Bringing Up Bates

[Ursula]

Unless it ends up being stated otherwise on the show (and by that I mean her college gets name dropped on air) I'm going to assume "community college" refers either to CollegeMinus-! School of the Internets or Clown College of the Bible and they just don't want to mention either by name for one reason or another (best guess: because the school didn't pay up for product placement). It's weird that her going to college isn't mentioned AT ALL on the Bates family website while both Nathan and Tori are mentioned as attending Clown College so maybe Girl Michael really IS attending a real, brick and mortar, accredited community college and Gil and Kelly are just TOO ASHAMED of how they failed as parents, having one of their lowly female children getting a LEGITIMATE education, much like how they probably wept upon seeing Alyssa wear jeans. Now they're probably praying to Jebus every night asking where they went wrong /silly speculation :D

[Luisainlondon1]

Speaking of their clothes, did ATI/IBLP get rid of the whole matching outfits thing? You can do "modern modest" and still have all the kids matching, like in long khaki skirts/pants and polos. Yet nobody is matching anymore.

Pecan Thief and Pris still wear matching shirts :D

[nelliebelle1197]

Ugh. I didn't realize she was going to marry a guy and then end up at the Institute Headquarters.

Brandon was just graduated from the Gothard "college" in Texas and he was the person drawing the cute pics during Pecan's last video effort on the IBLP website.

[nelliebelle1197]

Almost all Christians (both protestants and Catholics) use some form of family planning. The Catholic church might disagree with birth control, but clearly its members disagree, since statistically they are very likely to use birth control or condoms at some point in their life. I was raised in a southern, conservative Baptist church, and almost every family I knew presumably used birth control, because families with more than 2-3 kids were rare. I know in my family it was not frowned upon at all. There was no connection between birth control (for married people...) and morality. That's not to say EVERY church is that way, of course.

I think being involved in politics could make Alyssa that much more likely to go a bit more mainstream, actually, and on that note, I wouldn't be surprised if her husband pursued a political career. I think that while people love gawking at weirdos who won't wear pants on TV, they'd be less likely to want them holding public office, honestly.

I still am kind of in disbelief that everyone thinks every Bates kid is going to be drinking the IBLP Koolaid for life. IBLP doesn't have a great track record with keeping multiple generations of family members to begin with. What makes everyone think the Bates kids will be different? I think a good chunk of them will be in much more mainstream churches before long.

The three girls are married/engaged to IBLP royalty. Chad's dad is on the board; Brandon's family is heavily involved as is he and the Websters are loonies. I think when the kids are married off to others just like them, it is harder to say they have a desire to leave. The families we know of that have rebellious kids (like the Kellers) have kids who actually left and married outside, didn't marry at all or just plain left.

[formergothardite]

Speaking of their clothes, did ATI/IBLP get rid of the whole matching outfits thing? You can do "modern modest" and still have all the kids matching, like in long khaki skirts/pants and polos. Yet nobody is matching anymore.

I'm not sure when they got rid of it. Probably someone in the organization realized that they needed to update their imagine and started encouraging the top families to change how they dressed.

[Pretzel]

Michael's my favorite Bates. Of all the Bateses, she's the most natural in whatever she does. She's a natural beauty and she's also not too 'on' on the show. I think in terms of being a good Christian and acting Christ-like, Michael's as close as it gets in that family.

She's obviously head over heels in love with her 'boyfriend Brandon',too. And that's great for her. She's glowing.

I think we know only very little about her yet, since she's usually very reserved and shy. I don't doubt that she's among the most popular of the sibling crowd, though. Brandon seems to be very good for her. I know quite a few reserved people who have a long history of being shy and avoiding the limelight but have really come forward once they met their SO /counterpart. Some people need to find someone who's just like them and 'gets' them before they can appear more self-confident in front of larger crowds.

I just hope nobody is giving her crap once she's married a la Jill Duggar(who I think is a really good person at heart and just made the best of the world she was born into, no idea why she's being hated on so much).

Speaking about being too 'on', I think Tori and Carlin outdo each other all the time. :roll: The kids have become more media savvy but those two really have something going LOL. :lol: However, I don't believe it's done purposely or due to scripts or anything. Actually, I think they're in that awful teenage-stage in which they need to prove to everyone what absolutely and totally mature, confident, cute, vocal, attentive,witty and hilarious little know-it-alls they are. :roll: :roll: :roll: Me thinks it'll grow out.

[jerkit]

Cherin's THs were the most honesty I think I've ever seen from a fundie. It wasn't a plastered on smile and inserted script. So that was encouraging.

[HereticHick]

Unless it ends up being stated otherwise on the show (and by that I mean her college gets name dropped on air) I'm going to assume "community college" refers either to CollegeMinus-! School of the Internets or Clown College of the Bible and they just don't want to mention either by name for one reason or another (best guess: because the school didn't pay up for product placement). It's weird that her going to college isn't mentioned AT ALL on the Bates family website while both Nathan and Tori are mentioned as attending Clown College so maybe Girl Michael really IS attending a real, brick and mortar, accredited community college and Gil and Kelly are just TOO ASHAMED of how they failed as parents, having one of their lowly female children getting a LEGITIMATE education, much like how they probably wept upon seeing Alyssa wear jeans. Now they're probably praying to Jebus every night asking where they went wrong /silly speculation :D

In her clip, she says, a "community college near here." I have no reason to believe that she is referring to College Plus, and since the UP website says specifically that Nathan and Tori are attending Crown College, I feel strongly that UP would have also said Crown for Michael if she was going there.

I've never heard the term "community college" in the US referring to anything but a public institution. And I would not expect a public school (for example Pellissippi State) to pay for product placement on an obscure cable network. I actually wouldn't be surprised if such an institution were prohibited from paying for product placement.

Therefore, until I hear differently I am going to assume she's attending a real, public, accredited community college, and I am happy for her.

[MissBitters]

It could be that Michael doesn't wish to share the exact name of her college on national television for safety/privacy reasons. People can be creepy so I understand why she wouldn't want to broadcast her every move.

[Idolatry]

In her clip, she says, a "community college near here." I have no reason to believe that she is referring to College Plus, and since the UP website says specifically that Nathan and Tori are attending Crown College, I feel strongly that UP would have also said Crown for Michael if she was going there.

I've never heard the term "community college" in the US referring to anything but a public institution. And I would not expect a public school (for example Pellissippi State) to pay for product placement on an obscure cable network. I actually wouldn't be surprised if such an institution were prohibited from paying for product placement.

Therefore, until I hear differently I am going to assume she's attending a real, public, accredited community college, and I am happy for her.

She could be going to a local vocational school: beauty school, medical coding, something like that. You could do that with an ATI education, and it's fair to call it community college. I would think that's more likely than a real, public community college.

Wow, she looked and sounded great in that clip. She called herself Michael, and they labeled her "Michaella." Oh, you silly Bates. I bet Kelly at least know Michael's many names.

[Closed Womb]

It could be that Michael doesn't wish to share the exact name of her college on national television for safety/privacy reasons. People can be creepy so I understand why she wouldn't want to broadcast her every move.

This is my thought, exactly. If she's shy enough to not want to be in the spotlight as a bridesmaid in her sister's televised wedding, she certainly doesn't want strangers approaching her in public (maybe she's even, gasp, unchaperoned!!) Good on her for not wanting her life public, if that's the case.

[nelliebelle1197]

I hope it is a education certificate because she wants to home school her kids well, if in fact she is sticking with the ATI/IBLP world. Didn't she also do EMT training or am I crazy?

[RosyDaisy]

Do protestants see this as an option? I know that Catholics would call that birth control.

There are a lot of fundies who use BC, not quiverfull, dress in mainstream, conservative clothes (not fundie modest), send their kids to public school. This is how the fundies in my family are.

[singsingsing]

I guess it depends on what your definition of 'fundie' is - people using birth control, dressing in normal clothes and sending their kids to public school no longer really qualify as fundie in my mind.

[RosyDaisy]

Well, they are rabidly anti-choice, no sex before marriage, think LGBT is an evil sin, are racist, into purity culture, buy into the whole "legitimate rape" (I just threw up in my mouth typing that) shit, and want to see America become a Christian nation. Do I need to go on? They are like wolves in sheep's clothing.

[Buzzard]

Pecan Thief and Pris still wear matching shirts :D

David is pimping the show as well. I guess this means they've allowed themselves directv?

https://twitter.com/DavidNCil/status/552165658847629312

[singsingsing]

Yeah, but to me those are just far-right conservative Christians. I don't think there's an objective line where fundie ends and conservative begins so the distinction is probably a little different in everyone's minds.

[alba]

Jesus Christ it's BATESES not BATES. Every time I see the title I cringe. And poor Paul and Davia Waller are going to grow up with awful grammar.

[asinglevoice]

Just watched episode one On Demand. Way preferable to the Duggars in terms of watchability - they actually seem like they have personalities! Kelly Jo in particular. The only one I'm not totally buying is Gil - that Aw Shucks personality of his comes off totally fake and something about him gives me the creeps.

Could Cherin be any cuter? Chad seems totally devoted to her.

[HereticHick]

Everyone, at least in the US, was able to watch the 1st Bateseseseseses show a few days after it aired, on the UP network Youtube channel. No cable required for the PecanThief.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2W8g29hlro

As for the question about Michael's EMT training--yes, in Michael's video clip on the UP website

[ViolaSebastian]

We don't get the show on our cable. I watched a video clip on the UP network that showed Erin and Chad at a doctor's office. The doctor said there was information about why Erin was having miscarriages. Has anyone seen the actual show? Did they explain this? Is there hope for Erin to have children?

You watched a preview clip for the next episode, which I think is tonight.

[halcionne]

How does a fundie not get pregnant? They don't use birth control, withdrawal doesn't work, and Alyssa and hubby are young, and presumably hot to trot.

They could do all kinds of things that don't end in him, uh, making a deposit, but I'm guessing they'd consider edging a form of onanism (or some other sexual sin). If they've even heard of it.

[StellaMarie]

Everyone, at least in the US, was able to watch the 1st Bateseseseseses show a few days after it aired, on the UP network Youtube channel. No cable required for the PecanThief.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2W8g29hlro

As for the question about Michael's EMT training--yes, in Michael's video clip on the UP website

And in a comment on the site, Kelly says that Michael had to get state approval to wear a skirt.

From here:

http://thebatesfamily.com/merry-christmas-3/

Beanie

Posted at 13:19h, 26 December

Mrs. Kelly – didn’t Michaella have to go to state and get permission to wear a skirt as a first responder? I’m running into some opposition with that issue myself, and I seem to recall hearing that.

The Bates Family

Posted at 15:36h, 28 December

Dear Beanie,

Yes, she did. She had really high grades for her college work and a great testimony for the work she had done as a first responder, so that helped a great deal. Her supervisor also made an appeal based on the number calls that she had helped with as a responder. She ordered a skirt that was approved and wore leggins underneath that wouldn’t hinder her ability to climb in and out of an ambulance, etc. Love, Kelly

The skirt modesty thing is just so far from my own experience that I have a hard time really "getting" it (most little girls I know who wear dresses are quite immodest, lol), but that just strikes me as so.freaking.stupid. Wear the damn pants. I'm pretty sure they're unflattering anyway.

[stardust]

I'm really looking forward to watching the new episode of Bringing Up Bates tomorrow. Is that bad? :?

I watched the first episode the day after it premiered last week and was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. The Bates seem a bit different than when they appeared on 19KAC. I guess because they have more screen time to themselves you realize how authentic they are. It was so easy to snark when they were buddied up with JB and DQ and their quiver but now I get excited at the thought of seeing more of them.

[kat]

Getting back to the "bun in the oven" posts. I did not realize until I watched the episode on youtube that these were not referring to a comment on the show but the t-shirt that Alyssa was wearing. To me, that was incredibly insensitive and "in your face" to Erin.

Where I come from, "bun in the oven" is considered tacky also.