obligated to share this? Or would he be if he was on TV?

My issue is that the parents constantly talk about their system, how well run their home is, how each child has to be accountable, all the while knowing what has gone on in their house.  If you've already screwed up four of your children, because you couldn't control the oldest son, why the hell did you go on to have 11 more kids?  That's what fries my fritters.  You suck at being parents and then you go on TV and tell everyone what great parents you are.  

The sad thing is that we've always sad the younger kids wouldn't know the deprivation, the food begging, the living in 3 bedrooms with 17 siblings.  It's almost cruel to realize that they've been raised in such a well off world and now with the TLC gravy train ending, the younger kids will be introduced to a world with no perks, no trips, and little money. 

It's irresponsible to bring that many kids into the world.  Their irresponsibility created four victims who have never gotten formal treatment.  They were super irresponsible by going on TV when they knew about the skeletons in their closet. Especially since it was the worst kept secret in fundy land.   So yes, I blame the parents for thinking they beat the system, hid the truth and whored their family out on TV.

[Mollie]

17 minutes ago, bigskygirl said:

I am waiting for the day we see Josh on television crying his eyes out or should I say pretending to cry and saying "I have sinned!" He could do the Jimmy Carter line by saying he has lusted in his heart.

If he were going to do that, he would have done it long before now.  I don't imagine we'll ever see Josh doing that on TV.  Since all of his public troubles first happened, he has only made a few statements via blog postings.  And I believe those statments were carefully written by the Duggar family's PR man and not actually written by Josh.  We will probably never know his real feelings about his actions.  

He's been leading a double life for at least 15 years and is an experienced con man at this point.  I would never believe anything that he says now.  Can't imagine why Anna does.

[Churchhoney]

34 minutes ago, Mollie said:

If he were going to do that, he would have done it long before now.  I don't imagine we'll ever see Josh doing that on TV.  Since all of his public troubles first happened, he has only made a few statements via blog postings.  And I believe those statments were carefully written by the Duggar family's PR man and not actually written by Josh.  We will probably never know his real feelings about his actions.  

He's been leading a double life for at least 15 years and is an experienced con man at this point.  I would never believe anything that he says now.  Can't imagine why Anna does.

Terminal wishful thinking.

[Missy Vixen]

On 5/23/2017 at 3:44 AM, JoanArc said:

But this lawsuit will fix everything.

My opinion:

If they make it through the summary judgment, any money recovered from the lawsuit will need to be split many ways because the discovery process will blow this family apart. One has to believe that InTouch will require expert witnesses and one of those will most likely be a psychologist. KJB and J-Chelle won't be able to prevent their adult daughters from finally seeing a licensed professional.

Again, my opinion.

On 5/23/2017 at 5:14 AM, Churchhoney said:

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive because we're not only deceptive but deeply deeply confused about literally everything and we're also Duggars, which is just another word for lazy, grifty and stupid. 

 

Someone may want to explain to everyone involved whose last name is or has been Duggar how serious lying under oath can be.

[kokapetl]

6 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

When the Duggars agreed to filming way back when, did that somehow obligate them to share the molestations? They're a family that have and promote what I and many consider skewed beliefs. I'm not understanding how not openly announcing on camera what had happened is hiding what Josh did.

I know a few families who have dark secrets and they prefer to keep them as secrets. One friend of mine was molested by a priest. He was encouraged to come forward during the time this was all being made public. He didn't. He openly practices Catholicism and is a Deacon in the church. Is he obligated to share this? Or would he be if he was on TV?

Nobody should ever have any expectation or sense of entitlement to this sort of information. Nobody!

4 hours ago, lascuba said:

Agreeing (actively seeking out a TV show is more accurate) to filming didn't obligate them to share the molestations. The molestations COMMITTED BY THEIR SON obligated them to not seek out a TV show where they could promote their beliefs; it obligated them to NOT use their fame by going around campaigning for politicians and maligning opposing candidates by implying or outright accusing them of immorality; it obligated Josh to not take job with a conservative political group that actively fought to impose conservative "values" on the populace. That they did all that made them fair game. It's like when anti-LGBTQ politicians get caught having gay sex. The resulting shaming isn't because of the gay sex per se, it's because of the hypocrisy of their beliefs abuse of political power, and because the people who go on about how deprave LGBTQ people are the same ones who forgive those politicians simply because they vote for the hateful policies they like.

Context matters. 

Yet context such as who the individual plaintiffs are seems to be ignored again and again in this thread. The Duggars are not one person. What a person holds against Jimbob should not extend to his children. 

[lascuba]

7 minutes ago, Kokapetl said:

Nobody should ever have any expectation or sense of entitlement to this sort of information. Nobody!

Yet context such as who the individual plaintiffs are seems to be ignored again and again in this thread. The Duggars are not one person. What a person holds against Jimbob should not extend to his children. 

The context such as what those plaintiffs have said publicly about their family and their beliefs also matter here. It's absolutely fair to judge them based on that. 

[duggarshow]

9 minutes ago, Kokapetl said:

Nobody should ever have any expectation or sense of entitlement to this sort of information. Nobody!

Yet context such as who the individual plaintiffs are seems to be ignored again and again in this thread. The Duggars are not one person. What a person holds against Jimbob should not extend to his children. 

SO MUCH THIS! Also, the Duggars did not actively go looking for a reality TV show. The network sought them ought after Jim Bob's Senate campaign. 

[ariel]

5 minutes ago, duggarfan said:

SO MUCH THIS! Also, the Duggars did not actively go looking for a reality TV show. The network sought them ought after Jim Bob's Senate campaign. 

Did someone put a gun to the Duggars  heads to do the reality show?

[lascuba]

14 minutes ago, duggarfan said:

SO MUCH THIS! Also, the Duggars did not actively go looking for a reality TV show. The network sought them ought after Jim Bob's Senate campaign. 

 Jim Bob actively sought out media attention since kid #10. He would approach newspapers hoping for articles about his family. And what do you think him parading his children during his Senate campaign was if not a blatant attempt to court media attention?

[Sew Sumi]

Yup. The Duggars could have said "Thanks, but no thanks." As I've noted before, these shows aren't conceived overnight. It was months before they first brought cameras to the Johnson Rd. home in late '03/early '04. All these negotiations went on likely right after Smuggar returned home from Gothard jail in Little Rock in July. It's not as if this was buried in their past; it was still a pretty fresh wound in their family. 

Move on to another mega family. Boob could've recommended the Bateses. 

Edited May 27, 2017 by Sew Sumi

[ginger90]

Thought I would put this here

All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas

Layin' in the sun,

Talkin' 'bout the things

They woulda coulda shoulda done...

But those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas

All ran away and hid

From one little Did. 

 

Shel Silverstein

[bigskygirl]

JB spent big bucks on his failed senate campaign. He is a famewhore and wanted his family to be paraded on national television. He is big time naïve if he did not think his family's dirty secrets were not come out one day. Josh was out spreading the anti-gay, anti-lesbians and anti-other groups for being child molesters while he was heading the fact he molested four of his sisters, and was cheating on his wife and looking at porn while pretending to be an All-American nice family man. Sorry, but I do not feel bad for JB, Michelle or Josh. Yes, Josh had a crappy childhood, but so did a lot of people (myself included,) and I or a lot of abused children do not spread nastiness by shoving our religious or political beliefs on others while lying through our teeth/blaming others for what we have done in the past, or molest our siblings or other children.

I feel terrible for the girls because they have paid a heavy price for their parent's stupidity and for what Josh has done to them. A lot of us find it interesting the four victims have been married off so quickly in the last few years, two of them who came out have or had their own show, and now a lawsuit comes around the time the youngest victim is getting married. JB was probably scared because Josh went off to D.C. working in politics to the point of worrying the scandal would hit the fan one day. I also find it interesting JB is blaming the police and one magazine for the leak instead of taking a long, hard look at the lousy way he and Michelle handled the whole situation. Yes, it is terrible the leak came out but lets face it, the family famewhoring *looking at JB, Michelle and Josh* in my opinion, along with their certain beliefs about certain people being child molesters without getting the real facts in their small, bigoted minds lead to the outing of the molestation scandal. To me it is like closing the barn doors after the animals got out. Of course, we can expect this type of things when JB has came out and said he was abused because his father was not religious enough for his taste. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

[Churchhoney]

18 minutes ago, Kokapetl said:

Nobody should ever have any expectation or sense of entitlement to this sort of information. Nobody!

Yet context such as who the individual plaintiffs are seems to be ignored again and again in this thread. The Duggars are not one person. What a person holds against Jimbob should not extend to his children. 

I don't hold those things against the children.

However, the lawsuit completely infuriates me (despite the daughters' names being on it) because I have never believed for one millisecond that Jim Bob didn't initiate the idea or that the girls have the slightest idea what they might be letting themselves in for by allowing their names to be put on it.

To my mind, it's just one more case of the Duggar parents misleading their kids, trying to mislead the public, doing it all for money (which they wouldn't need nearly so much of if they hadn't insisted on having 19 kids and umpty-ump grandchildren and requiring them all to be uneducated and unemployed.)  

And -- the worst part -- once again trying to avoid all responsibility for the massive, major and unforgivable problems THEY CAUSED in their family by deflecting ALL blame onto other parties (who, I agree, may very well also have blame attached to them..... The other parties' blame is by no means the same as the blame that should go to the parents', however, although the sleight-of-hand moves of JB conveniently keep some people from noticing that -- THAT"S HIS GAME -- Gaslighting everybody again and again so that he can skate through life blame free, blaming others, and smelling like a damn rose to his stupid children so he can keep on manipulating them until death do them part, and keep being on television, of course. ) This is exactly what the PR guy who refused to work with him said back when they were trying to get out of the Josh mess back in 2015, by the way.

'When asked why his PR firm was not representing the Duggars, Frederick had this to say: Frederick explained that his clients go through an intense vetting process to determine whether they are capable of being helped and whether it's worth the company's investment. Despite rumors that he was hired to help the Duggars get through the scandal, Frederick said things did not work out with the Duggar family for reasons he could not reveal. He said that his firm looks for clients who have: "a willingness to admit fault, transparency, willingness to want to change. … Especially with our Christian clients, repentance is critical. This isn't our first time doing this, we know when something's going to work out and when it's not."'

http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2015/05/prominent-christians-have-their-own.html

Jim Bob -- who has been demonstrably not one iota transparent, willing to admit fault, or willing to to want to change in this whole fiasco from day one to now -- is going to put some serious additional suffering on the girls if this lawsuit proceeds far at all. And I'd bet heavily that they have absolutely no idea that that may be coming. And for all the talk about this lawsuit being about the girls' pain, I would bet my house that "Daddy Duggar' never gave the new pain they're likely in for one microsecond of thought as he contemplated filing this suit. I know Daddy Duggar Doppelgangers and they do not give SHIT ONE about their children's feelings. That's all a smoke screen for him to bring in cash that'll make it easier for him to pay for his rapidly metastasizing brainwashed army. 

My point: Just because others also bear some blame for the girls' suffering, JIM BOB AND MICHELLE should not be allowed to deflect all blame from themselves onto those people. And that's what they keep doing.

And I would bet my retirement savings (since I've already bet the house) that the entire point of the TeeVee interview is for the girls to, once again, whitewash their brother's and their parents' roles in causing them any pain.

As I recall, in the last interview, their major complaint about the release of the information was not that it exposed them, the victims,  but that it portrayed their family falsely -- i.e., they said, it suggested to people that Josh had actually committed some sexual wrongs, when all he did was mildly inappropriately touch for a second out of normal teen curiosity and in a way that happens in most households,. And it falsely suggested, they said, that their parents hadn't handled things brilliantly and implied that maybe their parents had handled it wrong, when in fact their parents handled it wonderfully and were told so by professionals...

In other words, while we're talking about how they had to defend themselves from being outed, what they really had to do, in their interview that their parents scripted -- what their whole role was, just as always -- was to say, falsely, that any aspersions cast on Josh, Jim Bob or Michelle were entirely off the mark. ..............They were in grave distress because the public now been incorrectly told that their family had done something wrong. They were trotted out to shift all blame off JIm Bob, Michelle and Josh. And so it will be again, although I expect that this time they may be permitted to throw Josh under at least a small bus. Their main task, though, will be to proclaim that the sainted Duggar parents behaved like saints the whole way through. JB and M are making them patsies to keep any blame for anything for coming anywhere near JB and M. It stinks. And I get sickened watching adult children be played for patsies by their parents. 

[Oldernowiser]

12 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

That's all a smoke screen for him to bring in cash that'll make it easier for him to pay for his rapidly metastasizing brainwashed army. 

Wow. That is one BRILLIANT summation of this clusterfuck.

Bravo!

[Rabbittron]

I hope they do another interview before the deposition because then the other interviews can contradict the new one where they will say how much of a big deal the molestation is now.

[Oldernowiser]

You know, polygamists have a thing called "bleeding the beast." (Thank you, Sister Wives...and also, BTW, still ick.) It boils down to anything you do to defraud the government or other non-believers into giving you money is perfectly okay, because True Religion.

There are times when I have absolutely nothing else to think about when I wonder if the Duggar Familia doesn't have a similar credo...it's okay to lie, obfuscate, and grift in the name of the Lord because they are the one true religion and everyone else is a heathen who deserves to be exploited. I wonder if they don't actually sit down as a family and figure out where the next con is coming from and then who's going to say what to make it happen.

Not saying it's true. Just saying I could see how it could happen.

Edited May 27, 2017 by Oldernowiser

[Nysha]

5 hours ago, Mollie said:

He's been leading a double life for at least 15 years and is an experienced con man at this point.  I would never believe anything that he says now.  Can't imagine why Anna does.

She has/will have 5 kids with him, has no way of supporting herself, and no emotional support from her parents and other influential family members. Plus, she has never really lived alone and single parenting 5 kids is damn hard. I wouldn't be surprised if JB & Michelle didn't threaten to seek guardianship of the M kids if she left when Josh was at Jesus Jail. No matter what Josh has done, having him there is probably easier than being alone.

I totally hate and blame JB & Michelle for their hypocrisy and for the harm they've done to their children. Their lifestyle and beliefs are bad enough, but they've taught their children that it's okay to be untruthful if it promotes Jesus/Gothard and makes them money. None of their children are prepared to live in the real world and most of them seem to honestly think they are better than the everyone else. And, they've promoted their family as holy enough to sit on the right-hand side of Jesus, when in fact, evil things happened and were allowed to happen, then covered up because it didn't fit the narrative JB & Michelle have concocted.

Edited May 27, 2017 by Nysha

[Catfin]

Is TLC in on the joke? Are they giving the JB enough rope to hang himself/the whole train? 

[Nysha]

6 minutes ago, Catfin said:

Is TLC in on the joke? Are they giving the JB enough rope to hang himself/the whole train? 

TLC is in it for the money. They'll plead ignorance until the money stops and then they'll film the lynch mob so they can make even more money.

[toodles]

1 hour ago, Nysha said:

 

I totally hate and blame JB & Michelle for their hypocrisy and for the harm they've done to their children. Their lifestyle and beliefs are bad enough, but they've taught their children that it's okay to be untruthful if it promotes Jesus/Gothard and makes them money. None of their children are prepared to live in the real world and most of them seem to honestly think they are better than the everyone else. And, they've promoted their family as holy enough to sit on the right-hand side of Jesus, when in fact, evil things happened and were allowed to happen, then covered up because it didn't fit the narrative JB & Michelle have concocted.

The grifting holier than thou gene runs deep in all of them. The wedding and the engagement stunts are good examples.  Dullards and the DONATE button another one.

We all peeked behind the curtain and know who the puppet master is.  Joshley learned slyness from the expert.  What legacy to leave your children.

[Obsidian]

15 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

I agree with all of this. 

But I hate Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. I grew up with this sort of hypocrisy. In my opinion, it should be hated -- and outed as often as possible -- for exactly the evil that it is. They've ruined the lives of 19 children and misled millions of people. And all to get money and power and adulation for themselves. If anything's hatable, that's it, in my opinion.

Of course I'm biased because I have known these kinds of evil hypocrites up close and personal. But sometimes I think that that makes me a better judge of whether they should be hated or not. Because people who don't know them up close and personal (and I mean really up close) are all -- 100 percent -- always just a leetle bit fooled into letting them wiggle off the hatability hook just a bit, into thinking, "Well, now, they aren't so bad." I know that because I've seen it happen with my own people a million times. Everyone who doesn't live with it -- and many who do live with it, unfortunately -- are suckered again and again and again into thinking that, "Oh, I guess they aren't so bad." 

But they are so bad. It's just that they spend a great deal of energy making sure that other people don't realize it. 

If I could pass along one message to the world about the Duggar parents (and their god Gothard) it'd be this. Hate 'em. Because they are so bad. 

They remind me of Miss Trunchbull (from Matilda) who said she could get away with what she did to the children because their parents simply wouldn't believe that the principal would do something so extreme. My mind keeps telling me that JB and M can't be as bad as I'm thinking, can't be purposefully exploiting their children for money or intentionally denying them autonomy or personalities, but all I know about them says otherwise, and then I hate them. 

[queenanne]

16 hours ago, Mollie said:

Josh Duggar after Ashley Madison scandal: "I have been the biggest hypocrite ever." 

Problem:  Where is the point at which JimBob and Michelle say that THEY have been the biggest hypocrites ever?  Because I haven't seen that one...  True, Josh is responsible for his own actions; but they had no problem deciding that they were still perfect parents.  In fact, someone "made" Jessa be the meatshield in preference to the parents having to claim responsibility for their own piss-poor parenting, with "We never claimed to be a perfect family."   No; "your dimwitted parents claimed that their methods of handling discipline are perfect and produce perfectly behaving children, time and again; then trotted out the minimizations and mealy-mouthed justifications when they were put on the metaphorical witness stand".

[Missy Vixen]

10 hours ago, queenanne said:

Problem:  Where is the point at which JimBob and Michelle say that THEY have been the biggest hypocrites ever? 

It's never going to happen. They don't believe they are at fault in any of this. It's everyone else's fault, including their children's. 

They're fifty something going on nineteen and they will never change. 

[Mollie]

3 hours ago, Missy Vixen said:

It's never going to happen. They don't believe they are at fault in any of this. It's everyone else's fault, including their children's. 

They're fifty something going on nineteen and they will never change. 

No, no, no, no.  They've said it time and time again:  It's the devil's fault.  He's the only one to blame.  He's at fault for all of Josh's actions and then for attacking the entire Duggar family.  So, unless you think that Jim Bob IS the devil . . . well, we may be on to something with that idea.

[hathorlive]

On 5/27/2017 at 4:24 PM, bigskygirl said:

I feel terrible for the girls because they have paid a heavy price for their parent's stupidity and for what Josh has done to them. A lot of us find it interesting the four victims have been married off so quickly in the last few years, two of them who came out have or had their own show, and now a lawsuit comes around the time the youngest victim is getting married. JB was probably scared because Josh went off to D.C. working in politics to the point of worrying the scandal would hit the fan one day. I also find it interesting JB is blaming the police and one magazine for the leak instead of taking a long, hard look at the lousy way he and Michelle handled the whole situation. Yes, it is terrible the leak came out but lets face it, the family famewhoring *looking at JB, Michelle and Josh* in my opinion, along with their certain beliefs about certain people being child molesters without getting the real facts in their small, bigoted minds lead to the outing of the molestation scandal. To me it is like closing the barn doors after the animals got out. Of course, we can expect this type of things when JB has came out and said he was abused because his father was not religious enough for his taste. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

In the south, we call this the chickens coming home to roost.  It's hard for me to feel sorry for anyone when the girls could put their collective feet down and say "no more".  It will be interesting to see if the family stays together after the deposition process. 

 

Here's some advice Jim Bob.  Put all those worthless, lazy unskilled family members to work.  Use an acre or two of land and put in a massive garden.  Girls, learn how to can what you grow.  You'll save a fortune every year plus lower the cholesterol rate on  your tater tot casserole hardened arteries. Raise some chickens for eggs and meat. Learn to do more with less because this gravy train is going to end sooner than later.  And you'll soon have 50 family members surrounding you with their hands out.  Send the younger kids to trade school and explain they might want to learn how to support themselves.  I wouldn't bet that the older kids would understand the meaning of that term.

[Catfin]

I think about these people at the oddest times. Running errands, bumped into DD's friend at the grocery story. None of them will ever have a part-time cashier gig. Stopped at Costco. None of the boys will wrangle carts for $10 an hour while working their way through school of some sort. Putting together some recipes for a cookout tonight while sipping a beer. Nope, none of them know how to cook, nor do they enjoy a relaxing adult beverage in moderation.  I thought of DH and how much he enjoys grilling and smoking ribs.  Nope, none of the guys will master or attempt the manly art of grilling or smoking meat.  Womans' work. 

[JoanArc]

Quote

Here's some advice Jim Bob.  Put all those worthless, lazy unskilled family members to work.  Use an acre or two of land and put in a massive garden.  Girls, learn how to can what you grow.  You'll save a fortune every year plus lower the cholesterol rate on  your tater tot casserole hardened arteries. Raise some chickens for eggs and meat. Learn to do more with less because this gravy train is going to end sooner than later.  And you'll soon have 50 family members surrounding you with their hands out.  Send the younger kids to trade school and explain they might want to learn how to support themselves.  I wouldn't bet that the older kids would understand the meaning of that term.

God help me, I'd watch a reality show about preppers who prep for the end of a reality show lifestyle.

[Catfin]

Do the boys register for the draft at age 18?

[EAG46]

4 hours ago, Mollie said:

No, no, no, no.  They've said it time and time again:  It's the devil's fault.  He's the only one to blame.  He's at fault for all of Josh's actions and then for attacking the entire Duggar family.  So, unless you think that Jim Bob IS the devil . . . well, we may be on to something with that idea.

If the Devil was real, he should sue for defamation of character.  "This is NOT my doing."

[queenanne]

7 hours ago, hathorlive said:

In the south, we call this the chickens coming home to roost.  It's hard for me to feel sorry for anyone when the girls could put their collective feet down and say "no more".  It will be interesting to see if the family stays together after the deposition process. 

 

Here's some advice Jim Bob.  Put all those worthless, lazy unskilled family members to work.  Use an acre or two of land and put in a massive garden.  Girls, learn how to can what you grow.  You'll save a fortune every year plus lower the cholesterol rate on  your tater tot casserole hardened arteries. Raise some chickens for eggs and meat. Learn to do more with less because this gravy train is going to end sooner than later.  And you'll soon have 50 family members surrounding you with their hands out.  Send the younger kids to trade school and explain they might want to learn how to support themselves.  I wouldn't bet that the older kids would understand the meaning of that term.

As this would require someone in the Duggar family to understand economics; surely you jest.

[doodlebug]

12 hours ago, Catfin said:

Do the boys register for the draft at age 18?

They're not pacifists; I expect that they did.  There hasn't been a draft in this country in more than 40 years, it's not like they'd have to worry about getting inducted.

[xwordfanatik]

12 hours ago, Catfin said:

Do the boys register for the draft at age 18?

I wondered about that, too.  Do they get a pass on religious grounds?  

[doodlebug]

6 minutes ago, xwordfanatik said:

I wondered about that, too.  Do they get a pass on religious grounds?  

All US males have to register for the draft within 30 days of their 18th birthday, no matter what.  The religious grounds only comes up if they actually get drafted.  Gothard doesn't preach against war, so they'd have a hard time proving religious objections anyway.  Too dumb and uneducated for the modern military is more their speed.

Edited May 29, 2017 by doodlebug

[ginger90]

5 minutes ago, xwordfanatik said:

I wondered about that, too.  Do they get a pass on religious grounds?  

They would still have to register with The Selective Service System. Then if there was a draft , and they are called, they would have to file a claim.

I type too slowly! What doodlebug said !

[SnarkyShark]

12 hours ago, Catfin said:

Do the boys register for the draft at age 18?

Girls born in the year 2000 and later are now required to register as well.

[ginger90]

8 minutes ago, SnarkyShark said:

 

 

Girls born in the year 2000 and later are now required to register as well.

And those who are transgender, whose birth assigned sex was male.

Edited May 29, 2017 by ginger90
for better wording

[RazzleberryPie]

19 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

All US males have to register for the draft within 30 days of their 18th birthday, no matter what.  The religious grounds only comes up if they actually get drafted.  Gothard doesn't preach against war, so they'd have a hard time proving religious objections anyway.  Too dumb and uneducated for the modern military is more their speed.

I do wonder if part of the reason there's almost no emphasis on military service is because no branch will take (or keep) anyone who can't pass a GED test. 

[JoanArc]

46 minutes ago, RazzleberryPie said:

I do wonder if part of the reason there's almost no emphasis on military service is because no branch will take (or keep) anyone who can't pass a GED test. 

Plus it gets them out from under Daddy's thumb, and is actually "manly". Jim Bob would shit himself if he spent 5 minutes around an actual soldier. Any soldier. Gomer Pyle.

[bigskygirl]

The Duggar males would struggle to take the ASCAP? test in order to find their skills and education levels. Plus the fact, they would have to get off their lazy asses and actually learn and listen to the evil military heathens. JD is the only one who might have a minor shot at it, but he would not have JB or one of his sisters around to protect him from the evil female hussies who might tempt him. I personally would love to see one of the boys take orders from a female drill sergeant or try to promote their line of godhood on military people.

[Nysha]

17 hours ago, Catfin said:

Putting together some recipes for a cookout tonight while sipping a beer. Nope, none of them know how to cook, nor do they enjoy a relaxing adult beverage in moderation.

Jeremy preached a sermon that the occasional beer was not evil, so there is a slight chance that Jinger may get to enjoy a relaxing adult beverage at some point in her life.

I don't think Gothard approves of the military b/c men would have to take orders from women (a Gothard abomination) and both sexes would have to take orders from unGodly superiors (another Gothard abomination). That's part of the reasons given for men owning their own businesses, also.

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, JoanArc said:

Plus it gets them out from under Daddy's thumb, and is actually "manly". Jim Bob would shit himself if he spent 5 minutes around an actual soldier. Any soldier. Gomer Pyle.

Plus Gothard and his theological ilk have a little war-of-the-worlds stuff going on in their feelings about the U.S. gubmint and most of the people in this country today. They might be willing to fight for the United States. But then again they have a sneaking suspicion that they might be more inclined to fight against the United States too................And they aren't really fond of what they think the government might be teaching recruits -- stuff about women being as good as men at a lot of jobs, for example. The whole current U.S. is just darned questionable in their tinfoil-hatted brains. So .... detachment from the actual military is preached. While a kinda sorta 'paramilitary" group is set up to compensate. ... And for mind control, of course.