Josh Duggar Admits to Molestation Rumors - Part 2

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

:( Haven't posted in ages, but just coming out of lurkerdom because this seems to be the only place that isn't awash with apologists for a child molester.

What disgusts me most about the whole thing, aside from the abuse itself, is that in that pathetic statement released it's all about how bad it was for Josh, how bad it was for Michelle and JB, no mention whatsoever of how bad it must have been for the girls. All about how Josh, JB and M are doing-0 nothing about how his victims are doing.

But then this is a family that follows religious teachings that advocate that sexual abuse is almost always and entirely the victims fault.

I think they were very careful not to mention that his victims were his sisters because they knew that would end everything if they did. Many of the people cutting him slack are going to believe that he molested his sisters because he didn't say he did. Many of them may not have looked it up and seen the articles. Josh says he was a molestor only.

[Eternalbluepearl]

Nope, not over the top. 5 victims. A 4/5 year old. I will not lighten up. He's a predator.

[JuicyDuggar]

Someone asked upthread what makes people commit an offense like this. I'm a therapist, and for a time worked at an inpatient psychiatric hospital for adolescents. There was a wing for juvenile sexual offenders and I would do sessions with them when their regular therapist was on vacation or whatever. It was a several month long program they had to complete in lieu of juvenile detention after they received a criminal charge. Very often the kids I worked with committed their offense against a family member (usually a cousin but sometimes step and full siblings).

As for why, often times the kid was abused themselves and to them that kind of touch is "normal" in their family's culture (awful, I know). Some were young enough that it was genuine body curiosity. More often than not though the perpetrator had a low IQ and/or co-morbidity such as an ADHD, ODD, Anti-Social PD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder. By saying this I'm not diagnosing Josh (my personal hunch is that his behavior is a reaction of his environment)-just stating my experience with the population.

[imokit]

Josh is a victim too, not an innocent victim, but a victim none the less.

He made a choice he knew was wrong (and criminal) but he was a confused teenager at the time. In the context of that house; women and girls are repsonsible for not leading men astray, there are no acceptable sexual outlets for teenage hormones - using a hand and kissing someone are both equally bad, and overtly sexual behaviour from J&M, its not terribly surprising he made the choice he did.

He didn't get appropriate counselling, or help. He moved on and know is facing the loss of his job and employment while responsible for providing for young children (with another to come). If it was handled appropriately at the time, the worst consequences would be over by now and he would be living a different life which wasn't being pulled out from under him. He was too young to be responsible for the cover up and long term its screwing him over now.

I am in no way condoning his actions. I am in no way saying that all of his other siblings (and his own children) are not more victims than he is (they are). But he is also in a complicated way a victim too.

The people who aren't victims (though are implying they are) are J&M. Their son didn't assault them, they acted to cover it up, to put their family in the public knowing this would one day break, and the publicity would be worse for the daughters once it happened. They did not protect their girls. They aren't victims. Every single child of theirs (and the M kids) are to greater/lesser extents.

[Finduilas]

Oh lighten up, he was a very young teen and he hasn't child molester written on his forehead.

A very young teen with raging hormons and no other options but his sisters, even masturbation is a big no no in that disturbed household. I don't condone it at all, let that be no misunderstanding. But to paint him with the sexual offender brush is a bit over the top.

I blame JB and M more than I blame Josh, he is a just product of his ridiculous fundie upbringing and so are his sisters.

I said it once and I say it again fundie households are a practice field for incest, clear and simple.

Well there is a massive difference between let's say, sexually experimenting with a consenting same age (14 ?) cousin, and molesting a 4 or a 8 y-o. It is NOT a teenager full of hormones. A teenager full of hormones would not touch such young girls.

EDIT because I suck at bolding

[Jinderella]

Coming out of lurkdom to post a harrowing thought I had this morning (and forgive me if this has already been addressed)... But I could totally see JB blaming the Fall of the House of Duggar squarely on the girls in this situation. It's no secret that the rise of the Duggars in the past year from Z-list to C-list has been propelled in large part by the public's interest in Jessa and Jill's courtship/marriage/babies (all orchestrated behind-the-scenes by JB, of course). I could totally see JB saying to them that if they had just kept meek and mild, and didn't court such worldly attention, then the tabloids would have never had any interest in digging up the skeletons in the Duggar closet, and the public would still be blissfully unaware.

Just another one of 1,000,000 ways I could see JB+M totally blaming the victims...

They will blame Josh, they will blame the person spilling the beans and they may be horrible enough to blame the girls. They will definitely not blame them self.

Josh will pay with his job, his comfortable live, people from now on will always judge him. His and Anna's live won't be well from this point.

The girls will pay AGAIN with unwanted attention, being blamed by some and financial consequences if the show won't continue.

JB and M already have a comfortable house and enough money saved to last their lifetime. What will they pay?

:angry-banghead:

[Jencendiary]

Oh lighten up, he was a very young teen and he hasn't child molester written on his forehead.

A very young teen with raging hormons and no other options but his sisters, even masturbation is a big no no in that disturbed household. I don't condone it at all, let that be no misunderstanding. But to paint him with the sexual offender brush is a bit over the top.

I blame JB and M more than I blame Josh, he is a just product of his ridiculous fundie upbringing and so are his sisters.

I said it once and I say it again fundie households are a practice field for incest, clear and simple.

If the timeline is correct, the abuse took place over almost a year between the time he was around 15 and around 17. That is old enough to know that forcibly fondling his siblings is dead wrong.

In the time between the first victim's confession to Jim Bob and Michelle that Josh Duggar snuck into her bedroom and touched her breasts and vulva while she was asleep and the time when he was sent away, he not only did not stop fondling young women -- HE TOUCHED FOUR MORE. He did it while they were asleep or while they were in vulnerable positions.

He is a sexual predator. And anyone who is defending him in the least or painting him to be a victim is nauseating. Sorry. Not sorry.

Edited: Riffles.

[JHeathen]

And now mama june says she is going to sue TLC if the Duggars are not taken off the air: http://www.inquisitr.com/2110571/mama-j ... admission/

"Mama June Shannon of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fame has no sympathy for Josh Duggar and his family regarding the child molestation allegations that surfaced this week. June, whose show was cancelled back in October after pictures were released of her out and about with a convicted child molester, tells TMZ she will sue her former network TLC if the Duggar clan’s beloved 19 Kids and Counting doesn’t meet the same fate.

Mama June has gone into mama bear mode, complaining that the Duggar family is receiving special treatment. According to TMZ’s report, June sees a discrepancy in how both scandals were handled considering TLC cancelled Honey Boo Boo within hours of the released photos of Mama June and Mark McDaniel, yet TLC aired new episodes of the Duggars directly following the release of a statement of admission and an apology by Josh Duggar and parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar.

June’s reasoning for the lawsuit is simple. Mama June’s child molester friend was never even featured on the show, yet Josh Duggar is an integral part of his. If TLC doesn’t fire Josh and the rest of the Duggar clan, Mama June says that the network is being unfair to her family and she just won’t stand for it.

Besides sharing her dismay with TMZ, June also took to Twitter to express her outrage:

...

Josh Duggar finally admitted to the sexual abuse in a released statement on Thursday after In Touch magazine released copies of the police report from 2006. Though Duggar was only 14 at the time of the abuse, it happened on multiple occasions and involved other members of the Duggar family as victims.

Josh Duggar stated that he had acted “inexcusably.†Duggar also stated that he, “sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life.†The Duggar patriarch and matriarch released their own statement regarding the matter saying essentially that all families have dark struggles at some point but that “each one of our family members drew closer to God.â€

Mama June wasn’t all that impressed with the Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s assertion telling TMZ, “I read that the Duggar family said, this happening with their son brought them closer to God and each other. So they’re saying it’s ok to have family touch time? Hell no.â€

The irony of Mama June’s statement, of course, is the convicted child molester June was purportedly dating that got Honey Boo Boo cancelled, had been sent to jail for molesting one of June’s older daughters, suggesting she was saying that having a child molester around was okay as well.

Of course, TLC may be looking to see if the Duggars, one of their ratings juggernauts, can survive the scandal as Duck Dynasty has several times on A&E. While Mama June’s Honey Boo Boo ratings were already declining significantly prior to cancellation, 19 Kids and Counting‘s have been on the upswing. Mama June seems certain her family has just as much curb appeal as the Duggars, though some may wonder why June would want to be considered on equal ground.

What do you think? Should TLC give Mama June her show back or should Mama June sue them?

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/2110571/mama-j ... RTjb6gm.99 "

[thenewclassic]

I don't know what the girls are feeling now, but I'm thinking they didn't see it as a big deal when it happened. They probably just thought (especially the younger ones) "Josh touched me somewhere Mommy and Daddy said he shouldn't, but he said sorry and we prayed so it's okay." They might have seen it just as if he did something like yell at them and then say sorry. I don't think they fully understood how fucked up it all was.

[Sweet Fellowship]

Now that this has all come to light, I wonder if the press will delve further and report on Gothard's abuse and the cult in general.

[Helmie]

Don't have time to catch up with the thread, but oh my :wtf:

That's aweful :-(

I do pity the girls obviously ; but I ALSO feel sorry for Josh : this is going to stick to him for the rest of his life, while what he did as young teenager (hopefully) doesn't make him a sexual predator as an adult.

I wanna hug the girls very bad (yeah, even you, Jessa) and I really hope that something good comes out of all this sh*t coming to broad daylight.

Girls, if you ever read this, there's a catholic (now an agnostic) heathen from France who genuinely wishes you the best. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Josh, I hope you can get back on your feet with your wife and kids.

Good job, JB and Michelle. And to think I kind of liked you... :disgust:

[Ralar]

"I read that the Duggar family said, this happening with their son brought them closer to God and each other. So they're saying it's ok to have family touch time? Hell no." -- Mama June Shannon

June Shannon threatened to sue TLC if the Digger show is not cancelled. Not likely she would prevail, but whatever.

http://www.tmz.com/2015/05/22/mama-june ... z3aruLBqCE

[Sweet Fellowship]

June Shannon threatened to sue TLC if the Digger show is not cancelled. Not likely she would prevail, but whatever.

http://www.tmz.com/2015/05/22/mama-june ... z3aruLBqCE

Yes, Mama June. Go ahead and make it all about you and your brood. It doesn't matter that young girls got abused at all. :evil:

[Catlover43]

I feel so bad for the girls but it also makes me sad that they have most of the American public fooled and that their fans are defending child molestation and saying this was "a normal teen mistake" and that this is a witch hunt against Christians by liberals/lgbts.

[August]

Oh lighten up, he was a very young teen and he hasn't child molester written on his forehead.

A very young teen with raging hormons and no other options but his sisters, even masturbation is a big no no in that disturbed household. I don't condone it at all, let that be no misunderstanding. But to paint him with the sexual offender brush is a bit over the top.

I blame JB and M more than I blame Josh, he is a just product of his ridiculous fundie upbringing and so are his sisters.

I said it once and I say it again fundie households are a practice field for incest, clear and simple.

Latraviata, one of the victims was FOUR at the time. FOUR. That changes it entirely. He was not a fourteen year old interested in other teenagers.

(figured this out this morning, the WaPo has a screenshot of the motion to destroy the records. The petitioner victim is still a minor. The oldest Duggar under 18 was four at the time.

[Jencendiary]

I do pity the girls obviously ; but I ALSO feel sorry for Josh : this is going to stick to him for the rest of his life, while what he did as young teenager (hopefully) doesn't make him a sexual predator as an adult.

15-17 is not a "young teenager." That's almost a legal adult. Hell, it was only a few years later that he was married and siring children on his wife -- who knew he molested FOUR of his siblings and another young woman.

[JHeathen]

I think they were very careful not to mention that his victims were his sisters because they knew that would end everything if they did. Many of the people cutting him slack are going to believe that he molested his sisters because he didn't say he did. Many of them may not have looked it up and seen the articles. Josh says he was a molester only.

Did you mean " Many of the people cutting him slack are *NOT* going to believe that he molested his sisters..." ? Because it's not making sense otherwise, to me.

[Eternalbluepearl]

I'm so sickened by those making light of this. What the actual fuck? "Confused young teen" sounds an awful lot like the crap Anna is peddling with "Josh's mistake." Vomit. Fuck Josh and his mistakes and confusion.

[latraviata]

15-17 is not a "young teenager." That's almost a legal adult. Hell, it was only a few years later that he was married and siring children on his wife -- who knew he molested FOUR of his siblings and another young woman.

It is in that family, infantilising children is one the fundie priciples....

[Sweet Fellowship]

I'm so sickened by those making light of this. What the actual fuck? "Confused young teen" sounds an awful lot like the crap Anna is peddling with "Josh's mistake." Vomit. I don't know, I was so confused about right and wrong I started fondling my little sister, repeatedly...where am I? Sometimes I'm just so confused... fuck Josh and his mistakes and confusion.

I'm intentionally staying away from the comments on articles, else my blood pressure will rise.

Gay rights? No! Evil! You're going to hell! Molested young girls? Oh that's cool, the Lord forgives ya! I really do feel sick to my stomach right now. Josh Duggar is despicable.

[jerichojones]

Honestly, I don't think there's a child in that family who isn't a victim in some way, except the abuser. They've either been touched or they've had to deal with the repercussions of what happened. I imagine that IF one of the girls was spared (I still think one of them -- either Jill or Jana -- lied when she said she wasn't touched), that girl would have a huge case of survivors guilt. Then, all the boys would not only have to deal with the reality of what their brother did to their siblings, but they're all treated as if they would do it themselves. And the younger girls, who may or may not be aware of what happened, are sure to have more restrictions than the older girls did at that age to minimize the likelihood of them being victims. Then, all the girls are made to shoulder the blame of even so much as a "wandering eye" from a man, which would develop a complex even without being made a victim. They're told they are worthless if they aren't pure, which obviously has destroyed the older girls, and probably put a lot of pressure on the younger girls for their compliance. I'm sure a lot of the boys feel helpless because they couldn't properly protect their sisters, which also likely causes a complex since a man is supposed to protect the women in his life.

Also, I was just thinking. Both Jessa and Jill talked about remaining pure during their courtship because they had to set an example for their younger sisters. At the time, it didn't make sense to me why they were so bent on doing something they didn't believe in. Now it makes sense: they weren't pure, but they had to keep up the illusion.

I agree. Both Jana and Jill were of the sort of age where you would internalise a lot of that, especially in a family like theirs. why would they want to come forward and show themselves to be 'sinners' that defrauded precious josh? They had been taught that they were harlots just for being women. I can imagine that it would seem more right to lie in the situation. Plus, JB would have been doing the old "oh josh didn't do anything to you, right?" sort of thing.

[sense and nonsense]

It is in that family, infantilising children is one the fundie priciples....

You cannot convince me that a 15 year old, no matter how babied, did not know it was wrong to fondle his 4-8 year old sisters. That's not teenage hormonal frustration, it's not Flowers in the Attic, it's CHILD MOLESTATION.

[Mabel]

I feel so bad for the girls but it also makes me sad that they have most of the American public fooled and that their fans are defending child molestation and saying this was "a normal teen mistake" and that this is a witch hunt against Christians by liberals/lgbts.

Yeah that's what gets me. I'm assuming a lot don't know that his sisters were the ones being touched, but that shouldn't matter. As a young teen you know right from wrong. He's not some two year old that isn't old enough to understand yet.

[Jencendiary]

You cannot convince me that a 15 year old, no matter how babied, did not know it was wrong to fondle his 4-8 year old sisters. That's not teenage hormonal frustration, it's not Flowers in the Attic, it's CHILD MOLESTATION.

This. SO MUCH THIS. ALL OF THIS.

[Ralar]

I wonder if one of the kids will finally write that tell-all book. I could see Bin so pissed off that he and Jessa partner with a ghost writer. The payout for a book will never be better, and Bin had no job prospects and is about to become a father. Now would be a good time right distance his family from the larger Duggar clan, especially if Jessa is expecting a girl.