FamTeam Update

[gustava]

27 minutes ago, JenniferJuniper said:

I think Rick is more than self-absorbed;  he's a full blown narcissist.

Aren't most of the fundie men we snark on? 

[FloraKitty35]

The scenery was pretty. Rick reminded my a drunk trying to find a spot to take a leak in the woods.  As to their acting skills they are good enough to act in a major Christian film*.

 

*  The acting always shit in those movies anyway, they'd fit right in.  

[Sundaymorning]

5 hours ago, gustava said:

Aren't most of the fundie men we snark on? 

Agreed. I'd say it takes a very special kind of person to lead your family into such a fundie lifestyle.

[Guest]

I think they've been brainwashed to stay and support the family too.  I wonder if it ever occurred to any of them that a few of the older boys could rent an apartment, or buy a smallish fixer-upper, and pool their earnings and still give a good portion to Mom and Dad while having a bit more freedom and space.  The only thing I can think of is that they don't want more freedom and space.  Which is where it gets weird again...

[DaffyDill]

38 minutes ago, AbandonAllHope said:

I think they've been brainwashed to stay and support the family too.  I wonder if it ever occurred to any of them that a few of the older boys could rent an apartment, or buy a smallish fixer-upper, and pool their earnings and still give a good portion to Mom and Dad while having a bit more freedom and space.  The only thing I can think of is that they don't want more freedom and space.  Which is where it gets weird again...

Perhaps the parents have threatened them with alienation if they marry or go out with a girl who doesn't meet their criteria for DIL material. You know - take a step out of line and that's it, you don't see your siblings, etc etc. If you want to be on your own, you're going to really be on your own. Although how they'd enforce that when all the older boys have cars, mobile phones and aren't monitored 24 hours a day, I don't know.

I can't imagine Cathy liking any girl the boys brought home. 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, DaffyDill said:

Perhaps the parents have threatened them with alienation if they marry or go out with a girl who doesn't meet their criteria for DIL material. You know - take a step out of line and that's it, you don't see your siblings, etc etc. If you want to be on your own, you're going to really be on your own. Although how they'd enforce that when all the older boys have cars, mobile phones and aren't monitored 24 hours a day, I don't know.

I can't imagine Cathy liking any girl the boys brought home. 

I can't imagine Cathy approving of anyone either.  Ironically, the Arndt boys have actual jobs and skills (and maybe even personalities) and would probably do fine on their own, unlike some other fundie kids.  The fact that they're all still "Safe at Home" probably does come down to fairly intense emotional and/or mental manipulation on the part of Rick and Cathy.  

It's a shame, and I don't understand the point of it.  Even if they need the financial support, surely a few of the older boys could have their own lives by now.  There are lots of guys in their late teens and twenties who could contribute enough.  They don't need all of them (unless Vine Valley is a major financial drain and that's how they justify needing everyone's help?).

[nokidsmom]

7 hours ago, AbandonAllHope said:

I can't imagine Cathy approving of anyone either.  Ironically, the Arndt boys have actual jobs and skills (and maybe even personalities) and would probably do fine on their own, unlike some other fundie kids.  The fact that they're all still "Safe at Home" probably does come down to fairly intense emotional and/or mental manipulation on the part of Rick and Cathy.  

It's a shame, and I don't understand the point of it.  Even if they need the financial support, surely a few of the older boys could have their own lives by now.  There are lots of guys in their late teens and twenties who could contribute enough.  They don't need all of them (unless Vine Valley is a major financial drain and that's how they justify needing everyone's help?).

That's what I am thinking, they don't need all of them.  It's been up to the older manboys to support the family and it seems it's kept the family afloat, so as the younger kids age where they can also step into supporting roles, no pun intended with regards to Vine Valley.   I am not sure how expensive Rick's pet project really is but it's possible that all the participation of the family in this project, in some form or another, is required by Rick, though I doubt (in reality, not that bubble Rick lives in) that all of their participation is necessary either.

I don't discount the guilt factor at all but I know from experience that if you have a strong enough desire to forge your own life it goes a long way toward fending off the guilt trips.   Guilt tripping might work on some but all of them?  I can't help but think that there's some serious mindfuckery that's keeping all of them at home. 

On 2/10/2016 at 11:14 PM, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I've always thought the likelihood was good they had social lives, even love lives, of some kind and of course it wouldn't make the edit.

if you were a man boy would you bring a girl home to meet the folks one second before you absolutely had to?

its ststiscitally odd that given the ages and the big religious deal of marriage and family that there are no marriages or engagements - so the weirdness remains but there is really no reason to believe they are all ...unsullied

I know, it's so weird, even considering that a lot of editing might be going on, that there's been no reference at all that the manboys have dated, had sex, relationships, social lives, anything.    One would think that a manboy at some point would make some reference to a girlfriend or something.   The only thing I can think of is that the manboys are keeping it all under wraps from Rick and Cathy.  Or that Rick and Cathy disapprove which shoot any relationships / prospective marriages down.  The family seems to function as one organism, so any prospective wife will be required to fit in and all will have to approve, perhaps even the siblings.   Given the numbers that's a tall order, not to mention ramping up the "weirdness factor" which will discourage a lot of women.   Particularly for the older manboys, as mentioned upthread.  Women their age will run away screaming.

 

[gustava]

Based on absolutely no evidence, I think that the only physical gratification for the Arndt males, except for Rick, comes from Mr. Right and Mr. Left.

[Dandruff]

After watching Cathy in that film clip, I realized she reminds me of Little Bo Peep.  Didn't quite make the connection before.  There's something about the combination of hair, clothing, basket, demeanor, and sheep who always find their way home.  Is it me...or am I onto something?

[refugee]

Somehow discussion of this family always brings to my mind the Norwegian Bachelor Farmers in Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon stories.

[gustava]

1 hour ago, refugee said:

Somehow discussion of this family always brings to my mind the Norwegian Bachelor Farmers in Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon stories.

Except that the Norwegian Bachelor Farmers live alone and work their own farms.  The Arndt boys still live with Mama and Daddy, and share rooms with their brothers.

 

[JenniferJuniper]

14 hours ago, nokidsmom said:

I know, it's so weird, even considering that a lot of editing might be going on, that there's been no reference at all that the manboys have dated, had sex, relationships, social lives, anything.    One would think that a manboy at some point would make some reference to a girlfriend or something.   The only thing I can think of is that the manboys are keeping it all under wraps from Rick and Cathy.  Or that Rick and Cathy disapprove which shoot any relationships / prospective marriages down.  The family seems to function as one organism, so any prospective wife will be required to fit in and all will have to approve, perhaps even the siblings.   Given the numbers that's a tall order, not to mention ramping up the "weirdness factor" which will discourage a lot of women.   Particularly for the older manboys, as mentioned upthread.  Women their age will run away screaming.

 

I see little to no hope for the oldest ones for this reason.  They are too attached and too dorky, despite their good natured appearance.  There has to be hope for the middle and younger ones, though. I refuse to believe Cathy and Rick will succeed in controlling all 14 kids in the end.  James in particular looks like a great catch. Nothing like a master carpenter, mechanic, electronics wizard, and general handyman all rolled up in one.   I can see a smart young woman getting her hooks on him and convincing him to move someplace where she won't run into any of the in-laws at Costco.

[Howl]

FamTeam offers weekend retreats.  famteam.com/safe-at-home-ministries/     That would be so interesting, in a bizarre  way.  Pray! Play touch football or softball.  Pray.  Bonfire in the woods.  Pray! 

FamTeam has Safe at Home Ministries.  I think the over arching message is pretty clear. 

They remind me of a recent show about a family of boys and their mom who NEVER left their New York apartment because the father felt the world outside the apartment was too dangerous.  The boys watched hundreds (thousands?) of movies, until one day, one or two of the boys ventured out, and the rest is documentary history. 

 

[nokidsmom]

9 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

I see little to no hope for the oldest ones for this reason.  They are too attached and too dorky, despite their good natured appearance.  There has to be hope for the middle and younger ones, though. I refuse to believe Cathy and Rick will succeed in controlling all 14 kids in the end.  James in particular looks like a great catch. Nothing like a master carpenter, mechanic, electronics wizard, and general handyman all rolled up in one.   I can see a smart young woman getting her hooks on him and convincing him to move someplace where she won't run into any of the in-laws at Costco.

@JenniferJuniperI agree there's hope for the middle to younger ones.  They may just look at their unmarried older brothers who are pushing towards middle age and figure out there's a problem here.   The Princess Charmings have not shown up, maybe one has to take finding that wife that God has intended for you into one's own hands.   If indeed there's been a relationship or two that have been discouraged by Rick and Cathy, they might realize that the problem is also their parents.  

Either way, I agree that RIck and Cathy will not get their wish that all of their children remain "safe at home" for the rest of their lives.  And I have no doubts that is indeed their wish.

[JenniferJuniper]

3 hours ago, Howl said:

They remind me of a recent show about a family of boys and their mom who NEVER left their New York apartment because the father felt the world outside the apartment was too dangerous.  The boys watched hundreds (thousands?) of movies, until one day, one or two of the boys ventured out, and the rest is documentary history. 

 

I saw that!  Insane, and not even driven by religious beliefs.  Just fear, and some clear mental health issues on the part of the parents.  And to think the father pulled that off in NYC for years.

Even those boys began the process of breaking away, although the cameras might have helped facilitate to an extent.

[nausicaa]

20 minutes ago, JenniferJuniper said:

I saw that!  Insane, and not even driven by religious beliefs.  Just fear, and some clear mental health issues on the part of the parents.  And to think the father pulled that off in NYC for years.

Even those boys began the process of breaking away, although the cameras might have helped facilitate to an extent.

Ooh, which show was this? I wanna watch. 

[DaffyDill]

4 hours ago, nausicaa said:

Ooh, which show was this? I wanna watch. 

It's called The Wolfpack.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolfpack

I watched a three part series on You Tube as well. They're pretty well adjusted, all things considered.

[Letgo]

On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 5:39 AM, nokidsmom said:

@JenniferJuniperI agree there's hope for the middle to younger ones.  They may just look at their unmarried older brothers who are pushing towards middle age and figure out there's a problem here.   The Princess Charmings have not shown up

I'm afraid they will look at their older brothers and think that it is obvious that they should all stay safe at home because the princesses have not materialized. And if staying at home is good, isn't leaving sort of a betrayal? It would be so difficult to be the first one to go out on his own. The guilt! Leaving not only one's brothers and sister, but mom and dad as well?

If one ever does leave, I really want him to write a tell-all book. The world needs to know how Rick and Cathy achieved the total control over so many manboys without total isolation. 

[nokidsmom]

2 hours ago, Letgo said:

I'm afraid they will look at their older brothers and think that it is obvious that they should all stay safe at home because the princesses have not materialized. And if staying at home is good, isn't leaving sort of a betrayal? It would be so difficult to be the first one to go out on his own. The guilt! Leaving not only one's brothers and sister, but mom and dad as well?

If one ever does leave, I really want him to write a tell-all book. The world needs to know how Rick and Cathy achieved the total control over so many manboys without total isolation. 

As someone who was the first to leave home (and all the shit and guilt I took for it) I am sure that any manboy leaving the "safe at home" fold it will be treated as a betrayal, a rejection, breaking up the whole family.   Rick, Cathy and the rest of the kids at home will feel injured and abandoned by the decision.  Whoever it is, that manboy (or Wizzy) will have to be mighty strong to withstand it.  While they haven't been totally isolated, the focus on leaving "best family in the world" as one of them put it, is going to make leaving a very tough decision, far more than it should be if the family were quite frankly, more normal.

Entirely possible that some of the younger ones will look at their older brothers and figure there's no hope for them but somehow I can't help but think that one of them will put it together that it's the whole "safe at home" concept that is preventing them finding anyone girlfriends or wives.   While Rick and Cathy appear to have all the manboys and Wizzy under control, it's not over yet.

[MatthewDuggar]

The editing effects with the "green screen" seems to be the latest obsession with the Ardnt Vine Valley crew.  It seems like the end result is going to be a film with 95% special effects.  Either they decided to change the script or they seriously didn't get any of the filming right initially.  They are actually filming Cathy in front a a green screen making different facial expressions so they can her reactions on previously shot footage.... Yet again "lost footage" needs to be found..per Rick "missing (misplaced)"  I know nothing about movie-making but organization doesn't seem to be one of Rick's stronger qualities.  At least a few of the Man boy film slaves are allowed a weekly outing to get fountain sodas.  

[JenniferJuniper]

7 hours ago, MatthewDuggar said:

At least a few of the Man boy film slaves are allowed a weekly outing to get fountain sodas.  

You'd think at least some of the men in their late 20's to mid 30's would want a cup of coffee every now and again instead of that fountain soda.  Never mind a beer.

[MatthewDuggar]

52 minutes ago, JenniferJuniper said:

You'd think at least some of the men in their late 20's to mid 30's would want a cup of coffee every now and again instead of that fountain soda.  Never mind a beer.

I immediately thought of that when I read it.  Usually guys their age drop in at the bar for a few brews or as you said, hang out at a cafe.  I'd think there has to be at least one Christian Cafe in their area that they could frequent.  Nope, gotta be "safe at home" with an occasional fountain soda.  

I'm surprised they aren't more obsessed with Cathy's Fitbit.  I could see all of them getting one and competing to see who does the most steps, etc.  

[quiversR4hunting]

16 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

Never mind a beer.

 

Spoiler

 

[salex]

I got to thinking, Vine Valley is Rick's sex and life fantasies and he's having his offspring help him film them?   

Nothing weird about that....

 

[gustava]

5 hours ago, salex said:

I got to thinking, Vine Valley is Rick's sex and life fantasies and he's having his offspring help him film them?   

Nothing weird about that....