Duggar Spin Off?

[Ellimenopy]

However Michelle can't do without her J'Slaves so they're all still at home and the material is starting to dry up.

As sad as I am for the older Duggars, I don't think that they're still unmarried because they're being kept as house slaves. I unfortunately think that spinsterhood is inevitable for girls that are so sheltered that they're boring, combined with parental oversight that is smothering, combined with a media shitstorm for any man daring enough to show interest. I don't think that they're being held on purpose; I think that their culture is holding them to two separate standards of marriage, and the girls are trying to find someone to fulfill both of them.

ATI promotes what for all intents and purposes is arranged marriage, which, even as a very feminist person, can work in a culture where everyone embraces it. They also live in a Western culture that embraces a concept of romantic love, which also can work, as many of us know, since that is generally the basis of our own marriages. The problem for the Duggars (and these other ATI fundamentalist-type girls) is that these two notions of marriage demand conflicting attributes from a good husband. An arranged marriage is going to value a good provider, stolid morality, and getting along with your whole family. A romantic love is more spontaneous, a bit scary, and has a good dose of "us against the world" mentality (which is expressly forbidden in ATI morality). These girls are holding out for a man who can give them a dose of both, which is frankly an impossible standard for any man.

Jim Bob and Michelle, as much as they are clearly in favor of an arranged marriage for their girls, pursued their own marriage in a romantic way, ironically bonding over the values that are now dooming their daughters to spinsterhood. It's just sad.

So... I know I just wrote a small novel for my first post, but I've been thinking about that for a few days and wanted to know what y'all thought of it (I've been a lurkin').

[gustava]

As sad as I am for the older Duggars, I don't think that they're still unmarried because they're being kept as house slaves. I unfortunately think that spinsterhood is inevitable for girls that are so sheltered that they're boring, combined with parental oversight that is smothering, combined with a media shitstorm for any man daring enough to show interest. I don't think that they're being held on purpose; I think that their culture is holding them to two separate standards of marriage, and the girls are trying to find someone to fulfill both of them.

ATI promotes what for all intents and purposes is arranged marriage, which, even as a very feminist person, can work in a culture where everyone embraces it. They also live in a Western culture that embraces a concept of romantic love, which also can work, as many of us know, since that is generally the basis of our own marriages. The problem for the Duggars (and these other ATI fundamentalist-type girls) is that these two notions of marriage demand conflicting attributes from a good husband. An arranged marriage is going to value a good provider, stolid morality, and getting along with your whole family. A romantic love is more spontaneous, a bit scary, and has a good dose of "us against the world" mentality (which is expressly forbidden in ATI morality). These girls are holding out for a man who can give them a dose of both, which is frankly an impossible standard for any man.

Jim Bob and Michelle, as much as they are clearly in favor of an arranged marriage for their girls, pursued their own marriage in a romantic way, ironically bonding over the values that are now dooming their daughters to spinsterhood. It's just sad.

So... I know I just wrote a small novel for my first post, but I've been thinking about that for a few days and wanted to know what y'all thought of it (I've been a lurkin').

Good insight. Wonder how the four oldest girls will work this one out.

[Sola]

Oh please, not the Smuggar Show. Anything but the Smuggar Show.

[readergirl]

Oh please, not the Smuggar Show. Anything but the Smuggar Show.

You don't want to watch Joshie scarf down gigantic helpings of chicken-etti? Who knows, he might even be wearing elastic waisted sweat pants...to go along with his ever expanding waistline! :lol:

[FloraDoraDolly]

Isn't that Jennifer? Poor little Jordyn has no mama or papa; the visitors seem to love her and carry her about - Jon, the exchange, gun-toting boy, Today show guy, Amy's ex...

Jennifer is the one who is attached to Jill. Jordyn doesn't appear to have any parents, although it looks like Justin is doing his best to make sure she at least has breakfast every morning.

[CynicMom]

Is anyone else speculating that Zack Bates could be one of the second-generation TV show? We know the Bates don't mind being on TV...

[lilwriter85]

Oh please, not the Smuggar Show. Anything but the Smuggar Show.

I also hope the Smuggar show doesn't happen, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does indeed happen.

[CynicMom]

Also LMNOP, that is EXACTLY what I've been thinking. If someone says that romantic love doesn't factor into marriage decisions then their marriages are BY DEFINITION less romantic. And if happiness wouldn't cause some women to get divorced than those marriages again, statistically, are less happy.

And yet JimBoob goes around kissing Michelle all the time, as if to convince us that their model is both more moral AND more happy. Even though happiness doesn't matter.

[Lillybee]

I* believe that Jessa is Jordyn's buddy. I think she is the one who does the physical care , dressing her, etc and not much else.

[donks]

Hopefully the spin-off will focus on whichever Duggar kid decides to make a run for it.

YES! I would definitely DVR it. Hell, I would arrange my work schedule for this.

[Ellimenopy]

CynicMom - I think that's the point. Michelle and Boob are happy. Their marriage was a romantic one. But that's not what they're trying to build for their daughters, but they're still telling them that they're going to be unbelievably happy with their partners. I think that's unrealistic, and the girls can't even see why.

I also think that Smuggar and Anna, as much as I find them annoying, are also happy. I think that they were a more traditional romantic couple of being stupidly in love. I think that because Josh came from a "good" family, his promise of being a good arranged marriage was more of a hope for the future than a present reality, and that's why the Kellers let Anna get away with marrying for "love".