Jill, Derick & the Kids: Moving On!!

[Missy Vixen]

 

 But seriously, after you're married, have a child, and are financially dependent on the bunch, what is Derrick supposed to do? 

I realize this will sound cold and cynical. And I wish I was sorry for that.

 

Triple D should have done what every other person who's discovers they've married someone they don't know does, or should do. There is not a piano tied to his leg. He's not in ruinous personal debt (looking at you, Kanye West). He's not ill, at least that we know of. He's not tied to Arkansas with an underage child as the result of a previous relationship. He's not incarcerated. He has a degree in a marketable field in a good job market, at least on America's coasts. He and his wife most likely also had quite a bit in the bank as a result of the pimping of their wedding and the birth of their child on television and magazine covers. If they did not get those funds in their names, then they're both bigger idiots than I can imagine.

 

Here's what he should have done, and he's too much of a passive famewhore to do it: MOVE AWAY. To a city in the United States of America. Tell the Duggars that his wife was now HIS WIFE, not their property, and they were not only moving, they were no longer beholden to her family until THEY decided they wanted contact. If he just couldn't bear one more minute at Wal-Mart, go to work for a smaller accounting firm or even one of the biggies on either coast. Get an apartment. They had a car and enough wedding gifts to ensure they don't have to buy a thing for YEARS. They had a better start than most of the grads getting out of college now with huge student debt. They could easily live on his income, especially since any job he was qualified for most likely offers health insurance. And many jobs now offer an educational benefit, which would help out with that M.Div he is never, ever going to attain.

 

Imagine the thought processes at work here. (Let's face it, this makes me want to lie down and put a cool cloth over my eyes.) Instead of doing the smart thing, which would have been MOVING AWAY with Cathy's help if they needed it and making a complete break with her family until they could figure out who the hell they both are and whether or not they needed to consult a therapist about how to deal with their problems, Triple D decides to quit his job and run off to the mission field. Ahem -- the missioncation field. Nice work if you can get it. Interpretive dance and "preaching" to people who don't speak the same language and already believe, but don't share one's devotion to all things Gothard. I'm sure they'll be hugely successful. And the dollars must be rolling in to that non-profit they formed as well. After all, they're on Tee Vee so they must have even MORE money. Really? Instead of getting a real job, finishing his M. Div, trying to figure out how the hell he can get his wife caught up on her education, straightening out their personal lives and applying to the mission field like other adults might, he probably thinks he outsmarted everyone else. Who needs that book learnin'? His wife's done just fine without it for 26 years now! They're famous. The rules don't apply to them!

 

The biggest thing Triple D and Bin have in common -- towering ego. I can't stand Kanye West as a person, but wow, did he manage to write and perform recordings that made him not only a star, but a household name. His earning potential continues. He started long before he met Kim Kardashian. I don't like her either, but damn, she made $54 million last year. The two people I mention might have huge egos, but they backed it up with work. (In Kim Kardashian's case, she paid a web developer, but let's get back to the subject.) Triple D obviously believes that he is famous enough to not live by the rules another 27 year old has to follow to make their way in the world. And Bin? OMG. TV evangelists are 1% gospel and 99% you can't take your eyes off of them. He doesn't have it.

 

In the meantime, Triple D and Jilly Muffin are living in a country that features mosquitoes whose bites carry a disease that may leave them with a child or children with significant birth defects. Anyone with an IQ higher than room temperature would get the hell out and come up with a Plan B. Not those crazy kids! They're going to ride that missioncation and TLC money until it's allll gonnnnne. They probably plan to make their way to Rio to convert the evil Olympians this summer. After all, the gospel must be preached. Or interpretive danced.

[Gardencrown]

 

Absolutely. I'm sure that he idealized the family, especially in light of his sadness about his dad's death and so on. And then to find out about the Josh thing (not to mention all the other dysfunction) -- it really had to shape him. ... And he did have dreams. I hadn't heard about the accountancy-to-a-big-company thing. And we know that he also flirted with ideas about the FBI and certainly being a full-fledged missionary. And now here he is -- fleeing abroad to escape Jim Bob but in fact dependent on Jim Bob. A lot of what he hoped for has been shattered, I think.

I agree that this is the one side to Derrick. Losing a parent young has a tremendous impact, and then his mom's cancer might have sort of scared him into thinking he should find a wife and start a family -- perhaps a bit for his mom, so she could see him moving forward with a wife and hopefully a grandchild she would live to see (and thankfully, she has indeed survived her horrible cancer). So there's Derrick -- shy, obviously, pretty retiring, somewhat sheltered but also some life experience -- he finds Jill, and she is SOOOO into him, that had to be good for what was probably not the strongest ego.

 

 

Instead of getting a real job, finishing his M. Div, trying to figure out how the hell he can get his wife caught up on her education, straightening out their personal lives and applying to the mission field like other adults might, he probably thinks he outsmarted everyone else. Who needs that book learnin'? His wife's done just fine without it for 26 years now! They're famous. The rules don't apply to them!

 

The biggest thing Triple D and Bin have in common -- towering ego.

And this is the other side to Derrick. There is undeniably (imo) a certain arrogance in the way that he has approached the mission work -- or should I say "mission" work...a kind of self-importance that he and Jill are doing this missionary thing the BEST way, the ONLY way, and anyone who says otherwise, be damned. He seems to have that same entitled Duggar "I belong on TV" thing, and the ego involved in preaching to people whose language you do not know...well, that's kind of gross. To say nothing of not being concerned about people's practical physical needs, which is so anti-Jesus and frankly, stupid.

 

So Triple D is kind of a conundrum. But fundamentally I think he's insecure and floundering and probably depressed because I have to believe he has some level of cognitive dissonance with the choices he has made and is making (assuming he's smart enough? Derrick does appear to have a few more brain cells to rub together than Ben or any of the Duggars). And in fairness, the Josh debacle hitting when it did would be hard on anyone. Perhaps he had not realized how "not normal" the Duggars were??

 

All that said, I believe that you are 100% correct, Missy Vixen. He needs to find the balls to get the hell outta there with Jill. Go. Make a life away from these people. It's his (and Jill's) best chance at having a satisfying and productive life.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Gardencrown

[BitterApple]

I think Derick has the balls to leave, it's Jill who can't handle five minutes away from her family. Derick probably had high hopes that living in Guatemala would force Jill to grow up a little and cut the cord. If anything its only made her clingier. Either they're flying back to the States for something or a steady stream of Duggars are flying down there to help Jill with Izzy and keep her company. Besides performing as a fake midwife, Jill is pretty much useless and the realization is hitting Derick like a ton of bricks.

[Vaysh]

Agree BitterApple, I think Derrick had some hopes that he and Jill would be able to begin a life more independent of the Duggars in Central America, but this won't happen as long as a) the Duggars still have the means to travel down there on the regular, and b) Jill doesn't want it to happen. She's not his property either and if she wants to remain close to her family (including her de facto children) Derrick has to respect that no matter how annoying or damaging to their new life he thinks it is (and we have no real evidence that he does).

 

I mean, sure he could put his foot down and declare all Duggars persona non grata in his home, but he doesn't seem like a guy who would want to upset his wife or make her unhappy and I think that at this point in time Jill still needs her family to be available to her. IMO she's already made a huge step just by moving to another country, however often she's flying back home. Hopefully this is just the starting point and she'll be able to become less emotionally dependent on the Duggars as time goes by.

[Arwen Evenstar]

David's pecan story was quite entertaining. Basically they decided to trespass on private property and steal pecans (who knows if they actually knew what they were doing or truly thought God blessed them with pecans), the owner stopped them, Priscilla thought she was being sent to the Gulag and panicked, David almost ran off and left is pregnant wife holding the bag, literally, but in the end it was spun into a sanctimonious lesson about something.

Not sure if I recall what, but it was purposed to be full of cheerful countenance in this season of life through the blessings of the Lord and fellowship and sin and brokenness. All that and a bag of pecans. The devil made them do it.

He was smug about their having been to some Bible Bee or some other event that showcased their piety and poor Prissy, pregnant at the time, was hungry....IIRC"...but yes the whole story was indeed spun into an opportunity to show us heathens just how "Speshul" they are...

[GeeGolly]

I don't know. I think Derick was/is shy and insecure and very religious. Going to Nepal after college suited him well. It's kind of like putting on the mascot costume and hiding behind it.

 

Jill was probably the first girl who showed serious interest in him and shared similar goals. And don't forget how many times Michelle has said her marriage came first, before her children. Jill probably pays a lot of attention to Derick, both emotionally and in the joyfully available way. He may not see her so much as a clinger, but more so as an attentive wife.

[Churchhoney]

Isn't Jill supposed to be 'the smart one'?

 

Well, she's supposed to be the one that seemed to express some interest in being a nurse, made some kind of effort to study Spanish for a long time, and completed the reading and such for her kind-of-a-midwife course. So she's certainly supposed to be the one most dedicated to learning something (aside from John David, who has a somewhat similar record with his instrument rating) -- and it looks to me as if she has a good claim to that title, actually. Aside from her and John David, has anybody else attempted to learn anything at all except Bible verses or expressed an interest in a career after they've passed early puberty? I don't remember anybody, but maybe there is somebody else. But have they ever actually called anybody the smart one? Maybe Josh? I don't remember hearing much about anybody being deemed smart. It's not something they value -- it's almost a sin, isn't it? Trying to rely on your brain instead of on handouts from Jesus? Isn't that considered something that Satan would suggest?

Edited February 16, 2016 by Churchhoney

[GeeGolly]

Well, she's supposed to be the one that seemed to express some interest in being a nurse, made some kind of effort to study Spanish for a long time, and completed the reading and such for her kind-of-a-midwife course. So she's certainly supposed to be the one most dedicated to learning something (aside from John David, who has a somewhat similar record with his instrument rating) -- and it looks to me as if she has a good claim to that title, actually. Aside from her and John David, has anybody else attempted to learn anything at all except Bible verses or expressed an interest in a career after they've passed early puberty? I don't remember anybody, but maybe there is somebody else. But have they ever actually called anybody the smart one? Maybe Josh? I don't remember hearing much about anybody being deemed smart. It's not something they value -- it's almost a sin, isn't it? Trying to rely on your brain instead of on handouts from Jesus? Isn't that considered something that Satan would suggest?

I remember Michelle, in some interview, saying she only praises her kids for good behavior and morals. She never says she is proud of them for an achievement because that promotes boasting, or something to that effect. Maybe it was a YouTube interview of something. Does anyone know what I'm referring to? But anywho, I doubt a Duggar parent ever referred to one of their children as the smart one.

[Fuzzysox]

Makes me wonder how much learning on her own Jill had to do. She does seem to be seriously behind. I fear that any "issues" i.e. processing information properly has never taken care of. Homefooling is dangerous if they aren't using curriculum that actually teaches things need to know like vocabulary, math, science, etc.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Fuzzysox

[Joe Jitsu913]

I remember Michelle, in some interview, saying she only praises her kids for good behavior and morals. She never says she is proud of them for an achievement because that promotes boasting, or something to that effect. Maybe it was a YouTube interview of something. Does anyone know what I'm referring to? But anywho, I doubt a Duggar parent ever referred to one of their children as the smart one.

I remember her saying this and being floored. God forbid, a Duggar child have some reassurance and pride in themselves. They might even gain self confidence and we all know how evil that is!

[queenanne]

I think Derick has the balls to leave, it's Jill who can't handle five minutes away from her family. Derick probably had high hopes that living in Guatemala would force Jill to grow up a little and cut the cord. If anything its only made her clingier. Either they're flying back to the States for something or a steady stream of Duggars are flying down there to help Jill with Izzy and keep her company. Besides performing as a fake midwife, Jill is pretty much useless and the realization is hitting Derick like a ton of bricks.

 

I agree it's probably Jill who cried and carries on at the prospect.

 

I remember Michelle, in some interview, saying she only praises her kids for good behavior and morals. She never says she is proud of them for an achievement because that promotes boasting, or something to that effect.

 

Seems to me like I heard something once about what this really does to a kid's psyche and self-esteem.  I bet at minimum it breeds learned helplessness and the hands-tied feeling, because you get the idea that it doesn't really matter "what you do".  You can play the piano beautifully or like a foot; you won't get any affirmation from your parents either way, so why knock yourself out trying?  Any psychology/early education majors around can firm up my thinking? 

[Joe Jitsu913]

Isn't Jill supposed to be 'the smart one'?

Um...are there any smart ones in this bunch?

Josh, Jill and Jessa are smug, know-it-alls who talk out of their ass.

Jana and Jennifer seem to be the most intelligent out of the Duggar females and that's not saying much.

[JoanArc]

I remember her saying this and being floored. God forbid, a Duggar child have some reassurance and pride in themselves. They might even gain self confidence and we all know how evil that is!

Pft. How would they control the kids then? Michelle and Jim Bob are truly monsters.

[Churchhoney]

Seems to me like I heard something once about what this really does to a kid's psyche and self-esteem.  I bet at minimum it breeds learned helplessness and the hands-tied feeling, because you get the idea that it doesn't really matter "what you do".  You can play the piano beautifully or like a foot; you won't get any affirmation from your parents either way, so why knock yourself out trying?  Any psychology/early education majors around can firm up my thinking? 

 

I'm not a psychology expert, but I did grow up in a household like this, although mine had the added feature of actively denigrating and/or ridiculing anything one tried to do well or did well or did well and was proud of. I don't know whether this is a feature of Duggardom (although it wouldn't surprise me if it is).

 

Anyway, in my experience one thing this kind of parenting does is separate those with strong self-motivation and a rebellious spirit from everybody else. Most people seem to get quickly disheartened when there's no affirmation -- I wouldn't say it's really a "why knock yourself out?" thing so much as it's real disheartenment that leads to giving up on doing things but also to being somewhat sad about it -- leads me to think that every kid really does want to do something well and have others acknowledge and appreciate that. Strong internal motivation and fury seemed to be the only things strong enough to keep someone going at anything that didn't have clear external utility.

 

Even if you kept going, though, you pretty much lost your self esteem, and you really lost your belief that anything you did would ever actually reach or please anybody else, even if it pleased you, and it made it seem so futile to try to reach anybody else that you learned to do things only for yourself -- that can lead to some pretty solid achievements but it makes it damned hard to earn a living from them, among other things. My experience suggests that the self-motivated and rebellious will keep achieving without any affirmation, but without any affirmation even they will not really believe that they have done anything worthwhile, for the most part. That's what happened in my family anyway. It's crap what the Duggars do. Killers of young souls is what they are, really.

[Almost 3000]

I remember Michelle, in some interview, saying she only praises her kids for good behavior and morals. She never says she is proud of them for an achievement because that promotes boasting, or something to that effect. Maybe it was a YouTube interview of something. Does anyone know what I'm referring to? But anywho, I doubt a Duggar parent ever referred to one of their children as the smart one.

They don't seem to say please or thank you very often either particularly to each other.

[Arwen Evenstar]

Yeah, I was hoping that the missioncation is CA would help Jill find her own power and get away from the circus once and for all.Compared to the relative safety of rural Arkansas, Central America isn't a place (especially (if one is clearly a gringo ).

We are friends with this couple and the wife is from El Salvador and her husband is from Mexico City. Even though my husband is a native Spanish speaker, we were warned that even as natives they had to be very careful. Jill was taught to fear everything not Duggar, rather than apply good judgment and common sense.

Honestly, I don't think the Dullards thought this whole missionary thing through. I remember Boob was blathering on about how Jill might be suited for that kind of work. Ever the pleaser and "the good child", I'm sure she felt like this was something she had to do because it was what Boob wanted for her. Though I believe she and Derrick have compassion, mission work isn't for everyone and requires education and knowledge of the language and culture, something we all well know how well Boob and Googly Eyes prepared their kids for the real world.

Missionary work is not a day spa. It is not a fun weekend getaway the climate is not always nice ...that people don't always speak English and in many instances one has to be very careful not to end up in the stewpot.

You may be sleeping on a dirt floor with no running water no air-conditioning and you're only security system is possibly some mosquito netting. You will have to dig your own shitter and draw your own water and carry it. There's no pizza delivery... no whole Foods Market or specialty stores ....no Amazon.com drop ships...and it's probably difficult to find the ingredients readily available to make the favorite tater tot casserole or the frozen lasagna ready made to heat and eat.

Who wouldn't be needy and insecure under those circumstances? I'm sure after such a sheltered upbringing she probably thought that Derrick was the shit. He must either be a Casper milquetoast or he really does have a saintly sort of temperament to deal with Jilly Muffin's bat shit crazy family!

Edited February 17, 2016 by Arwen Evenstar

[Barb23]

They don't seem to say please or thank you very often either particularly to each other.

How true. I think we've discussed this before, maybe around the time of the Jerick wedding. When everyone was telling Jill how nice she looked in her wedding gown, (both when she was trying them on & on the wedding day) we never heard a Thank you. It was just the continual "Awwww."

[Platypus]

Seems to me like I heard something once about what this really does to a kid's psyche and self-esteem.  I bet at minimum it breeds learned helplessness and the hands-tied feeling, because you get the idea that it doesn't really matter "what you do".  You can play the piano beautifully or like a foot; you won't get any affirmation from your parents either way, so why knock yourself out trying?  Any psychology/early education majors around can firm up my thinking? 

I think Michelle's parenting approach would result in very passive children.  I will share personal experience only to illustrate my thinking here:  My 7th grade son has a moderate developmental disability.  He is also a people pleaser by nature.  Throughout elementary school, good behavior was the only thing for which he received any positive feedback.  By fifth grade he had learned to stay absolutely quiet in class even if he did not understand or had a question because that was the behavior that was valued in that environment (we switched school districts after that, thank goodness).  :(  

 

He is *completely* different at home - ballsy, opinionated, creative, funny, and totally independent (appropriate to his level of development obviously).  I think this is because as his mom I reinforce very different behaviors at home.  I praise him when he copes with frustration in a positive way, speaks his mind, demonstrates good judgment in the face of peer pressure, and perseveres in the face of failure.  

 

His manner at school reminds me of the Duggar children.  Michelle praises good behavior and they learned that lesson very well, but without any other feedback or stimuli they seem more like empty (and very well behaved) vessels than fully realized individuals.  

 

Source: 5 years as a special education teacher and a lifetime of being mom/sister/aunt of people with developmental disabilities.

[Wellfleet]

Yeah, I was hoping that the missioncation is CA would help Jill find her own power and get away from the circus once and for all.Compared to the relative safety of rural Arkansas, Central America isn't a place (especially (if one is clearly a gringo ).

We are friends with this couple and the wife is from El Salvador and her husband is from Mexico City. Even though my husband is a native Spanish speaker, we were warned that even as natives they had to be very careful. Jill was taught to fear everything not Duggar, rather than apply good judgment and common sense.

Honestly, I don't think the Dullards thought this whole missionary thing through. I remember Boob was blathering on about how Jill might be suited for that kind of work. Ever the pleaser and "the good child", I'm sure she felt like this was something she had to do because it was what Boob wanted for her. Though I believe she and Derrick have compassion, mission work isn't for everyone and requires education and knowledge of the language and culture, something we all well know how well Boob and Googly Eyes prepared their kids for the real world.

Missionary work is not a day spa. It is not a fun weekend getaway the climate is not always nice ...that people don't always speak English and in many instances one has to be very careful not to end up in the stewpot.

You may be sleeping on a dirt floor with no running water no air-conditioning and you're only security system is possibly some mosquito netting. You will have to dig your own shitter and draw your own water and carry it. There's no pizza delivery... no whole Foods Market or specialty stores ....no Amazon.com drop ships...and it's probably difficult to find the ingredients readily available to make the favorite tater tot casserole or the frozen lasagna ready made to heat and eat.

Who wouldn't be needy and insecure under those circumstances? I'm sure after such a sheltered upbringing she probably thought that Derrick was the shit. He must either be a Casper milquetoast or he really does have a saintly sort of temperament to deal with Jilly Muffin's bat shit crazy family!

 

Oh, he's definitely Casper Milquetoast - IMO at least. Definitely.

[Missy Vixen]

Missionary work is not a day spa. It is not a fun weekend getaway the climate is not always nice ...that people don't always speak English and in many instances one has to be very careful not to end up in the stewpot.

So here's a dumber than a box of hair question. Is there nowhere in the United States of America that Triple D could have taken his wife and his son for a few months to acclimate them to life as a "missionary" out of the US? Seriously. There are multiple areas of most urban cities in AMERICA that one is in danger, lives simply for fear of being robbed, and has missions available who are crying for assistance/volunteers. There's a famous one in Seattle, as a matter of fact -- Union Gospel Mission. It's in the worst part of downtown Seattle. I'm not especially religious, but I know they welcome anyone who's willing to pitch in to serve food, help clean, do whatever they can for the homeless here. I was shocked to learn that Robert Herjavik of "Shark Tank" spent a few months here last year volunteering at the Union Gospel Mission when his marriage fell apart. He says it really helped him. And I'll bet a percentage of those homeless people the Dullards would meet speak Spanish, so the insistence that they must go to CA to "learn" is BS. Let them try communicating with people on the street/"ministry" in an American city before they dragged themselves and their baby into a dangerous situation.

 

Maybe Triple D could have installed Jilly Muffin and Izzy in an apartment in South Seattle, gotten a job at Starbucks or Amazon or Boeing or Google or one of a hundred large employers here that are hiring, unless they're so flush from their TV show/magazine covers/etcetera that he can "minister" full time. I'll tell you one thing: It might still be in America, but I'm betting that Jim Boob and J-Chelle would rather be dragged buck naked over broken glass than spend five minutes in the Seattle area. There aren't direct flights here from Little Rock, I'm betting. More books are sold in Seattle than in any other area of the country. We have the highest number of adults with a BA/BS or advanced degrees than anywhere else in the country, too. And a very high percentage of agnostics/atheists/non-believers.

 

My point: Her parents wouldn't be flying up here every 10 minutes to monitor what was going on. They sure wouldn't allow their impressionable children to spend time here either. After all, they'd view it as Satan's playground! It's not so easy for JD to fly into such a crowded airspace, either. They could get their "experience" without exposing their baby to Zika or kidnapping for ransom, among other things. And we're not the only place. LA would be great, too. Or anywhere on the East Coast. How about Texas? Huge numbers of Spanish-speaking people there.

[BitterApple]

LA and Seattle are way too Lib'rul for Triple D and Jilly Muffin. What if Derick had a gay co-worker at Starbucks? How could he possibly function in the workplace being so close to Satan's right hand? Non-English speaking Catholics are far less threatening...but only slightly;)

[MarysWetBar]

David's pecan story was quite entertaining. Basically they decided to trespass on private property and steal pecans (who knows if they actually knew what they were doing or truly thought God blessed them with pecans), the owner stopped them, Priscilla thought she was being sent to the Gulag and panicked, David almost ran off and left is pregnant wife holding the bag, literally, but in the end it was spun into a sanctimonious lesson about something.

Not sure if I recall what, but it was purposed to be full of cheerful countenance in this season of life through the blessings of the Lord and fellowship and sin and brokenness. All that and a bag of pecans. The devil made them do it.

I believe Razz should be writing the episode guides for this show!!

The pecan synopsis was incredible!

[RazzleberryPie]

[quote name="Arwen Evenstar" post="1966323" timestamp="1455672236

You may be sleeping on a dirt floor with no running water no air-conditioning and you're only security system is possibly some mosquito netting. You will have to dig your own shitter and draw your own water and carry it. There's no pizza delivery... no whole Foods Market or specialty stores ....no Amazon.com drop ships...and it's probably difficult to find the ingredients readily available to make the favorite tater tot casserole or the frozen lasagna ready made to heat and eat.

Who wouldn't be needy and insecure under those circumstances? I'm sure after such a sheltered upbringing she probably thought that Derrick was the shit. He must either be a Casper milquetoast or he really does have a saintly sort of temperament to deal with Jilly Muffin's bat shit crazy family!

I don't think we've seen Jill go anywhere that wasn really primitive or rough. I know technology is much more advanced than when Jim Eliot, etc. forged up the Amazon, but has Jill been anywhere that she can't Skype or use her cell phone? They also seem to have been places with established networks and a revolving door of other short term missioncationers. No air conditioning and mosquito nets isn't t an Arkansas McMansion, but it isn't 3 day trek into Mongolia.

I believe Razz should be writing the episode guides for this show!!

The pecan synopsis was incredible!

Thank you, if it is laid upon your heart to send me love offerings of restaurant gift cards, then so be it. Thus saith Moi. I'm not about to blame that on direction from The Lord.

LA and Seattle are way too Lib'rul for Triple D and Jilly Muffin. What if Derick had a gay co-worker at Starbucks? How could he possibly function in the workplace being so close to Satan's right hand? Non-English speaking Catholics are far less threatening...but only slightly;)[/quote

They like Starbucks enough to sort of ignore how liberal the company is. Also, you apparently didn't get the memo. Catholics are so threatening that Satan sits at their right hand(s). I know, bc my family is full of them. They lure you in with spaghetti dinners and Friday fish fries. Be careful during Lent.

[GeeGolly]

So here's a dumber than a box of hair question. Is there nowhere in the United States of America that Triple D could have taken his wife and his son for a few months to acclimate them to life as a "missionary" out of the US? Seriously. There are multiple areas of most urban cities in AMERICA that one is in danger, lives simply for fear of being robbed, and has missions available who are crying for assistance/volunteers. There's a famous one in Seattle, as a matter of fact -- Union Gospel Mission. It's in the worst part of downtown Seattle. I'm not especially religious, but I know they welcome anyone who's willing to pitch in to serve food, help clean, do whatever they can for the homeless here. I was shocked to learn that Robert Herjavik of "Shark Tank" spent a few months here last year volunteering at the Union Gospel Mission when his marriage fell apart. He says it really helped him. And I'll bet a percentage of those homeless people the Dullards would meet speak Spanish, so the insistence that they must go to CA to "learn" is BS. Let them try communicating with people on the street/"ministry" in an American city before they dragged themselves and their baby into a dangerous situation.

 

Maybe Triple D could have installed Jilly Muffin and Izzy in an apartment in South Seattle, gotten a job at Starbucks or Amazon or Boeing or Google or one of a hundred large employers here that are hiring, unless they're so flush from their TV show/magazine covers/etcetera that he can "minister" full time. I'll tell you one thing: It might still be in America, but I'm betting that Jim Boob and J-Chelle would rather be dragged buck naked over broken glass than spend five minutes in the Seattle area. There aren't direct flights here from Little Rock, I'm betting. More books are sold in Seattle than in any other area of the country. We have the highest number of adults with a BA/BS or advanced degrees than anywhere else in the country, too. And a very high percentage of agnostics/atheists/non-believers.

 

My point: Her parents wouldn't be flying up here every 10 minutes to monitor what was going on. They sure wouldn't allow their impressionable children to spend time here either. After all, they'd view it as Satan's playground! It's not so easy for JD to fly into such a crowded airspace, either. They could get their "experience" without exposing their baby to Zika or kidnapping for ransom, among other things. And we're not the only place. LA would be great, too. Or anywhere on the East Coast. How about Texas? Huge numbers of Spanish-speaking people there.

Because being a missionary in the states would expose Jilly to temptation of evil and she might lose her way. The Duggar egocentric mindset is that the people "overseas" are all downtrodden hopeless souls. They are seen as weaker and less able, therefore easier targets for soul saving and not folks who could tempt the Duggars' already saved souls into something as scary as critical thinking, wearing pants, and looking at porn.

Edited February 17, 2016 by GeeGolly

[Fosca]

The Dillards don't want to help people; they want to convert them. And not speaking the local language helps reduce arguing/debate.

[RazzleberryPie]

The Dillards don't want to help people; they want to convert them. And not speaking the local language helps reduce arguing/debate.

They sincerely believe conversion helps them more than anything. What good is having a roof over your head when you're would is lost and you're going to hell when you die?

[queenanne]

They sincerely believe conversion helps them more than anything. What good is having a roof over your head when you're would is lost and you're going to hell when you die?

 

Sure, but if you're not dying for 30 years then wouldn't the roof be more important?

[kokapetl]

So here's a dumber than a box of hair question. Is there nowhere in the United States of America that Triple D could have taken his wife and his son for a few months to acclimate them to life as a "missionary" out of the US? Seriously. There are multiple areas of most urban cities in AMERICA that one is in danger, lives simply for fear of being robbed, and has missions available who are crying for assistance/volunteers. There's a famous one in Seattle, as a matter of fact -- Union Gospel Mission. It's in the worst part of downtown Seattle. I'm not especially religious, but I know they welcome anyone who's willing to pitch in to serve food, help clean, do whatever they can for the homeless here. I was shocked to learn that Robert Herjavik of "Shark Tank" spent a few months here last year volunteering at the Union Gospel Mission when his marriage fell apart. He says it really helped him. And I'll bet a percentage of those homeless people the Dullards would meet speak Spanish, so the insistence that they must go to CA to "learn" is BS. Let them try communicating with people on the street/"ministry" in an American city before they dragged themselves and their baby into a dangerous situation.

Maybe Triple D could have installed Jilly Muffin and Izzy in an apartment in South Seattle, gotten a job at Starbucks or Amazon or Boeing or Google or one of a hundred large employers here that are hiring, unless they're so flush from their TV show/magazine covers/etcetera that he can "minister" full time. I'll tell you one thing: It might still be in America, but I'm betting that Jim Boob and J-Chelle would rather be dragged buck naked over broken glass than spend five minutes in the Seattle area. There aren't direct flights here from Little Rock, I'm betting. More books are sold in Seattle than in any other area of the country. We have the highest number of adults with a BA/BS or advanced degrees than anywhere else in the country, too. And a very high percentage of agnostics/atheists/non-believers.

My point: Her parents wouldn't be flying up here every 10 minutes to monitor what was going on. They sure wouldn't allow their impressionable children to spend time here either. After all, they'd view it as Satan's playground! It's not so easy for JD to fly into such a crowded airspace, either. They could get their "experience" without exposing their baby to Zika or kidnapping for ransom, among other things. And we're not the only place. LA would be great, too. Or anywhere on the East Coast. How about Texas? Huge numbers of Spanish-speaking people there.

I think it had to be a place that the Duggars would not feel comfortable driving to, and it also had to be a place with a very low cost of living. That rules out the entire United States and Canada.

[JoanArc]

They sincerely believe conversion helps them more than anything. What good is having a roof over your head when you're would is lost and you're going to hell when you die?

Says the Dillards, who conveniently have all their material needs met, and always have.

 

Jill might somewhat remember when JB and Michelle were poor in Arkansas, but it a rose-colored glasses way. They still had The Real Jesus , after all.

Edited February 17, 2016 by JoanArc

[Churchhoney]

So here's a dumber than a box of hair question. Is there nowhere in the United States of America that Triple D could have taken his wife and his son for a few months to acclimate them to life as a "missionary" out of the US? Seriously. There are multiple areas of most urban cities in AMERICA that one is in danger, lives simply for fear of being robbed, and has missions available who are crying for assistance/volunteers. There's a famous one in Seattle, as a matter of fact -- Union Gospel Mission. It's in the worst part of downtown Seattle. I'm not especially religious, but I know they welcome anyone who's willing to pitch in to serve food, help clean, do whatever they can for the homeless here. I was shocked to learn that Robert Herjavik of "Shark Tank" spent a few months here last year volunteering at the Union Gospel Mission when his marriage fell apart. He says it really helped him. And I'll bet a percentage of those homeless people the Dullards would meet speak Spanish, so the insistence that they must go to CA to "learn" is BS. Let them try communicating with people on the street/"ministry" in an American city before they dragged themselves and their baby into a dangerous situation.

 

Maybe Triple D could have installed Jilly Muffin and Izzy in an apartment in South Seattle, gotten a job at Starbucks or Amazon or Boeing or Google or one of a hundred large employers here that are hiring, unless they're so flush from their TV show/magazine covers/etcetera that he can "minister" full time. I'll tell you one thing: It might still be in America, but I'm betting that Jim Boob and J-Chelle would rather be dragged buck naked over broken glass than spend five minutes in the Seattle area. There aren't direct flights here from Little Rock, I'm betting. More books are sold in Seattle than in any other area of the country. We have the highest number of adults with a BA/BS or advanced degrees than anywhere else in the country, too. And a very high percentage of agnostics/atheists/non-believers.

 

My point: Her parents wouldn't be flying up here every 10 minutes to monitor what was going on. They sure wouldn't allow their impressionable children to spend time here either. After all, they'd view it as Satan's playground! It's not so easy for JD to fly into such a crowded airspace, either. They could get their "experience" without exposing their baby to Zika or kidnapping for ransom, among other things. And we're not the only place. LA would be great, too. Or anywhere on the East Coast. How about Texas? Huge numbers of Spanish-speaking people there.

 

I think they're pretty wedded to "going out into all the world" to "share the good news" with those who haven't heard it before. And they count Catholic nations as places that haven't heard it before. If we 'Murcans aren't doing so well, it's our own fault, since we have plenty of chances to be exposed to "real" gospel.  I mean, we've been able to watch the Duggars on tv all these years!

 

I wouldn't bet on JB and M (and assorted younguns) not visiting the Dulls in a place like Seattle or LA, though. They don't seem to have any problem jet-setting (well, prop-setting, mostly, I guess) around anywhere, especially if there might be filming involved. Plenty of them went to visit the Smugs in DC, and that's another well-known hotbed of liberal sin -- And they've had no objections to visiting NYC, Japan, evil liberal Europe, etc. I think that JB and M (especially JB) are so fixated on keeping all the kids firmly under their thumbs that there's literally nowhere they wouldn't go for the purpose of checking up on them and reminding them that they'd better keep adhering to the Duggar way.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Churchhoney

[Churchhoney]

Sure, but if you're not dying for 30 years then wouldn't the roof be more important?

 

Not according to their dumb ideas, though.

[sometimesy]

Sure, but if you're not dying for 30 years then wouldn't the roof be more important?

We know they can't do both, that preaching once a week is exhausting or something. They also visited an orphanage for filming, so maybe we will see more contrived practical help for the locals.

 

I don't think Dick (I'm leaving that mistake) is kicking and screaming against Gothardism/JBism. He is in it the same reason as JB- he is a pussy who gets to play alpha dog. IMO of course. He put up with the courtship bullshit because he was on teevee (I think he got a buzz from the mascot attention) and he doesn't have the swagger to get a tv spot and a spouse without JB pulling his puppet strings for him. He approached Duggars. I think he would have taken any daughter JB threw at him.

I am such a bitch, but I just can't give Dullards the benefit of the doubt.

[Defrauder]

Are we sure that Derick isn't having facial surgery to try and look like Jesus?  Fooling everyone 'overseas' who doesn't know who he really is into thinking he's Jesus come again in the flesh?  Every picture looks more and more like JC himself. His kid's name is Israel, the whole bit.  Jill could be pretending to still be a virgin like the original.   Something's fishy and it's more than just Spurgeon. 

[queenanne]

Not according to their dumb ideas, though.

 

Well, I will grant there could be something to the theory of "there are no atheists in foxholes", considering the friend of mine who is a staunchly committed atheist, but likes to lean on me to pray for him every time he has a health scare, lol.  Maybe if the objects of the missioncationing got the roof first they'd close their hearts immediately.

[GeeGolly]

I think they're pretty wedded to "going out into all the world" to "share the good news" with those who haven't heard it before. And they count Catholic nations as places that haven't heard it before. If we 'Murcans aren't doing so well, it's our own fault, since we have plenty of chances to be exposed to "real" gospel.  I mean, we've been able to watch the Duggars on tv all these years!

 

I wouldn't bet on JB and M (and assorted younguns) not visiting the Dulls in a place like Seattle or LA, though. They don't seem to have any problem jet-setting (well, prop-setting, mostly, I guess) around anywhere, especially if there might be filming involved. Plenty of them went to visit the Smugs in DC, and that's another well-known hotbed of liberal sin -- And they've had no objections to visiting NYC, Japan, evil liberal Europe, etc. I think that JB and M (especially JB) are so fixated on keeping all the kids firmly under their thumbs that there's literally nowhere they wouldn't go for the purpose of checking up on them and reminding them that they'd better keep adhering to the Duggar way.

Quick Churchie, come dunk me in water, show me the way.

[MargeGunderson]

Sure, but if you're not dying for 30 years then wouldn't the roof be more important?

Clearly, if you don't have shelter or food, or live in a high poverty and/or high crime are, you are destined to die soon. So those people need saving more than anything!

[JoanArc]

Clearly, if you don't have shelter or food, or live in a high poverty and/or high crime are, you are destined to die soon. So those people need saving more than anything!

Jill's made blog posts saying exactly this.

[MargeGunderson]

Says the Dillards, who conveniently have all their material needs met, and always have.

 

Jill might somewhat remember when JB and Michelle were poor in Arkansas, but it a rose-colored glasses way. They still had The Real Jesus , after all.

I suspect that the Duggars see their change in financial circumstances as a direct result of their faith. God was rewarding them for their faith with success; it's just proof that they are living a God-approved life. It's no wonder that they focus on saving the heathens with religion instead of doing work that might help basic human needs

Jill's made blog posts saying exactly this.

The fact that I understand Duggar logic disturbs me greatly.

[JoanArc]

 

The fact that I understand Duggar logic disturbs me greatly.

Jill basically said that death can come to anyone in CA at any moment. (As if it couldn't in Arkansas)

 

 

I suspect that the Duggars see their change in financial circumstances as a direct result of their faith.

They outright said God wanted them to have a tv show to spread the word. Guess he wanted them to have some cash, too

Edited February 18, 2016 by JoanArc

[Missy Vixen]

 

They outright said God wanted them to have a tv show to spread the word. Guess he wanted them to have some cash, too

This reminds me of something one of my old pastors used to say about praying for whatever it was one wanted in life: "The prettier the girl, the louder the Yes."

 

Didn't the Duggars get a pretty resounding "NO" when their secrets came out and their Tee Vee show was cancelled? Hasn't that NO gotten louder and louder as sponsors fled by the hundreds, people pelted TLC with e-mails, phone calls and any other means of contacting a television channel? How about the cancellations of personal appearances and speaking opportunities, the fact they can't leave their property in the US or use social media without being confronted with people who are sick and tired of their hypocritical and bigoted views, and the fact they must conceal their travel plans and whereabouts to avoid running into people who would be more than happy to give all members of the Duggar family a piece of their mind?

 

How much louder does this NO have to get before Jim Boob and J-Chelle will finally listen?

 

And how many times has Jilly Muffin and Triple D been confronted already while on their missioncation by Americans who happen to be visiting the large tourist towns they are hanging out in these days?

[NewDigs]

Gosh.

I was thinking that they decided to missioncate "overseas" because they might have to actually do some real work stateside.

[Churchhoney]

This reminds me of something one of my old pastors used to say about praying for whatever it was one wanted in life: "The prettier the girl, the louder the Yes."

 

Didn't the Duggars get a pretty resounding "NO" when their secrets came out and their Tee Vee show was cancelled? Hasn't that NO gotten louder and louder as sponsors fled by the hundreds, people pelted TLC with e-mails, phone calls and any other means of contacting a television channel? How about the cancellations of personal appearances and speaking opportunities, the fact they can't leave their property in the US or use social media without being confronted with people who are sick and tired of their hypocritical and bigoted views, and the fact they must conceal their travel plans and whereabouts to avoid running into people who would be more than happy to give all members of the Duggar family a piece of their mind?

 

How much louder does this NO have to get before Jim Boob and J-Chelle will finally listen?

 

And how many times has Jilly Muffin and Triple D been confronted already while on their missioncation by Americans who happen to be visiting the large tourist towns they are hanging out in these days?

 

Ah, but even the softest, most whispery "yes" is the Lord showering approval upon you. While every "no" is the sign of Satan's hand, seeking to use this ungodly world to thwart the Lord and His believers!

 

See how that works?

Edited February 18, 2016 by Churchhoney

[SometimesBites]

Well, she's supposed to be the one that seemed to express some interest in being a nurse, made some kind of effort to study Spanish for a long time, and completed the reading and such for her kind-of-a-midwife course. So she's certainly supposed to be the one most dedicated to learning something (aside from John David, who has a somewhat similar record with his instrument rating) -- and it looks to me as if she has a good claim to that title, actually. Aside from her and John David, has anybody else attempted to learn anything at all except Bible verses or expressed an interest in a career after they've passed early puberty? I don't remember anybody, but maybe there is somebody else. But have they ever actually called anybody the smart one? Maybe Josh? I don't remember hearing much about anybody being deemed smart. It's not something they value -- it's almost a sin, isn't it? Trying to rely on your brain instead of on handouts from Jesus? Isn't that considered something that Satan would suggest?

Jilly Muffin as "the smart Duggar"...because in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.

[Aja]

I think that Jill being labeled the "smart" one is based purely on appearances, since that's what the Duggars base everything on. She's not as classically pretty as the other daughters, so she's the "smart" one, even though we've seen exactly zero evidence that she's any brighter than her sisters.

[BitterApple]

I think that Jill being labeled the "smart" one is based purely on appearances, since that's what the Duggars base everything on. She's not as classically pretty as the other daughters, so she's the "smart" one, even though we've seen exactly zero evidence that she's any brighter than her sisters.

Agree. It's more stereotype than anything else. I think Jana and Jessa could probably do basic office work whereas you'd have to teach Jilly Muffin twenty-seven times how to use the fax machine. Maybe she dumbs herself down for Derick, but she doesn't come across as particularly bright.

[NewDigs]

Agree. It's more stereotype than anything else. I think Jana and Jessa could probably do basic office work whereas you'd have to teach Jilly Muffin twenty-seven times how to use the fax machine. Maybe she dumbs herself down for Derick, but she doesn't come across as particularly bright.

But maybe if Jilly just put on a pair of geeky glasses she could be the smart one!

[NikSac]

Agree. It's more stereotype than anything else. I think Jana and Jessa could probably do basic office work whereas you'd have to teach Jilly Muffin twenty-seven times how to use the fax machine. Maybe she dumbs herself down for Derick, but she doesn't come across as particularly bright.

And she'd probably make you hold her baby while she coos at him when you're trying to teach her how to use said fax machine. I might agree she dumb herself down except we saw that Spanish "lesson" when he wasn't there.

[Joe Jitsu913]

All Jill needs to do is put on her glasses and she instantly transforms into Dr. Jill, Medicine Woman.

[JoanArc]

All Jill needs to do is put on her glasses and she instantly transforms into Dr. Jill, Medicine Woman.

"Pitocin stat!"

[Missy Vixen]

"

"Pitocin stat!"

"You've only been in labor for 48 hours? I was in labor for 70! Slacker!"