Capitalism is Michelle Duggar's Baby Daddy

[GolightlyGrrl]

More snark from Jezebel.com

http://jezebel.com/it-isnt-jim-bob-who- ... 950883/all

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

The article isn't wrong. Without 14 kids and pregnant (or whatever the first special was), the Duggars would have hit carrying capacity and either ended up completely destitute, marrying kids off ASAP, or possibly without those kids when CPS stepped in. TLC saved them and helped them finish building the house. However, with that came the need to pop out more kids. And to make sure that the older kids at least parrot the desire for a large family. As long as they are in the spotlight, they will continue "trying to get pregnant" (at least claiming they're trying, even if they aren't). And Michelle and JB will continue to get worse and worse in the "need to prove they still have sex" now that Michelle isn't constantly pregnant or nursing or both.

[doggie]

the housing crunch would have killed them without the ability to sell their children. they had nothing else.

[jackiebslp]

Side note: I don't know if this was discussed over in the Jessa/Ben courtship thread, but their interaction in that video is SO much better than the interactions we've seen so far this season. ("Do tell." Oh, Jessa Blessa.)

But yes. If the government is laissez-faire about the number of children you can have, why not go for turning babymaking into a business -- especially when you have scripture to justify it? And if you're from a babymaking dynasty, why not Trump yourself a job in the family business? The Duggars. So shrewd.

[doggie]

Plus the way they travel there is no job they could keep or business they could run. if the girls get married How will hubbies support them? either they travel with the girls and and support them that way or the girls stay with hubbies and become poor.

[Toothfairy]

The article isn't wrong. Without 14 kids and pregnant (or whatever the first special was), the Duggars would have hit carrying capacity and either ended up completely destitute, marrying kids off ASAP, or possibly without those kids when CPS stepped in. TLC saved them and helped them finish building the house. However, with that came the need to pop out more kids. And to make sure that the older kids at least parrot the desire for a large family. As long as they are in the spotlight, they will continue "trying to get pregnant" (at least claiming they're trying, even if they aren't). And Michelle and JB will continue to get worse and worse in the "need to prove they still have sex" now that Michelle isn't constantly pregnant or nursing or both.

But they want to make it look like they were doing well before the show. They lived in a small house, had to schedule bath times depending on whose the dirtiest,lived debt free,and buy used save the difference. They don't live off the government and according to their fans if everyone else follows the Duggars teachings, there wouldn't be any unruly,disrespectful teens or no children born out of wedlock and no children addicted to drugs. I think the show has helped them a lot and I wish they would stop with the bullshit.

[Hane]

This really cheered me up:

he and her husband are waiting until their wedding for their first kiss—which is neither here nor there, of course, but it does heighten the contrast between pre-nuptial chastity and post-nuptial unstoppable human-t-shirt-cannon humpathon.

[fundiefan]

I've said this all along. Had TLC not come along, I am sure they'd have stopped somewhere. I don't remember their numbers or when their money whoring started, but at least the last three wouldn't have existed.

TLC paid for their house and continues to pay for their trips and adventures and everything else on the show - for the sake of the show.

They are bigger whores than the woman on the corner who is at least honest with what she's doing and selling.

[bionicmlle]

They didn't start building ttc til after tlc came along so I don't think they needed the show to complete it but I do think they would still be in frumpers and probably with less children had there been no show.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

They didn't start building ttc til after tlc came along so I don't think they needed the show to complete it but I do think they would still be in frumpers and probably with less children had there been no show.

TLC gifted them a majority of their appliances along with other items in the house. And, they were building the house before TLC, they just weren't getting anywhere fast. They finally picked up the pace and got it finished when TLC got involved.

[Mama Mia]

I've said this all along. Had TLC not come along, I am sure they'd have stopped somewhere. I don't remember their numbers or when their money whoring started, but at least the last three wouldn't have existed.

TLC paid for their house and continues to pay for their trips and adventures and everything else on the show - for the sake of the show.

They are bigger whores than the woman on the corner who is at least honest with what she's doing and selling.

I don't think they would have any less children, since they seem to sincerely believe that they should welcome any babies that come their way.

But I do think that the older children would be either married and gone or working at some sort of paying job as soon as they were legally able. Since they also believe in girls being sheltered they probably would have had them working as mothers helpers or selling frumpers on-line, or helping out at the car lot, but they would have wanted them bringing in something.

Oddly I think it's partly the TLC involvement that made them need to keep lots of teen / young adult helpers around. The kids in the early specials were clearly strictly trained robots. Michelle could have had an army of children like that in the house, with only Josiah and Joy on down at home to help with chores.

With the constant filming the kids went from a silent, obedient, blanket trained mass of stepford children to a curious, active, noisy chaotic swarm of kids. I think the parents were even more overwhelmed than they would have been if they had never had such a strict lifestyle. I think that's one of the main reasons they rely so heavily on the older girls.

[ViolaSebastian]

This is only tangentially related, but I needed an excuse to share this story: I saw the Duggars' dog nearly get run over by a garbage truck today. They have an industrial-size dumpster next to their house (because their house is basically like an apartment building) and the garbage truck had just set the dumpster down when a smallish brown dog came out of nowhere and attacked the garbage truck with all his might. The truck driver maneuvered around the dog, but you'd think with all the people in that house someone could put up a solid fence to keep the dog contained. They probably figure that it's the country and it doesn't matter, but they live on a (relatively) busy road with a lot of heavy-truck traffic. Idiots.

As an owner of multiple dogs, this comment listed below gave me the sads.

[roddma]

When humpers wax poetic about the Duggars being debt-free, I mention how they use to live. They got this way by denying kids college, driving clunkers, and wearing used shoes. IMO I do not think they were as debt-free as they claim. What about the births that took place in the hospital and the doctor and dental visits before TLC came along? It is unrealistic to think they never needed help with expenses as evidenced by their old church .They have to be debt-free or at least exaggerate though when you think about it. Else, no one would watch them. I still think the Duggars would have the same amount of kids given their beliefs. Look at the Juebs and Bateses. They would be less well-off.

[scc12]

I think they would still have the same no. of kids without tlc,just doing things in a different way. (after all the kids show JB still has sex,and the sheer no. of them is for his ego).I think Jim Bob would be running some businesses outside the home,perhaps a store or two,or a yogurt shop like his mom did,and using the older offspring to help run them.That would bring in more of that prized income he so treasures,at a fairly low cost.

And Michelle would be right there by his side,supervising the others as they work (while not actually working herself),and on days off,she would have at least a couple older ones around to help watch the little ones.Poor gma would still be doing laundry.And I think that's how it would be.

[Cheetah]

This was a beautiful quote from the article: "I double-doubt that their particular hairdo-based strain of Baptism is going to take off any time soon."

hairdo-based strain of Baptism. LOL.

[nomoxian]

When humpers wax poetic about the Duggars being debt-free, I mention how they use to live. They got this way by denying kids college, driving clunkers, and wearing used shoes. IMO I do not think they were as debt-free as they claim. What about the births that took place in the hospital and the doctor and dental visits before TLC came along? It is unrealistic to think they never needed help with expenses as evidenced by their old church .They have to be debt-free or at least exaggerate though when you think about it. Else, no one would watch them. I still think the Duggars would have the same amount of kids given their beliefs. Look at the Juebs and Bateses. They would be less well-off.

I recall hearing that they went to a Christian hospital, so they got some charity through them... and in their recent interview with Huff Post I think they said they had a family plan which covered all their kids, even though they have more kids than most people. The host grilled them, in the nicest way possible, that they were kinda (really) using the system, and why again are they opposed to Obamacare? ;p

[Toothfairy]

How much are they paid per episode?

[Arete]

Most Christian hospitals in the US are Catholic institutions that operate on shoe string budgets. They do not give charity just because you are a good Christian. Most charity care is done by public hospitals and financed through taxpayer money. If they needed financing, they likely got it through public money.

[Coconut Flan]

Or the person is confused. Kelly Bates gets basically free prenatal care from a Christian clinic. Michelle has never been shown at a Christian hospital in any of the episodes.

[roddma]

How much are they paid per episode?

It has been said they make $40k-$75k an episode.

[DGayle]

I've said this all along. Had TLC not come along, I am sure they'd have stopped somewhere. I don't remember their numbers or when their money whoring started, but at least the last three wouldn't have existed.

TLC paid for their house and continues to pay for their trips and adventures and everything else on the show - for the sake of the show.

They are bigger whores than the woman on the corner who is at least honest with what she's doing and selling.

There's so much wrong here. The kids aren't born for being wanted as much as they're a product with an assigned job even before birth. They're popping out kids I really think they wouldn't have had, and I suspect those kids will know it one day.

I also wish they's STFU about how they've always been self-sufficient when the truth is they've been bank-rolled by a TV station.

[Coconut Flan]

That seems high for TLC and their ratings.

[DGayle]

It has been said they make $40k-$75k an episode.

Plus all that travel and other expenses.

[DGayle]

I recall hearing that they went to a Christian hospital, so they got some charity through them... and in their recent interview with Huff Post I think they said they had a family plan which covered all their kids, even though they have more kids than most people. The host grilled them, in the nicest way possible, that they were kinda (really) using the system, and why again are they opposed to Obamacare? ;p

I suspect they got a LOT of discounted medical services, but of course they'd never consider this as any sort of debt. They like to brag about all this debt-free living while ignoring the charity they've gotten along the way.

[Kira]

I don't think they would have any less children, since they seem to sincerely believe that they should welcome any babies that come their way.

But I do think that the older children would be either married and gone or working at some sort of paying job as soon as they were legally able. Since they also believe in girls being sheltered they probably would have had them working as mothers helpers or selling frumpers on-line, or helping out at the car lot, but they would have wanted them bringing in something.

Oddly I think it's partly the TLC involvement that made them need to keep lots of teen / young adult helpers around. The kids in the early specials were clearly strictly trained robots. Michelle could have had an army of children like that in the house, with only Josiah and Joy on down at home to help with chores.

With the constant filming the kids went from a silent, obedient, blanket trained mass of stepford children to a curious, active, noisy chaotic swarm of kids. I think the parents were even more overwhelmed than they would have been if they had never had such a strict lifestyle. I think that's one of the main reasons they rely so heavily on the older girls.

I agree that they would have had 19 kids without TLC. They had 14 kids and were expecting when the first TLC special premiered. I don't think TLC is what's keeping the adult kids around. I think the Duggars have the same problem(s) that the other fundie families we follow have. With or without TLC, I think some or most of the adult kids would still be at home.