NieNie the American hero

[Emme]

SHe was a superficial, materialistic airhead before the accident, and she does not get a pass due to disability from me. I'm disabled, too. It does not free me to be greedy, selfish and self absorbed. I don't get to do or say whatever I want just because I'm in pain and I can't lift 5 lbs and I can't stand in one place for 30 seconds. Neither does she.

I am so sick of the infantilization of the disabled. We don't get to be real people, ever. We can't even be jerks without someone making excuses for us. That's not being nice.

(bolding is mine)

:clap: :clap: I love this. I really do. You're so right. Do you read Dave Hingsburger's blog on disability and life? I feel this is the sort of sentiment he would LOVE.

[Drina Adams]

Her grammar, syntax and writing style all annoy me greatly.

[lilwriter85]

SHe was a superficial, materialistic airhead before the accident, and she does not get a pass due to disability from me. I'm disabled, too. It does not free me to be greedy, selfish and self absorbed. I don't get to do or say whatever I want just because I'm in pain and I can't lift 5 lbs and I can't stand in one place for 30 seconds. Neither does she.

I am so sick of the infantilization of the disabled. We don't get to be real people, ever. We can't even be jerks without someone making excuses for us. That's not being nice.

I agree with this post. I first found out about NieNie on Oprah back in 2010. I was visiting with my parents and my mom had the show on. At the time I was cooking, I wasn't pay attention to the whole interview. Later on, I found her blog and through other online research I found out that she had a following prior to the plane crash. I read some of her pre-crash blog postings and I agree she has always been an airhead and nothing has really changed with her in the aftermath. I was annoyed with that posting from several months back when she was happy her 6 year old son tackled a classmate who said that Nie looked funny. Nie should have handled that situation better.

I agree with you infantilizaion of the disabled. I have seen some of NieNie's fangirls white knight her on GOMI, Instagram, and couple of other sites. I admit that I sometimes feel bad for snarking on NieNie.

[rward]

(bolding is mine)

:clap: :clap: I love this. I really do. You're so right. Do you read Dave Hingsburger's blog on disability and life? I feel this is the sort of sentiment he would LOVE.

I LOVE Dave Hingsburger. He really helped me come to terms with my own disability. I no longer see myself as victimized and helpless. In need of greater help than others, in need of accommodations, but not helpless or a child. Just another person with different needs and troubles and talents, like everybody else.

Someone needs to strap NieNie down and read that blog to her from beginning to end.

[revengeforwanda]

SHe was a superficial, materialistic airhead before the accident, and she does not get a pass due to disability from me. I'm disabled, too. It does not free me to be greedy, selfish and self absorbed. I don't get to do or say whatever I want just because I'm in pain and I can't lift 5 lbs and I can't stand in one place for 30 seconds. Neither does she.

I am so sick of the infantilization of the disabled. We don't get to be real people, ever. We can't even be jerks without someone making excuses for us. That's not being nice.

Well said, rward, well said. :clap:

[mockingbird]

SHe was a superficial, materialistic airhead before the accident, and she does not get a pass due to disability from me. I'm disabled, too. It does not free me to be greedy, selfish and self absorbed. I don't get to do or say whatever I want just because I'm in pain and I can't lift 5 lbs and I can't stand in one place for 30 seconds. Neither does she.

I am so sick of the infantilization of the disabled. We don't get to be real people, ever. We can't even be jerks without someone making excuses for us. That's not being nice.

Thanks for this. I was trying to figure out what to say but it's like you read my mind.

I was really, really sick as a kid, had a lot of surgeries, and have some lasting issues/long-term side effects. My parents taught me that this experience did not make me better or worse than anyone else or, like you said, give me a "pass". One of my pet peeves is people who pimp out their illness or disability stories. I don't mean the average illness/disability blogger (I follow a lot of MS and lupus bloggers - kind-of by accident as I do not have any personal connections to either of those diseases, but I just like their blogs), but the types of people who are trying to get money, fame, or attention out of the deal, like Nie Nie. I read a few articles about her and honestly I have never been able to stomach any more, because she annoys me so much! I thought about getting her book from the library to snark on but I thought it would just piss me off, so I didn't.

[revengeforwanda]

Or all the people who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars so the Nielsons could buy a boat and Anthropologie?

Something that I've never understood, but am hoping to get some clarification on, is whether the Clark and Nielson families were upfront that they would be using the donations for things such as a boat, or did people donate thinking that their money would be going to explicitly fund NieNie's care and then find out after the fact that this might not have been the case? I can completely understand why people would be upset if they thought they were paying for one thing and actually paying for another, the good old bait-and-switch. Obviously, NieNie never really explains this on her blog.

[lilwriter85]

Something that I've never understood, but am hoping to get some clarification on, is whether the Clark and Nielson families were upfront that they would be using the donations for things such as a boat, or did people donate thinking that their money would be going to explicitly fund NieNie's care and then find out after the fact that this might not have been the case? I can completely understand why people would be upset if they thought they were paying for one thing and actually paying for another, the good old bait-and-switch. Obviously, NieNie never really explains this on her blog.

From what I've read on different sites, it seems the Clark and Nielsons weren't upfront about what the donation money would be going to and many people believed the donations were going to the medical expenses. Some people were pissed when the Nielsons bought the boat and other things. Someone on GOMI said something that Nie said in the book or in an interview that some of the donation money was used to pay for some of her siblings' flights to Arizona. I can't remember the whole story about that. The only people who ignore the boat and Anthropologie stuff are the Nie fangirls. Her fangirls are pretty annoying because they fail to see how stupid she is about many things and they really don't see how much Nie and Christian milk their crash story It was crazy once on GOMI because someone said they softened up on NieNie after reading the book and that person said something like "NieNie can buy whatever the hell she wants, after what she has gone through."

I also have to wonder if the plastic surgeon who works with Nie does pro-bono or reduced cost work on her. Based on stuff on GOMI, it seems her lawsuit settlement didn't go through. A couple of months back, Nie said on the the blog that she and Christian were going to try doing a cash only budget thing. Again there is online speculation that the Nielsons might be having financial troubles, but they recently took a family vacation to California.

[lilwriter85]

Some Nie's fangirl praises on Instagram

web.stagram.com/p/415294127803875702_7940911

[ @ ] mommamcgov Nei Nei, you are an American Hero! 2d

[ @ ] maddiezoellner I love following your story. I'm about half way through #heavenishere and you are quickly becoming one of my heroes! 2d

[ @ ] beckyost You are an amazing woman and example of true beauty! Plus the best mom ever!! 3d

[ @ ] subru Awesome! You've come full circle from the early days in the hospital to now. Life is amazing and you are a hero to so many but I have a feeling this one is more special than all the rest! 3d

web.stagram.com/p/416151198610899311_7940911

[ @ ] ladobaze You are so beautiful, inside and out. You have raised amazing children, have a inspiring marriage and inspiring life. So glad I found your blog. 2

d

[ @ ] chelseawallace You two are twins! Such a beautiful mother & daughter! Enjoy this moment with her! I know you are. :) 2d

[So Many Lies]

SHe was a superficial, materialistic airhead before the accident, and she does not get a pass due to disability from me. I'm disabled, too. It does not free me to be greedy, selfish and self absorbed. I don't get to do or say whatever I want just because I'm in pain and I can't lift 5 lbs and I can't stand in one place for 30 seconds. Neither does she.

I am so sick of the infantilization of the disabled. We don't get to be real people, ever. We can't even be jerks without someone making excuses for us. That's not being nice.

Whoa. I wasn't absolving Nie of anything. I wasn't infantalizing her at all. I'm just saying airhead or not having horrific burns is a bad state of affairs.

[So Many Lies]

Christian and Nie gave out different versions of the crash events. On Oprah and some other show, they claimed that Christian went back for her. I believe in some articles they flipped flopped versions and later a reporter for an Arizona newspaper called them out on the flip flopped versions. I think at some point in one version they said that the reason Christian didn't go back for Ni4e was because they made some kind of previous promise that if a dangerous situation arose, one of them would try to escape danger to be around for the kids. I can understand that promise, but it was annoying that Christian and Nie flip flopped the crash story. I think a lot of it has to do with Nie having an overly inflated view of Christian.

I get that women love their boyfriends and husbands, but with Nie it gets annoying. There is some speculation on the GOMI boards, that Christian is a closeted gay man. A few members there have based their opinions because of the way Christian sometimes dresses. I can kind of see why a few people think that. Not all gay men are the same and it totally possible that Christian isn't gay. But I find it odd that Nie constantly has to bring Christian's "manliness on the blog and on Instagram.

Thank you for the recap. I do find the references to manliness a bit incongruous.

[revengeforwanda]

From what I've read on different sites, it seems the Clark and Nielsons weren't upfront about what the donation money would be going to and many people believed the donations were going to the medical expenses. Some people were pissed when the Nielsons bought the boat and other things. Someone on GOMI said something that Nie said in the book or in an interview that some of the donation money was used to pay for some of her siblings' flights to Arizona. I can't remember the whole story about that. The only people who ignore the boat and Anthropologie stuff are the Nie fangirls. Her fangirls are pretty annoying because they fail to see how stupid she is about many things and they really don't see how much Nie and Christian milk their crash story It was crazy once on GOMI because someone said they softened up on NieNie after reading the book and that person said something like "NieNie can buy whatever the hell she wants, after what she has gone through."

I also have to wonder if the plastic surgeon who works with Nie does pro-bono or reduced cost work on her. Based on stuff on GOMI, it seems her lawsuit settlement didn't go through. A couple of months back, Nie said on the the blog that she and Christian were going to try doing a cash only budget thing. Again there is online speculation that the Nielsons might be having financial troubles, but they recently took a family vacation to California.

Thanks for the background, lilwriter85. I can't believe that they would buy a boat with money that people gave for medical expenses, but I supposed I shouldn't be surprised. Nie, and her whole family for that matter, have never impressed me as straightforward and transparent. There is too much emphasis on constantly "painting a pretty picture" and it makes me uncomfortable. I've only recently discovered the Mormon mommy blogger culture, NieNie, CJane, et. al, and the more I discover, the more I just shake my head.

[Closed Womb]

I think Nie Nie obvious shallowness explains her idolization of "manly" Christian: he stayed, even though she is not "beautiful" anymore. He had the power to embarrass/shame her for eternity, but he did not take that route. Deep down, I think Stephanie knows that she would not have graciously accepted her fate if her "handsome" husband was clearly disfigured and she had not been. It would have ruined her perfection.

(I do think Christian suffered some burns, but it isn't obvious in the way that it is with Nie Nie.)

[lilwriter85]

Thanks for the background, lilwriter85. I can't believe that they would buy a boat with money that people gave for medical expenses, but I supposed I shouldn't be surprised. Nie, and her whole family for that matter, have never impressed me as straightforward and transparent. There is too much emphasis on constantly "painting a pretty picture" and it makes me uncomfortable. I've only recently discovered the Mormon mommy blogger culture, NieNie, CJane, et. al, and the more I discover, the more I just shake my head.

I think CJane is a bit straight forward. In the past year or so, she did reveal that all of the Clark kids received trust funds. There is speculation that Nie used up all of trust fund money early in her marriage. She also hinted that the Clarks weren't always happy Mormons. CJane does bug me at times, but I'm starting to like her more than NieNie. CJane isn't as dumb as the Nie. Nie really likes painting the picture of "happy all the time" Mormon families. I find some of the upper middle class Utah Mormon mommy bloggers to be the annoying ones. I have read non-Utah Mormon mommy bloggers and some of them are likable compared to NieNie and Jenny Denton.

[Muriel]

I think Nie Nie obvious shallowness explains her idolization of "manly" Christian: he stayed, even though she is not "beautiful" anymore. He had the power to embarrass/shame her for eternity, but he did not take that route. Deep down, I think Stephanie knows that she would not have graciously accepted her fate if her "handsome" husband was clearly disfigured and she had not been. It would have ruined her perfection.

(I do think Christian suffered some burns, but it isn't obvious in the way that it is with Nie Nie.)

He was burnt 30% of his body, Nienie 80% of hers

[YPestis]

I don't read usually Nie Nie's blogs (too commercialized) but I always got the impression she spearheaded the "happy, shiny people" movement in the Mormon blogging world. You know the type: the large, happy family with the attractive children and beautiful home. The fact that Nie Nie became wildly successful at it, perhaps even more so after her horrible accident, only encouraged her to continue to milk the cash cow.

I don't mean to say that Nie Nie always had this mercenary nature. In fact, I believe most bloggers and reality show moms start out innocently. Perhaps they thought they could share a bit of themselves with the world. Maybe make some money and still stay close to home. However, with fame comes money and attention. Those things tend to corrupt people. I think Nie Nie started her blog for the same reasons many Mormon and nonMormon mommies did. Then she began making serious cash. Then the accident happened. I think spike in revenue and the heaps of donations, plus the media attention surrounding her recovery made her into a fame-addict of a sort. The money is attractive and the attention is wonderful. However, Nie Nie now needs the cash to continue to flow. She wants to continue to project the happy family with the beautiful lifestyle. That money she made is now more important than ever. She needs it to pay for medical bills, but also to continue to project a image of the perfect, successful Mormon family. I wonder what happens once the media and hype dies. Will Nie Nie be happy to exist as a blogging personality? How will she continue to subsidize her lifestyle without the hefty checks from her readers? I guess it will be interesting to see where she goes from here.

[Cheetah]

Two questions: 1) what is GOMI? 2) I have been reading NieNie since about a year after her accident (never went back and read the old stuff) and have read CJane on and off ... more recently off but my google reader just got a ton of back-posts from her.... so what is up with this Porn Addiction stuff? Did CJane's husband have this issue? Or has she just taken it on as an issue for the heck of it?

(very interested to hear the NieNie backstory gossip... like I said I've followed her for a while and did have questions about how they afford this lifestyle of nice boat (and kids with no lifejackets, LOL, although she did explain that one at one point), lots of skiiing, all sorts of trips, etc.

[CruitLvr]

Later on, I found her blog and through other online research I found out that she had a following prior to the plane crash. I read some of her pre-crash blog postings and I agree she has always been an airhead and nothing has really changed with her in the aftermath.

I discovered Nie a few months ago through FJ. Nie having a substantial following prior to her accident and book was the one thing that really stood out to me. I've never understood how some mommy bloggers seem to get instantly famous, while their lives are no different or better than anyone else's. IDK, maybe it's the jealously bug, but something irks me about that.

Regarding the donations, I am totally not defending her at all (a boat, really?), but I do have another take on it: A few years ago, I had a friend who lost her home in a fire. She received multiple donations from people across the state. While she made sure to spend the money on a new home and clothes, she bought some toys for her kids with her own money (she had a job and income). People were angry that "their money" was being spent on toys. It got to the point where every purchase she made was under a microscope, and she confided in me that she sometimes regretted accepting donations at all.

[Sarahsahara]

Two questions: 1) what is GOMI? 2) I have been reading NieNie since about a year after her accident (never went back and read the old stuff) and have read CJane on and off ... more recently off but my google reader just got a ton of back-posts from her.... so what is up with this Porn Addiction stuff? Did CJane's husband have this issue? Or has she just taken it on as an issue for the heck of it?

(very interested to hear the NieNie backstory gossip... like I said I've followed her for a while and did have questions about how they afford this lifestyle of nice boat (and kids with no lifejackets, LOL, although she did explain that one at one point), lots of skiiing, all sorts of trips, etc.

GOMI is Get Off My Internets. Its a snark site/forum about blogs and bloggers.

[lilwriter85]

I don't read usually Nie Nie's blogs (too commercialized) but I always got the impression she spearheaded the "happy, shiny people" movement in the Mormon blogging world. You know the type: the large, happy family with the attractive children and beautiful home. The fact that Nie Nie became wildly successful at it, perhaps even more so after her horrible accident, only encouraged her to continue to milk the cash cow.

I don't mean to say that Nie Nie always had this mercenary nature. In fact, I believe most bloggers and reality show moms start out innocently. Perhaps they thought they could share a bit of themselves with the world. Maybe make some money and still stay close to home. However, with fame comes money and attention. Those things tend to corrupt people. I think Nie Nie started her blog for the same reasons many Mormon and nonMormon mommies did. Then she began making serious cash. Then the accident happened. I think spike in revenue and the heaps of donations, plus the media attention surrounding her recovery made her into a fame-addict of a sort. The money is attractive and the attention is wonderful. However, Nie Nie now needs the cash to continue to flow. She wants to continue to project the happy family with the beautiful lifestyle. That money she made is now more important than ever. She needs it to pay for medical bills, but also to continue to project a image of the perfect, successful Mormon family

quote]

I have been thinking about those same things too. I think the hype has died down for NieNie on a national level. The book came out last year in April and it was right before or after the birth of baby Charlotte. She did a bit of media tour. She did the Today Show, Anderson, and a couple of other shows. I think it was last fall when she appeared at one of those Sundance author series events. At this point, she seems to doing mostly LDS events. I think she will remain a celeb in LDS world for the next few years and then the LDS world will swoon over someone else. Even some of the hype in LDS world has died down. There are several Mormons who post on GOMI and they don't like NieNie that much anymore and recently one of them gave an in depth description of an LDS event where she saw NieNie, Christian, and few other Clark siblings. I also have to wonder if people in Provo are tired of the Nielsons. I'm willing to bet that some of the other parents and community members who went to the American hero event at Claire's school were rolling their eyes at Claire's display.

I think as long NieNie is a celeb in LDS world, she will be happy. Most of her fangirls will always folllow her. At some point, the income related to the blog will decrease. She is clearly using baby Charlotte as a way of promoting products for money like that Girly Glue stuff and the baby moccasins. There is speculation that she and Christian are planning to have more kids. But at some point, people aren't going to want to use one of Nie's kids as models. Like I said before, LDS world will find someone else later on to swoon over and view as an inspirational hero. I also think Nie's religion probably keeps more people from buying her books or reading her blog regularly. Maybe if she was non-Mormon she would have a bigger following and higher book sales.

[already hungover]

They were both horribly injured. And they did have young kids who would benefit from having at least one parent alive. So if he dragged his broken self out of the wreckage of a burning plane without looking back, I'm not judging him for that. I do think it's weird how their story keeps changing. IDK if they actually can't remember exactly what happened because of all the trauma, or they're just rewriting the story to make themselves sound better.

To be clear, I am not judging him either, but I wonder if Nie secretly does and that's why she presents him the way she does on her blog.

[Beeks]

Something that I've never understood, but am hoping to get some clarification on, is whether the Clark and Nielson families were upfront that they would be using the donations for things such as a boat, or did people donate thinking that their money would be going to explicitly fund NieNie's care and then find out after the fact that this might not have been the case? I can completely understand why people would be upset if they thought they were paying for one thing and actually paying for another, the good old bait-and-switch. Obviously, NieNie never really explains this on her blog.

I followed Nie before the crash (one of her brothers is friends with my SIL) and I donated a few hundred bucks. I did believe it would go towards medical expenses. I am actually not upset that she has money now - I assume most of it is from ad revenue from her blog, speaking appearances, and her book, not donations. She bothers me for lots of reasons but I don't regret my donation.

[Peas n carrots]

I wonder what her husband does for a living to afford to decorate their house and kids like an Anthropologie store.

I flipped through the first couple years of their blog yesterday...she has always hero worshipped her husband.

[lilwriter85]

I wonder what her husband does for a living to afford to decorate their house and kids like an Anthropologie store.

I flipped through the first couple years of their blog yesterday...she has always hero worshipped her husband.

He has an insurance business. I think it is a combination of his income, her money from the book, money from speaking gigs and appearances, and the book sales that allows them to afford their lifestyle.

beaconbeneficial.com/

[OkToBeTakei]

I wonder what her husband does for a living to afford to decorate their house and kids like an Anthropologie store.

I flipped through the first couple years of their blog yesterday...she has always hero worshipped her husband.

Did one of her sisters not buy the house? Mortgage free. Must be nice.