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JenniferJuniper

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9 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

Kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst was eventually trusted enough by her captors to help them rob a bank. 

Stockholm Syndrome is a very real thing. 

When I think of Stockholm Syndrome, my mind always goes to Patty Hearst as an example of what it can do.

Apparently the manboys who work are trusted enough to come back home to Mommy and Daddy and not make a break for it.   Not as dramatic as Patty Hearst but it's really the same thing.    I think it's a pretty good bet that a manboy has to show that he can be brainwashed trusted enough before being let out on his own. 

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I have never been able to wrap my head around the Arndts in particular and fundies living at home forever in general. In my life experience, it's been the parents preparing the children to leave home, usually at a fairly young age, say, 18-early 20s.. HOW did it become dorm rooms for 30 year old manboys in Daddy's house?

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16 minutes ago, Four is Enough said:

I have never been able to wrap my head around the Arndts in particular and fundies living at home forever in general. In my life experience, it's been the parents preparing the children to leave home, usually at a fairly young age, say, 18-early 20s.. HOW did it become dorm rooms for 30 year old manboys in Daddy's house?

It's perplexing. I guess when your faith tells you over and over again from birth just how scary, fallen, untrustworthy, and dangerous the outside world is, it doesn't make sense that you would have young adults capable of making their way in that world. Mommy and daddy become the only ones who know what is good and right and beyond their doors lies a path straight to hell. The fundies have scared themselves into a corner with these "anti-world" beliefs and now the off-spring can't function. All of it is ironic considering how their god Jesus was portrayed as a meet people right where they are type of person and didn't hide away in his parent's house. 

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On ‎12‎/‎22‎/‎2015 at 8:26 AM, HermioneSparrow said:

I can't see any of the Arndt boys getting married, EVER, so I doubt those changes have anything to do with marriage, unfortunately. Those boys need some hanky panky in their lives:pb_lol:

This strongly reminds me of the Staddon family boys. Robert was the only one (that I know of, anyways) that'd gotten married so far, & I can't help but wonder what's happening w/the others. And their daughter Esther, too.

I also can't help but wonder why I wonder about these things that have nothing to do w/my own life.  :P

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On December 23, 2015 at 10:01 PM, JenniferJuniper said:

You'll probably be able to get away with a lot of copying and pasting.

"Joseph Green, unabashed liberal, atheist professor at a small college in New England has left for a sabbatical. No one came to the going-away party he threw for himself until someone yelled "There's free cake in the library!"  

Clueless fellow that he is, he forgets to bring his mittens and while hiking in the deep woods of Maine, he loses his way in the snow, falls down repeatedly, sprains his ankle and gets frost bitten fingers.  He makes his way to an abandoned cabin.

He tries to leave in the morning but falls down in the deep snow.

He tries to leave in the afternoon but falls down in the deep snow.

The stream is trickling over gray rocks. 

He tries to leave in the evening, but falls down in the deep snow.

He sleeps.  

Birds chirp.  The stream is trickling over gray rocks.  He tries to leave but falls down in the snow......"
 

 

If Professor Green ever gets out of the woods, he should immediately go to a doctor and try to find out why he's falling down so much.  And how does Cathy fit in with her cape and breadbasket?  Any why is it taking them eleventy years to film someone falling down and someone else impersonating little red riding hood? I'm starting to think there's something a little off about the Arndts...:think:

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6 hours ago, AbandonAllHope said:

I'm starting to think there's something a little off about the Arndts...:think:

Was it the penguins? The unmarried adult men living at home? Dad's diary? :pb_lol:

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8 hours ago, AbandonAllHope said:

If Professor Green ever gets out of the woods, he should immediately go to a doctor and try to find out why he's falling down so much.  And how does Cathy fit in with her cape and breadbasket?  Any why is it taking them eleventy years to film someone falling down and someone else impersonating little red riding hood? I'm starting to think there's something a little off about the Arndts...:think:

He meets Cathy somewhere in his lost and confused travels.  The Little Red Riding Hood basket contains food for elderly shut-ins.  She must have to walk for miles to deliver a few cans of beans because it's a small basket and they are in farm country.  Apparently a car wouldn't fit in with the director's fixation with scenery.  I'm guessing her character eventually gets the pathetic, hapless intellectual to accept Jesus into his heart.

Aside from some softball games and flash backs to olden times, the rest of the film appears to be focused only on hills and valleys and light filtering through trees.

Early this year Dad said they were winding down filming and would focus on editing.  But they've made at least one trip to upstate New York this year and now are going again in February.  He's always looking for snowy woods in which to film.

It's hard to believe a bunch of grown men (and a nearly 19 year old woman) are still buying into this shit.  Most of them spend their waking hours working on filming, re-filming, sound effects and editing.  It's completely insane.

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38 minutes ago, JenniferJuniper said:

It's hard to believe a bunch of grown men (and a nearly 19 year old woman) are still buying into this shit.  Most of them spend their waking hours working on filming, re-filming, sound effects and editing.  It's completely insane.

Well you have to remember for them it's all they know.

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33 minutes ago, thebestusername said:

Well you have to remember for them it's all they know.

They're sheltered for sure, but not so much that they don't know how other people live.  I don't know much about Rick's family, but Cathy's family includes sisters who run businesses. One is a chiropractor with her own practice. When she moved to a new building, the boys helped her out.  And of course the older ones work outside the home typing and then editing depositions.  That sort of work is bound to be eye opening, although maybe so much so that Rick is able to use it to show the "boys" the evils of the world.

From Mary on up, they photograph non-fundie weddings and take engagement photos of normal unmarried couples kissing.  They don't seem to judge in any way.

TV is restricted, but not as much as the typical fundie family.  They watch all sorts of sporting events and I'm sure see commercials and cheerleaders.  Not long ago, Luke posted a comical video that referenced all sorts of current pop culture topics.  Almost like he was trying to show what a hipster he is.

If the Arndts were living only in their own world, it would be easy to explain why the offspring are all so accepting of Rick's nonsense.  Their regular exposure to normal people and the real world is what makes it all so fascinating. 

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On December 23, 2015 at 7:22 AM, Eternalbluepearl said:

It's perplexing. I guess when your faith tells you over and over again from birth just how scary, fallen, untrustworthy, and dangerous the outside world is, it doesn't make sense that you would have young adults capable of making their way in that world. Mommy and daddy become the only ones who know what is good and right and beyond their doors lies a path straight to hell. The fundies have scared themselves into a corner with these "anti-world" beliefs and now the off-spring can't function. All of it is ironic considering how their god Jesus was portrayed as a meet people right where they are type of person and didn't hide away in his parent's house. 

Here's what seems oddest to me:

I grew up in a non-religious family but we were pretty straight-laced and I grew up that way too.  There were certainly things I didn't like and as an adult I can even find some things that I think were pretty dysfunctional about my family, but nothing very dramatic or obvious.  My point here is that I didn't have the need to rebel in a dramatic way like I could imagine a teenager would in a very repressed or violent home environment.  No, I more-or-less carried forward the same earnestness and straight-laced-ness that I was steeped in as a child.  Most of the worldly-world didn't appeal to me since my parents had taught me "better" values than that (ie rejecting the mindless consumerism and shallow keep-up-with-the-Joneses which I saw all around me in the 70s).  

AND YET -- I still looked forward to moving out and setting up my own life!  There were still plenty of "clean" and interesting aspects of life I was eager to learn and partake of, even if it was just setting up a household and getting an education and then a job.  I looked forward to demonstrating the values I was raised with, to showing the world that I chose those same things for myself that I had been taught/modeled.  Of course I made a few choices differently and even did one thing that WAS a major rebellion against my upbringing (smoked cigarettes for ten years after leaving home at 18) but all in all my rebellion was pretty bland and my life continued to model my parents' values for decades after I left (and probably still do to some extent though I have definitely found major differences in my values/principles from theirs as time has passed).

tl;dr -- if the Arndt kidults truly believe their parents' values, why aren't they eager to go forth and model those and create the next generation of believers in their squeaky clean lifestyle?

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28 minutes ago, church_of_dog said:

if the Arndt kidults truly believe their parents' values, why aren't they eager to go forth and model those and create the next generation of believers in their squeaky clean lifestyle?

Exactly. It's what we see with the Maxwells too. Some parents seem to not trust their adult kids (or the World!) enough to be on their own so the stay-at-home daughter/son bs was created. Even if the adult kids manage to leave, they're only around the corner.

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5 minutes ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

Exactly. It's what we see with the Maxwells too. Some parents seem to not trust their adult kids (or the World!) enough to be on their own so the stay-at-home daughter/son bs was created. Even if the adult kids manage to leave, they're only around the corner.

Yep.  And I do remember pondering whether I wanted to apply to UC Berkeley for college but ultimately deciding against it (even though I thought it would be a good fit for me) because at about an hour's drive from my parents (at that time -- takes way longer now, I'm sure) it felt "too close"... :pb_confused:  (my parents rarely came to visit me during college and I'm not sure why I was worried about this beforehand, but clearly I was...)

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6 hours ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

Was it the penguins? The unmarried adult men living at home? Dad's diary? :pb_lol:

Definitely the penguins.  They seem so normal otherwise :pb_lol:

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The Arndt boys are pretty good looking, (IMHO, they're the Fundie family with the highest proportion of cuties lol) they dress normally, seem quite fit and are very much into nature/the outdoors. They appear to be fairly normal guys until you learn of their background. 

I am sure at least a few of them are super comfortable with the lifestyle and have no desire to change. And that's ok. I just can't fathom *that* many adult men being ok living this way, no matter how hard their parents push it. :confused2::confused2::confused2: 

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On December 24, 2015 at 2:20 PM, AbandonAllHope said:

Definitely the penguins.  They seem so normal otherwise :pb_lol:

Without moving my head I'm looking at 25+ penguins from my couch.  If I go to the carefully arranged Christmas stuffed animals on top of the china cabinet I'm looking at another 10 more.

dont make me count how many are in the bathrooms!

its the least weird thing about them.

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2 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Without moving my head I'm looking at 25+ penguins from my couch.  If I go to the carefully arranged Christmas stuffed animals on top of the china cabinet I'm looking at another 10 more.

dont make me count how many are in the bathrooms!

its the least weird thing about them.

Ha! It probably IS the least weirdest thing about them.  But still, I have to ask...are you secretly an Arndt??

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12 minutes ago, AbandonAllHope said:

Ha! It probably IS the least weirdest thing about them.  But still, I have to ask...are you secretly an Arndt??

What makes you say that?

image.thumb.jpeg.e40b85eaf34d8d765445ac4image.thumb.jpeg.0d47a7363701279d9c7e0b1

(most of the penguins have names so couldn't post pic - but a couple of anonymous guys here!)

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1 minute ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

What makes you say that?

image.thumb.jpeg.e40b85eaf34d8d765445ac4

(most of the penguins have names so couldn't post pic - but a couple of anonymous guys here!)

If you aren't an Arndt, then you're definitely making them jealous right now.  That soap dispenser one is particularly adorable.  It would look perfect in a bathroom shared by eleventy permanently single guys in their 30's, dontcha think?

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5 minutes ago, AbandonAllHope said:

If you aren't an Arndt, then you're definitely making them jealous right now.  That soap dispenser one is particularly adorable.  It would look perfect in a bathroom shared by eleventy permanently single guys in their 30's, dontcha think?

I bet they have some - I have no doubt Kathy would be just as weak willed at resisting them from the shelves of Target as I was.  

And this was from Costo a few years back...they go to Costco...

i wonder if his twin is on their kitchen counter right now?  The beauty of Pop-Tart Junior (that's his legal name) is he's winter themed and not Christmassy so he can stay out till March!

 

image.thumb.jpeg.688f52dcd64343d21acf59f

 

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18 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I bet they have some - I have no doubt Kathy would be just as weak willed at resisting them from the shelves of Target as I was.  

And this was from Costo a few years back...they go to Costco...

i wonder if his twin is on their kitchen counter right now?  The beauty of Pop-Tart Junior (that's his legal name) is he's winter themed and not Christmassy so he can stay out till March!

 

image.thumb.jpeg.688f52dcd64343d21acf59f

 

Oh, he's too cute!  Is he a cookie jar? I wonder if the Arndt boys would be allowed to keep him in their bedroom?  That way if they got hungry during the night they could just hop down from their assigned bunk and have a snack without waking everyone else up!  Also, winter themed decorations (instead of holiday themed) cut down on clutter, so Erika Shupe would approve.  Less clutter means you can stay in your tiny, child-packed house every.single.day and not feel claustrophobic.  Only the actual children are clutter! Bonus!

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One of the things that always pops into my head when reading about the Arndts is that whatever Mom and Dad are doing to their boys (as long as it is not physical) it is not against the law.  As far as the state goes, you can brainwash and psychologically damage them, keep them from being educated or having any friends, infantilize them as much as you want and nobody can stop you.  I would love to know what the extended family members say about it though.  They must be as aghast as we are.

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What is up with the Arndts and their love for penguins? I never could quite figure out the origin of that obsession.

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15 minutes ago, Sundaymorning said:

What is up with the Arndts and their love for penguins? I never could quite figure out the origin of that obsession.

They said it in one of the videos - it's just a family joke.  All you need for something like that to take hold is a couple of penguins and then it becomes a "thing" and it's just funny over the years.  

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49 minutes ago, Handmaiden of Dog said:

One of the things that always pops into my head when reading about the Arndts is that whatever Mom and Dad are doing to their boys (as long as it is not physical) it is not against the law.  As far as the state goes, you can brainwash and psychologically damage them, keep them from being educated or having any friends, infantilize them as much as you want and nobody can stop you.  I would love to know what the extended family members say about it though.  They must be as aghast as we are.

Until we know otherwise I'm sticking with my theory that it was a financial slippery slope where over the years they (Cathy and Rick) developed this lifestyle which isn't cheap to maintain (the trips, the property, eleventy kids) and with both of them opting not to work the burden for supporting the family is on the older boys.

I have a feeling they don't all equally contribute to the family coffers so the ones who are bringing in the money are probably made very aware that if they were to move out and support themselves, maybe have a family of their own if they choose, they'd be putting severe financial hardship on their parents and younger siblings.

Guilting them into staying because there is footage to be shot, or mommy and daddy want you home until UPS delivers a perfect woman to the door is hard to understand.  Guilting them into staying because otherwise mom and dad can lose the house and where is everyone going to live...and groceries have to be bought, utilities kept on...it's easier to see how it happens.

If I'm correct it's emotionally criminal and some weird form of indentured servitude in which R & C steal the lives of their children to finance their own...but that is the only thing I can see working on the older ones for this long.

The younger guys?  Early 20s...most kids are still at home at that age and as they can clearly see there is no rush to leave the nest.  But if anyone makes a break for it I think it will be in the block Phillip through Caleb...while young enough they aren't contributing enough to really hurt the family lifestyle wise if they go.  I think Wizzie will have the best shot at leaving without harming relationships as she's just a girl and not expected to bring in the cash anyway.

If I were a betting person I'd put my money on Phillip and Jacob getting an apartment - maybe Nathan going with them.  I don't think they'll convince Seth to break until he sees how it goes for them.  

Total speculation based on the tiny bits of personalities shown in the vids.

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We also had a family joke about penguins. Ours originated from my brother and I as teenagers, I don't remember which once of us started it, saying "It's too damn hot for a penguin to just be walking around here" (From the movie Billy Madison) as a random response to things my Mom would say to us. We found this hilarious, and she did not. So we started giving her penguin things all the time, penguin socks, penguin pictures, penguin ornaments. I'm laughing just thinking about it. Good times!

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