Friday 26 December 2008

Give or take another half-dozen.

The Duggar family was in the news again recently for .... c'mon, just take a wild guess.

Yep. Ma Duggar baked another bun and popped it out of her oven. Number 18.

The Duggar family is not new to the news. In fact, one suspects that Pa 'n Ma came to the realization a few years and babies ago that they could expand this novelty act into the big times. They have their own reality show on a cable network.

The Duggars' unbridled breeding bonanza is not viewed as the Gawdgiven miracle that Jim Bob invariably spins during his numerous TV appearances. Here's one trenchant rant.

Michelle Duggar has every right to do what she wants with her body—Roe V. Wade goes both ways—but I also have the right to think it’s gross. As a friend of mine just said, “It’s a vagina, not a clown car!” It’s also selfish. By all means, if you can afford to have 18 children and provide a good life for them, blah, blah, blah, God’s will, GREAT—but couldn’t a fraction of those 18 be the children in orphanages also brought into this world thanks to God’s will?

Let’s face it. Michelle Duggar isn’t gonna put a cork in it. They’re going to have a 19th and 20th child probably by the time Obama finishes his first term. But the media needs to stop giving these people such positive attention. Watching Jim and Michelle Duggar hawk their TV show and book on “The Today Show” this morning was disturbing because it’s evidence of a vicious cycle—they need to pimp themselves out in order to afford 18 kids, but they would have nothing to pimp if Michelle started taking birth control and gave God the finger. Meanwhile, who’s thinking about all the kids out there who need homes, with these rabid procreators stealing the spotlight?

eh. Rabid procreators. Good point though. Why not adopt all those abandoned babies. Or would schlock TV not pay as well or perhaps, not bother to provide coverage for this choice? I suspect that the media attention is based on fascination with the marathonian capacity of Michelle Duggar's reproductive system. Jim Bob would likely auction his wife's uterus to one of those travelling exhibitions about the human body except for the fact that there's still more money to be made from plowing that field.

4 comments:

Mike said...

My wife and I sometimes watch their show on TLC for the novelty and occassionally for the organizational advice - I mean if they can arrange it with their 17 (now 18) my wife and i can grab some of their methodologies and do it with 3. Beyond that, its like watching a freak show - you know you shouldn't stare, but you can't help it.

Well, I won't be doing that anymore. A few weeks ago, when there was nothing else on, my wife stopped on TLC as they were loading up their Greyhound bus for a trip to a family reunion. Well, we figured we could enjoy watching 21 people vomit, like they did on the episode they flew over the Grand Canyon. The idea of taking a GREYHOUND as your family car was fascinating.

But then they said they were stopping at "The Creation Museum". Jim Duggar came on the camera and said they taught their children that evolution had "no scientific basis" (!!!!) and they home schooled (of course) their brood to believe in the literal creations story.

I sat there dumbfounded...on "The Learning Channel"? Nope, I had to leave the room, I was so angry at these people for lying to their children and raising another 18+ gaggle of idiots.

They won't get my eyeballs to sell to advertisers anymore, no matter what.

I've shot an email to TLC telling them of my disgust. Enough of the freak shows, including the relatively harmless "Little People Big World" - give me real science and documentaries and leave the reality show propoganda to Fox.

deBeauxOs said...

If you allow me to play the devil's advocate here, Mike ... Could showing Jim Bob Duggar spouting off on TLC - where if you're watching with your own kids, it can lead to a productive discussion - not be a relatively appropriate context for displaying those kinds of beliefs?

Where it truly offends me to hear Jim Bob and his ilk pontificate about creationism and intelligent design are the network media news programs where charlatans are given legitimacy by being seated next to scientists.

Beijing York said...

I have no idea what's up with The Learning Channel but many of their programs revolve around fundamentalist Christian families: Duggars, Jon & Kate + 8, Big World Little People. Not only do they have their reality TV series but they do motivational speaking tours (organized through churches and shopping malls) and publish books and videos (through Christian branded publishing houses).

If these families truly are typical except for family size, composition or physical challenge, it's no wonder such pro-Christian legislation (creationism, abortion restrictions, Prop 8) is being introduced and passing throughout the US.

It does seem that the religious right have thoroughly infiltrated mass media.

Anyway, an interesting anti-Duggar blog site here:

http://duggarswithoutpity.blogspot.com/

the regina mom said...

One of my nieces was talking about this show on xmas day. Being that I don't watch TV, I'd never heard of it. I couldn't believe it, expressed my horror that such a thing would be on TV, and my niece agreed, saying it's the stupidest show ever. She's 13. And smart.

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