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Culture Check: How can the tropes and stereotypes we apply to TV personalities impact our fellow posters, and how do we remain mindful of these effects while discussing them? Please review for more on stereotypes and tropes.

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Culture Check: How can we express our opinions and consider the effect our assumptions may have on the people around us? What impact might speculation have on others, especially when we speculate about children or complex issues like neurodiversity?

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I believe the only reason Chris and Amy agreed to do pumpkin season again is because TLC asked them to so they have something to film.   They certainly didn't seem the slightest bit excited about it. 

I wonder what Chris really thinks of ZiT. He wants to keep the peace and won't rock the boat but what does he really think? 

 

Edited by bichonblitz
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Tori the fraud.  She couldn’t be bothered with Amy at all when she was chummy with Caryn and Matt.  Weren’t Caryn and Tori even doing some kind of small wedding business at the farm at one time?   All of a sudden they are so worried about Amy and if Chris’s relationship with Matt bothers her.  Also, the only reason they were shopping together and having a huge sushi lunch was content for the show.  Next Zach and Chris will go to a strip club together and talk about how unfair Matt was about the farm and how badly Chris feels that it is being sold.   Good thing about this episode…No Jackson!

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Tori was trying really hard to stir the pot with Amy, asking her if she is okay that Chris and Matt are friends. It could be solely for the show, or she could be a Bitter Betty trying to rile up Amy to hurt Matt and Caryn.

Nobody on this show is likable now. If it all ended with this season I would be okay with that.

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27 minutes ago, Ms.Lulu said:

Tori was trying really hard to stir the pot with Amy, asking her if she is okay that Chris and Matt are friends. It could be solely for the show, or she could be a Bitter Betty trying to rile up Amy to hurt Matt and Caryn.

Nobody on this show is likable now. If it all ended with this season I would be okay with that.

Agreed. If they cancel it I could stop watching it. If they keep it on the air it is like a train wreck and I can't stop looking.

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On 12/14/2022 at 10:04 PM, BAForever said:

Like Tori and many others,  I was exhausted with new baby, toddler, job, home, etc. Dear Hubby would give me several nights a month where he did all child care from 7pm to 7am. Even if Josiah is nursing, one night every few weeks not nursing shouldn't affect  breastfeeding. If Tori could get 8 or 9 hours of sleep without interruption, she'd feel tons better. Come on Zach, support your wife. 

She could pump and bottle the breastmilk...that way Zach could feed the baby while she gets some sleep. He is the laziest person...her wanted a "pack of dwarf kids"...now he has them so give your wife a break already!

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1 hour ago, Ms.Lulu said:

Tori was trying really hard to stir the pot with Amy, asking her if she is okay that Chris and Matt are friends. It could be solely for the show, or she could be a Bitter Betty trying to rile up Amy to hurt Matt and Caryn.

I think Tori and Zach expect Amy to be loyal to them and take their side now although they didn’t take her side after Matt cheated with Caryn and even got mad that Amy disclosed her engagement to Chris to them on camera.

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Tori acting like she and Zach are fretting over Amy’s feelings is so preposterous because they certainly gave zero fucks when they were getting free babysitting from Caryn and thought they were getting the farm.  I actually felt kinda bad for Amy because I think she knows they will snatch the grandkids from her too if they don’t like her ‘decisions”.  
 

I don’t know why Tori wanted a third child when she already had one with Zach.  These two are miserable and the kids aren’t enough to compensate for Tori’s complaining and Zach’s cluelessness each episode.

And why all the complaints about the end result of Amy’s parenting, Tori?  I thought Zach was 

will-ferrell-yes.gif

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1 hour ago, MrBuhBye said:

even got mad that Amy disclosed her engagement to Chris to them on camera.

Remember Zach's explanation was that he always told both his parents, if either of them got engaged he didn't want them to tell him on camera.  

Then when they decided to flounce off to Battle Ground (god, what a stupid yet appropriate name), they had Little Lord Jackson tell Matt and Caryn while the cameras rolled. 

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23 minutes ago, Quof said:

Remember Zach's explanation was that he always told both his parents, if either of them got engaged he didn't want them to tell him on camera.  

Then when they decided to flounce off to Battle Ground (god, what a stupid yet appropriate name), they had Little Lord Jackson tell Matt and Caryn while the cameras rolled. 

It’s Zach’s world, everyone else is the supporting cast.

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I can't believe I used to like Tori and thought she was a sweet, caring, down to earth genuine person!

Her new persona seems so whiny, conniving, nasty and manipulative it's kind of scary.

She thinks she's so clever but it's obvious to see how hard she's trying to drive a bigger wedge between Amy/Chris and Matt/Caryn.... she wants Amy/Chris to choose ZiT's side and distance themselves from Matt/Caryn.

Tori and Zach didn't give a crap about Amy's feelings back when Tori thought she was getting Amy's farmhouse and Roloff Farms... Tori was over the top besties with Caryn and fawned all over Matt....  meanwhile Amy was referred to in less than complimentary ways and could go pound rocks.

It really annoyed me how Zach and Tori obviously wanted Amy and Chris to boycott pumpkin season and how Amy and Chris tippy toed around telling them that they were doing pumpkin season, once again it's all about ZiT and what they want.

Amy and Chris are obviously doing everything they can to earn money for retirement, I think that's why Chris was so interested in the private tours when Matt said it would be "lucrative" but as usual Zach couldn't care less about their retirement, remember when Zach said that "Matt shouldn't be worrying about money at his age" ummmmm yes Zach all the older folks SHOULD BE worrying about their nest egg for retirement.... god Zach is such a dunce and Tori is the same.

Tori is so bitchy lately, I really wouldn't be surprised if she leaves Zach in the next few years..... I think she always counted on living a life of luxury married to Zach and the show made her a celebrity but now she's used to the perks, fame, money etc and it's not enough to justify being married to a lazy, dull, dumb, immature guy who has a problem being serious and sharing the job of parenting.

I feel worried for those 3 kids, right now they are babies/toddlers, cute as can be and they aren't aware of the future they face... if Tori can't handle her life now what the heck will she do when she has REAL problems to deal with, her kids being bullied, operations, medical problems and kids who are finally realizing that they aren't like everyone else...right now Jackson thinks he's the coolest, smartest kid in town but that bubble will burst soon and then what?

I worry the most for Lilah because she's such a sweet little girl. ❤️

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7 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Remember what a shithole it was?  No sheets on thhe beds.. which skeeves me out.

It was disgusting. Dirty plates with crusty old food on the floor along with empty soda cans everywhere and piles of dirty clothes everywhere you looked. I don't even think they had pillows on those matresses! 

What was wrong with Tori that she wanted to marry that skeezeball? 

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5 hours ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

She could pump and bottle the breastmilk...that way Zach could feed the baby while she gets some sleep. He is the laziest person...her wanted a "pack of dwarf kids"...now he has them so give your wife a break already!

Our daughter was colicky and had reflux. She was a crier, a screamer,even. She didn’t want a bottle and only wanted to nurse. She was exhausting as an infant, so I do have some sympathy for Tori. Even my mother and MIL could not handle her for too long. However, Zach needs to step up and help any way he can, it’s only fair. 
As for Caryn, she might be too busy with her own new grandson to help much, even if Zach and Tori did not move away. 

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Did I really just watch an episode where the most exciting thing to happen was Tori and Amy shopping for clothes? Oh brothers!
 

Lilah breaks my heart more and more with each new episode. She’s practically mute but Tori’s not worried because she was a kindergarten teacher a million years ago and thus an expert on speech and language pathology. Zach and Tori are too focused on King Jackson who, frankly, annoys me with his constant hamming it up for the camera. 
 

They’re discovering that the new house doesn’t have an ideal bedroom situation…duh! Isn’t this something you should have considered before spending $1M? Why is Josiah sleeping with Lilah? He needs to be sleeping with Z & T, but they want their “alone” time. Barf. 
 

I predict they will move in the next 3 years. I think they’re starting to realize their house sits on a swampy lot next to a literal junkyard, and the bedroom situation is impractical. I swear, these two make the worst decisions when it comes to housing, their children’s medical issues and just parenting in general. 

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2 hours ago, Phoebe70 said:

Did I really just watch an episode where the most exciting thing to happen was Tori and Amy shopping for clothes? Oh brothers!
 

Lilah breaks my heart more and more with each new episode. She’s practically mute but Tori’s not worried because she was a kindergarten teacher a million years ago and thus an expert on speech and language pathology. Zach and Tori are too focused on King Jackson who, frankly, annoys me with his constant hamming it up for the camera. 
 

They’re discovering that the new house doesn’t have an ideal bedroom situation…duh! Isn’t this something you should have considered before spending $1M? Why is Josiah sleeping with Lilah? He needs to be sleeping with Z & T, but they want their “alone” time. Barf. 
 

I predict they will move in the next 3 years. I think they’re starting to realize their house sits on a swampy lot next to a literal junkyard, and the bedroom situation is impractical. I swear, these two make the worst decisions when it comes to housing, their children’s medical issues and just parenting in general. 

Moving away to spite Matt and Caryn when they were weeks away from having their third child was dumb. They left their support system of grandparents and other relatives who could have helped them with the kids. Tori’s own mother moved to Oregon to help her out but they move to Washington??? Dumb and dumber!

 

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I hope that Chris doesn't humble himself before Z&T begging their permission to work pumpkin season. I think it is more than the money.  Chris seems to really like spending time at the farm with Matt. Nothing is more pitiful than a sixty year old man asking his wife's son and daughter in law if he can do something that he wants to do. 

As far as Tori becoming intolerable to watch I think it is because she was under the impression that she was going to be the lady of Roloff Farms Manor. When she discovered that she might have to wait for Matt to actually die before she and Zach got their inheritance she became bitter. 

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8 hours ago, 65mickey said:

 As far as Tori becoming intolerable to watch I think it is because she was under the impression that she was going to be the lady of Roloff Farms Manor. When she discovered that she might have to wait for Matt to actually die before she and Zach got their inheritance she became bitter. 

Yes. And I think that Tori's arrogance has always been bubbling right below the surface. Just this season we have seen her ridicule Zach for not knowing words, make fun of Amyisms like 'Oh brothers' and actually tease her daughter for being emotionally attached to Zach.

Her bitterness fueled a decision to move to a junkyard-adjacent home that doesn't meet the needs of her family. Her bitterness led her to try and plant seeds of concern over Chris' friendship with Matt. Her bitterness pulled her away from her own mother and grandmother (who moved to PDX to be closer) and Matt and Caryn.

It isn't that hard to be the sharpest tool in the shed in that family. But it doesn't mean that she isn't rusty.

From urban dictionary:

Rusty

Adj.: A person (usually female) who is, on all accounts, a hot mess in every way possible but somehow thinks they are the greatest thing since food on a stick. Usually not the brightest crayon in the box and frequently says or does things to remind people how big of a  *&%$ they are.

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Well jeez, I started watching this season. Zach is maudlin and obsessive over Jackson like he's going to repair his own childhood. Lillah really needs Matt, Amy & Caryn. Matt especially seems very sweet about her. And the littlest tyke, I am sorry and it's not nice to say, but he looks like a plucked chicken and I just worry about wildlife & birds of prey whenever 'Sigh' is onscreen.

Matt's probably going to live well into his dotage (he seems healthier than ever with Caryn) and he'll spend spend spend on various 'projects'. As he's hardwired to do.

Inheritance? Half finished pipe dreams & bills.

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On 12/16/2022 at 10:59 AM, pdlinda said:

RIGHT!  And....let's not forget he's been paid to do that "job" for about 20 years, so, presumably all that $$$ has been invested wisely throughout the years.

Tori has also been paid (along with the kids, I believe) for about 10 yrs so that's her main source of income, although she must have significant additional income from her "side hustle" on Instagram.

I noticed that where once she kept Zach tied to her "apron strings" and "ran the domestic show" with the actuality of raising their 3 dwarf children, Tori has succumbed to a sort of emotional state of "malaise".  

 

 

Did he get paid, though? For the last 20 years? I remember Zach and Tori saying that Matt wanted too much for the farm knowing he and tori didn't have that kind of money. That's when I questioned if the kids were ever paid (when they 'had' to do the show. Matt wasn't asking the 4 million that he listed the property for, and that's when he became defensive about whether he said the kids would "inherit" the farm. Of course, we all know Matt always talked about the kids taking over the farm, and it was their "legacy". I wish TLC would do a reel of every time he talked about the kids getting the farm.

Btw - Zach does not show enough support, nor give enough credit to his average-sized wife for having and caring for 3 little children who have special needs. Just because his parents knew what to do doesn't allow him to minimize her efforts. I'm not as keen on parent Zach, nor his demeaning humour.

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14 hours ago, Chalby said:

 Of course, we all know Matt always talked about the kids taking over the farm, and it was their "legacy". I wish TLC would do a reel of every time he talked about the kids getting the farm.

 

Don't recall the product, but there's a funny commercial on now. It's a dad and teenage son. They get into a discussion as to whether or not the dad screamed catching a spider. Son eventually throws the red flag and they go to the replay machine. I want that to happen in this show and Sister Wives. I'm a recent watcher,  and have seen numerous occasions when Matt said and/or inferred that he hoped the farm would go to the twins.

Edited by BAForever
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2 hours ago, BAForever said:

Don't recall the product, but there's a funny commercial on now. It's a dad and teenage son. They get into a discussion as to whether or not the dad screamed catching a spider. Son eventually throws the red flag and they go to the replay machine. I want that to happen in this show and Sister Wives. I'm a recent watcher,  and have seen numerous occasions when Matt said and/or inferred that he hoped the farm would go to the twins.

but that's the thing, I'm sure Matt did hope that the farm would become a family legacy but like many people maybe that just didn't pan out financially.

Matt's a peacock and I'm sure he would love nothing better than to have a family farm dynasty to sit back and brag about.

I have friends who expected to be mortgage free and also owning a beachfront vacation home in Hawaii but things just didn't work out that way, for one reason or another they weren't as well off as they hoped to be when they hit retirement, another couple had to sell the family home and downsize into a condo after covid because both of them lost their jobs and they had to dip into their retirement funds to stay afloat.

Matt is a dreamer and he tends to dream way bigger than his pocket book will allow, after the split with Amy he had to borrow tons of money to buy out her half of the farmhouse side and he still owes Amy money so he obviously isn't rolling in dough and carting bags of cash to the bank.

Maybe Matt simply couldn't afford to sell the farm to Zach for what Zach was willing to pay and Zach couldn't offer more than he could afford.

Amy and Chris seem pretty concerned about setting themselves up for retirement and maybe Matt is in the same boat, maybe he's not nearly as well off as he thought he would be at this stage of his life, it looks like he's scrapped the plans to build his dream home and he's down graded to a local contractors standard house plan that Caryn found.... that doesn't sound like someone who'd sitting on a pile of cash to me.

Anyways just my opinion but I really don't think Matt is nearly as well off as a lot of people think and Matt would never reveal his finances because he kind of likes to act like a big shot business man.

 

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2 minutes ago, Dustbunny said:

Anyways just my opinion but I really don't think Matt is nearly as well off as a lot of people think and Matt would never reveal his finances because he kind of likes to act like a big shot business man.

 

On that note, I wonder what Matt and the rest of the family (as well as Chris and Caryn) make per episode for the show?    I'm sure their contracts have sweetened considerably through the numerous years of production,

It occurred to me that the show is probably their main source of income and I'm sure savvy financial advisors invested part of their income into investments.

Over the years (some better than others) those investments likely have produced a substantial nest egg that they may draw from irrespective of their real estate. 

My belief is that "pumpkin season" doesn't produce a lot of profit for the family. 

Over all, I think Matt and Amy, in particular, are well off financially for now and into the future.  However, as with many people, there are those that, regardless of how many others may think their finances are adequate for retirement, they are always looking over the financial horizon with insecurity.  

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2 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

On that note, I wonder what Matt and the rest of the family (as well as Chris and Caryn) make per episode for the show?    I'm sure their contracts have sweetened considerably through the numerous years of production,

They actually had to take a reduction to keep the show on the air a few years back.  Viewership dropped and it wasn't feasible to the network to keep it at the higher price.  

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3 hours ago, BAForever said:

I'm a recent watcher,  and have seen numerous occasions when Matt said and/or inferred that he hoped the farm would go to the twins.

A lot of that was when Matt and Amy were still married and I think Matt's original dream was for those boys to work on the farm and learn how to run the farm and eventually take it over. As far as I remember it never came up about the boys buying a part of the farm until after the divorce and the big house became available. Then reality set in that his boys were allergic to work and would never be capable of running it.

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I’m no fan of Matt’s but I think he may have envisioned that one or more kids would inherit the farm when he died.  The problem is that at 60 he doesn’t have the energy to run it himself and the kids aren’t interested.  Little people have the same life span as average sized people so what was supposed to happen with the farm for the next 20-30 years if he lives that long before the kids could inherit?  He has to either keep running it or sell it. 

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On 12/21/2022 at 1:52 PM, Irate Panda said:

I don’t know why Tori wanted a third child when she already had one with Zach.  These two are miserable and the kids aren’t enough to compensate for Tori’s complaining and Zach’s cluelessness each episode.

I don't think Tori was pushing for it as much as Zach (and his dream of a little person tribe). I do understand that after her miscarriage, she'd like to try once more (for an average sized child). Now she knows... that will never happen. Her womb is officially closed. But I feel for her. She's  got a tough time ahead, (especially without Zach's support).

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1 hour ago, Chalby said:

I don't think Tori was pushing for it as much as Zach (and his dream of a little person tribe). I do understand that after her miscarriage, she'd like to try once more (for an average sized child). Now she knows... that will never happen. Her womb is officially closed. But I feel for her. She's  got a tough time ahead, (especially without Zach's support).

They could adopt an average sized child if it is that important to her rather than trying again and again.

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On 12/23/2022 at 12:05 AM, Chalby said:

Did he get paid, though? For the last 20 years? I remember Zach and Tori saying that Matt wanted too much for the farm knowing he and tori didn't have that kind of money. That's when I questioned if the kids were ever paid (when they 'had' to do the show. Matt wasn't asking the 4 million that he listed the property for, and that's when he became defensive about whether he said the kids would "inherit" the farm. Of course, we all know Matt always talked about the kids taking over the farm, and it was their "legacy". I wish TLC would do a reel of every time he talked about the kids getting the farm.

Btw - Zach does not show enough support, nor give enough credit to his average-sized wife for having and caring for 3 little children who have special needs. Just because his parents knew what to do doesn't allow him to minimize her efforts. I'm not as keen on parent Zach, nor his demeaning humour.

I think the kids got paid.  Zach’s savings were mentioned way back when he bought his first house.  It seemed like he paid cash, because he barely worked.  I think he might have been working part time at the gym.  Not sure how he would have qualified for a mortgage.  

28 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I think the kids got paid.  Zach’s savings were mentioned way back when he bought his first house.  It seemed like he paid cash, because he barely worked.  I think he might have been working part time at the gym.  Not sure how he would have qualified for a mortgage.  

I think like with child actors the parents are supposed to be trustees of the income and manage it for the benefit of the child but there are many stories where parents just helped themselves to it.  

The money going into trust only happens in a very few states.  Oregon isn't one of them.  Any money given to the kids was out of the kindness or sense of responsibility of the parents.  

Once any of the kids became 18, they could ask for their own contracts or opt out of the show if they chose.  Jacob and Molly seem to have walked.  We don't know if Zach and Jeremy asked TLC or their parents for a cut, but it seems at some point at least Zach did.

Edited by Absolom
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On 12/23/2022 at 6:52 PM, MrBuhBye said:

They could adopt an average sized child if it is that important to her rather than trying again and again.

Good point, but for some reason I remember Tori and Zach talking about learning (during her 3rd pregnancy) that his genetics will always take the lead, regardless of Tori. She initially thought, and wanted, a family like Amy and Matt did, with average and LP kids. She wanted the experience, but not enough to adopt.

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8 hours ago, Absolom said:

  Although I think they are wise to consider stopping at this point.  

Agree Absolom- 100%. Tori must see that Zach isn't the partner she hoped in terms of child care. He's the "fun" dad. Then there's the question of the future family income. Three is plenty, time to stop and be grateful for the 3.

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I hope Zach doesn’t play poker.  His facial expressions and body language and eye twitching during his convo with Chris over the private tours were all giveaways he was extremely pissed. Those “tells” could’ve been read from the moon!  

Did Zach really think because he wasn’t involved in Pumpkin Season that his father would pass up the chance to make additional thousands with those tours? I think I read on here that those private rides cost a couple of hundred bucks each! Matt will always choose dollars over diplomacy, and Zach should be keenly aware of that by now.

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Daisy is adorable.  So calm for such a young dog. She will pick up potty training quickly. More of her personality will come as as she feels more secure. My rescue was the same way. Now he's a lovable, playful lap dog that never has accidents in the house. 

Matt wanting the kids to run the farm is different from Matt selling the farmhouse and farm to them. He and Amy were still married and the boys were still single when all these dreams of a family run farm were in his head. Things change. The boys grew up and have shown they don't have what it takes to run anything. What was Matt suppposed to do? Hand over the land to the son's and watch them destroy it? 

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1 hour ago, BusyOctober said:

I hope Zach doesn’t play poker.  His facial expressions and body language and eye twitching during his convo with Chris over the private tours were all giveaways he was extremely pissed. Those “tells” could’ve been read from the moon!  

Did Zach really think because he wasn’t involved in Pumpkin Season that his father would pass up the chance to make additional thousands with those tours? I think I read on here that those private rides cost a couple of hundred bucks each! Matt will always choose dollars over diplomacy, and Zach should be keenly aware of that by now.

Zach is so socially awkward that I would prefer another guide.

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3 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Matt has to recognize no matter who he sells the farm to eventually that it’s theirs to do with as they please. 

I’m thinking that there are tons of people who would love to own that farm, but don’t want to live next to Matt. I could see him being that neighbor who makes little comments on every change that was made to the half of the farm that he no longer owns. 

Edited by StaceyNotStacie
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Message added by Mod-LunarJester,

Culture Check: How can the tropes and stereotypes we apply to TV personalities impact our fellow posters, and how do we remain mindful of these effects while discussing them? Please review for more on stereotypes and tropes.

Guest

Culture Check: How can we express our opinions and consider the effect our assumptions may have on the people around us? What impact might speculation have on others, especially when we speculate about children or complex issues like neurodiversity?

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