The Duggar family

[Renee]

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Jim-Bob and Michelle Duggar, but they're the couple who are getting press right now for being pregnant with their eighteenth child. (In fact, I think tonight's Gregalogue is going to be about them.) They have starred in several TV specials about their family life. They follow the Quiverfull movement, an evangelical Christian teaching that one should try to basically squeeze out as many kiddies as possible. I have for a while now come to despise their extreme philosophy of bringing endless children into the world and have discussed it on other forums. I believe what they do is thoughtless, unfair, and cruel to their pre-existing children as they employ a type of "buddy system" whereby the older kids practically raise the younger ones. The mother seems to tend to the littlest one until he/she can walk on their own and then passes it on to a sibling. To me this is almost tantamount to child slavery. It's immoral to selfishly keep on having children. (Here's their official site, to really get a taste of what I mean though you need to watch their specials.) The Duggars also claim to live "debt free" when it's so obvious they live off of handouts. In one of their shows they build themselves a gigantic new beautiful house, complete with industrial size kitchen and acres and acres of land, with the generous help of TLC. (It was explained about another Discovery Networks show, "Little People, Big World", that Discovery/TLC pays for stuff in exchange for being able to film.) TLC also got them a professional decorator to come in and work her magic. So did you know they don't pay property taxes? Nope! They're exempt from paying since their home is supposedly their church. Wtf?

My main point of disgust is with how this is affecting all those kids. My personal feeling is it doesn't matter how much you love them, there is NO WAY each child can possibly get the individual attention they deserve. Not at seventeen. Spending one on one time with older siblings doesn't count, and I feel like those older kids are deprived of the chance to have fun and be carefree. And do these kids have any friends beyond their family? I believe I heard the father say they're only allowed to associate with other families who share the same crazy religious beliefs. They seem very sheltered.

What happens if Michelle dies in childbirth? After all, she's 41 now and being pregnant so frequently with no time off is taking its toll. She's actually forming a hump on her back from what I've noticed. How does Jim-Bob manage alone with 18 kids? Again, what would that entail for the older ones? And what happens if they have a sick baby? To quote somebody I was talking to, "All it'll take is one seriously disabled or very sick child to throw everything into an out of control financial, physical and emotional spiral." Sadly, that's spot on. I have a feeling that wouldn't stop them, however. They would probably just look on it as "a challenge of faith" or something and probably feel more emboldened to keep on cranking 'em out. No, I think the sudden death of one of the two, or the apocalypse (aka "menopause" for normal women) would bring the only end. I just think this couple are addicted to the media attention and don't want to let go.

I could probably go on and on about my dislike for their practices but I'll shut up now. I've felt pissed off about them for a while. I know I hide it well, lol.

[Renee]

Oh my god!!! That song is so old!

[Sweet]

yup, tis...but, it started with a J, lol

[Jeannie]

Yes, they Do!!!!!!

[Sweet]

*patpat* yes, yes they do :P

[Angela]

Sweet: ^5! Yeah that's unusual looking beer too...lite, lite, lite beer. It does look like urine so it may pass as a Miller Double-Lite Beer. ...just sayin'

[Sweet]

yup, it definitely looks like passed miller double-lite beer, lol *urp* made myself gag a bit, lol

[Angela]

did you swallow??? grosssssss man :P

[Sweet]

I didn't say I threw up, nastyyy!

besides, you're the one drinking the recycled miller double-lite, lol

[Sweet]

:X

[Sweet]

why thank you, it's part of my inheritance

[Sweet]

lol, g'head, we'll see what she has to say to you, buster, lol

[Angela]

I don't....pleeeeaaaase belieeeeeeve me :P