Jill and Jessa Counting on--part 3

[Grimalkin]

1 hour ago, Defrauding Feminist ESQ said:

I was really hoping that JD would be better, possibly because of his twin relationship with Jana.  I hoped that maybe being so close to his sister would make him less sexist.  But nope.  He appears to be totally creepy and scummy.  Sad.

     I recall hearing JB has always been a bit savvy and did a really good job negotiating his contract with TLC to keep their family in a good light. I wonder if the contract for "Counting On" is less restrictive.

ETA: I am not sure I make sense. I have a 101.0 fever and an earache. Please excuse me.

[lascuba]

23 minutes ago, warriorblade8857 said:

Talking to strangers is a life skill. This is something that most kids get over by their teenage years. It's ridiculous how childlike JB & Michelle have kept their children.

I'm starting to wonder if that was general immaturity/social ineptitude with all strangers, or awkwardness because she was dealing with a strange man. Maybe she actually didn't feel all that uncomfortable, but she's not allowed to address an unknown man directly and that is why her brothers did all the talking.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

3 minutes ago, Grimalkin said:

     I recall hearing JB has always been a bit savvy and did a really good job negotiating his contract with TLC to keep their family in a good light. I wonder if the contract for "Counting On" is less restrictive.

ETA: I am not sure I make sense. I have a 101.0 fever and an earache. Please excuse me.

That's going around here - I had it the other day.  if you have the same bug the good news is it was short lived (less than 24 hours) for everyone who had it.  Feel better.

[Buzzard]

So Directv just left and I finally have cable again.  HUGE thanks to @meda for taking one for the team.  I clearly dont need to watch this crap when it re runs.

I'm really excited that they pulled a 0.4 this week and dropped significantly on the top 100 cable list.  I think the writing on the wall is bleeding through the pretty white paint TLC tried to paint over the duggar's sins.

[ksgranola1]

1 hour ago, EmmieJ said:

I wonder if Ben's parents tried to advise him against giving up his job and moving onto the Duggar property.  If my son were in a similar situation, I know that I would strongly discourage doing any such thing.  Obviously, once your child is 18 or older, all you can do is offer advice and then let them make their own way.  But did his parents totally fail to grasp the situation?  did they try to advise him not to make such a drastic change?  or did they think this was actually a good idea and encourage him? 

I think another poster said something like, "be careful what you wish for; it may come true" in reference to Ben's situation, and that's how I feel too.  I think he got exactly what he thought he wanted, only it may not be at all what he imagined. 

And I have mocked Derrick mercilessly on quitting his WalMart job and moving his family to "Central America", but maybe the guy was desperate to get himself and his wife and kid away from the smothering influence of JB Duggar et al.  If Derrick's got any smarts at all, he will make every effort to find a reason why he, Jill and their offspring won't be moving anywhere closer than 200 miles from his in-laws.

I can't see Jill ever agreeing to settle somewhere very far from DQ & JB. She & her sibs regard these 2 as second only unto Jesus himself. The first one who makes the connection that they are fallible mortals is going to be a shock. But Derrick, I think he sees a little crack in the veneer. Twice now, I've heard him say about the sudden departure to CA, "I had to protect my family." No idea what they have planned when they get back in 2/3 months. They'll prob. move into the TTH until Derrick gets a new job, & I don't have any doubt  he will. Derrick seems to have a little more head on his shoulders than Ben. Of course, he's older & his brain is fully developed. I'm sure a lot of Counting On will be about them upon their return b/c Ben & Jessa just are not very interesting. Even to be available for filming, I do believe Derrick will seek gainful employment. I believe he still has a  modicum of pride & dignity left in him.

[Four is Enough]

My take on Derick protecting his family isn't so much to save them from JB and M as to "save" them from the evil liberal press. At least in his mind.

[nst]

45 minutes ago, ClaraOswin said:

Thank you @WhyNotJulie and @nst. My son will likely be an only child and I feel sad thinking about it sometimes. So it's nice to hear positive things from other only-children.

well I am very independent and always was happy

both my parents came from large families from two different European nationalities and both didn't have the same happy childhoods

all I cared about was that I was loved and secure and I was

 

[anotherone]

1 hour ago, nst said:

I am going to play devil's advocate for one moment

I am putting on my backwards baseball cap on and saying

Maybe anyone who has had children can agree to this or not because I sure have no clue

perhaps we must remember that this was filmed like 4-6 weeks into their first child.  Weren't you all like Jessa is or Ben was which is in awe of your kid and in Ben's case scared of not only his wife and his kid.... except you were not on a relatity tv show showcasing to the world your brilliance

Maybe if the show gets picked up for another season - he will change and it will be different

baseball cap off

back to snarking

Ben the edgy rapper

 

I agree with this. I didnt think he seemed so bad. He had a lot going against him - he is not used to/comfortable with being on camera, it is a newborn, and jessa was totally undermining his confidence with her wisecracks. It seems she does this a lot.

[sunshine]

So, how long do you think this show will last? I think this will be the last season but they may do specials.

[anotherone]

32 minutes ago, lascuba said:

I'm starting to wonder if that was general immaturity/social ineptitude with all strangers, or awkwardness because she was dealing with a strange man. Maybe she actually didn't feel all that uncomfortable, but she's not allowed to address an unknown man directly and that is why her brothers did all the talking.

You know, for all the careers you can have without higher ed, why in the world would they choose such a "manly" job for such a gender divided family. I'm in a "man's" field, engineering, but it's more software/data analysis based, rather than muscles and power tools kind of thing. Ive been able to overcome plenty of sexism, but even i won't buy a car without a guy with me. I have knowledge, a big mouth, experience in buying the cars i already owned, i'm not dainty looking, and still they just wont take me seriously. I cant see her doing this successfully without constant presence of the boys, or at least she will have to wear a pair of jeans and look like she knows how to pop the hood. Geez, cant she get another skill like accounting or something. 

[Analytica49]

On 2016-03-30 at 1:04 PM, SassyPants said:

Agree.

Plus BC use would give them more time, period. Time to focus on building a solid foundation, for personal growth, for taking some time to get to know themselves and each other, to make plans, further education, if that's what Ben is aiming for. BC use and delaying procreation of additional responsibilities, time and money sucks, could only help these young folks, in the long run.

But even with little Spurge around, I can't help thinking Bin made things worse for himself. He and Jessa made it clear that he was taking time out from his education (whatever it may be worth) during the baby's first year. That seemed ridiculous to me. He really couldn't manage to continue studying, helping with the baby, and doing odd jobs for J-Boob all in the same year?? Frankly, I think Bin's just self-indulgent.

Although it also occurs to me that maybe he dropped out of school so he could devote his time to filming reality television.

In any case, I have NO sympathy for Bin at all. What is happening to him is the direct result of choices he made.

[Buzzard]

16 minutes ago, sunshine said:

So, how long do you think this show will last? I think this will be the last season but they may do specials.

Specials still require advertisers.  At this point I dont see how TLC is making enough money to pay the Duggars for the episodes they've filmed and set to air.

[Defrauding Feminist ESQ]

19 minutes ago, sunshine said:

So, how long do you think this show will last? I think this will be the last season but they may do specials.

I think they may do one more season, but with advertisers dropping like flies, hopefully this will be it!

[Analytica49]

On 2016-03-30 at 3:50 PM, Mothership said:

Well, I'm done with the show.  I could feel my brain cells atrophy as I watched.

BS1 (before scandal 1), at least 19KAC had a catch:  "....and I gave birth to every one".  Even the stupid TLC sponsored trips, the gimmicks and the incessant JB and DQ crap was SOMETHING to watch and snark about.  This isn't even snark-worthy.  They could randomly follow my neighbors around and get better television.  At least they might get some real adult interaction at a coffee shop.

If I'm going to waste time with non-reality TV, I'll watch the Kardashians.  At least they have awareness that they're self-promoting a brand and aren't pretending to be something they're not.  They're undereducated  and over sexed and they know it!

Yes, I used to feel that watching 19 Kids and Counting was a kind of guilty pleasure of mine.

But now, watching "Counting On," I almost feel ashamed of myself. It's just so obviously content-less. It's nothing but a time waster, and so dumbed down. (JD explaining what an auction is--Please! And Jessa talking about how much work taking care of a baby is--Really?

[lascuba]

28 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

Specials still require advertisers.  At this point I dont see how TLC is making enough money to pay the Duggars for the episodes they've filmed and set to air.

Redistributing ad revenue from other shows? Would that even be legal? I think TLC might hope that sponsors will be willing to ignore negative press if the ratings get high enough, so they're willing to take a financial hit now.

[MayMay1123]

1 hour ago, ClaraOswin said:

Thank you @WhyNotJulie and @nst. My son will likely be an only child and I feel sad thinking about it sometimes. So it's nice to hear positive things from other only-children.

i didn't have much problem being an only *child...it was being an only adult that was hard, having to take care of my ailing mother for years by myself because there was no one else to help. it would have been nice to have some siblings to help with it all, but i also know plenty of people who don't get along with their siblings. there's good and bad to all kinds of families

[Snarkangel Gabriel]

2 minutes ago, MayMay1123 said:

i didn't have much problem being an only *child...it was being an only adult that was hard, having to take care of my ailing mother for years by myself because there was no one else to help. it would have been nice to have some siblings to help with it all, but i also know plenty of people who don't get along with their siblings. there's good and bad to all kinds of families

my son is an only and he is very happy and well adjusted. I sometimes worry that he will be the only one lumbered with the elderly parent care but I intend to tell him that he must live his life and put me in a home. I would honestly prefer that and would not want him to feel guilty. I changed his nappies, spoon fed him and wiped his drool but I definitely do not want him to return the favour! 

[violynn]

4 hours ago, Cleopatra7 said:

I think another reason the J'kids don't play outside is because of the possibility of a J'boy and a J'girl going off alone together and repeating Joshgate 1.0. I recall one of the "safeguards" was making sure opposite sex siblings weren't unsupervised, but given how they also claimed that little girls weren't supposed to sit on "big boys' laps," despite copious evidence to the contrary (including Josie sitting on Josh's lap), I question whether any "safeguards" were ever in place to begin with. But I also agree that it's much easy for the sister-moms to just keep all the kids confined inside so you know where they are and what they're doing. I don't think being in the South has anything to do with it.

That just stopped me in my tracks by how very sad and effed up that is.   I was the oldest and lil bro 3 yes younger and I spent almost every summer night sleeping outside on our farm property.  Our youth church group camped out weekends together, mixed groups.  I lived outside most of the time.  My girls didn't get as many opportunities,as we lived in town, but they were outside every day, weather permitting.  Because that is healthy, physically, cognitively and emotionally.

[Hera]

6 minutes ago, Snarkangel Gabriel said:

my son is an only and he is very happy and well adjusted. I sometimes worry that he will be the only one lumbered with the elderly parent care but I intend to tell him that he must live his life and put me in a home. I would honestly prefer that and would not want him to feel guilty. I changed his nappies, spoon fed him and wiped his drool but I definitely do not want him to return the favour! 

Good for you!  I'm always astounded when my friends with kids tell me that my childless self will not have anyone to take care of me when I get old.  What makes them so sure that their kids will take care of them when they're old?  Why would they expect that? What if their kid wants to be an astronaut or a traveling journalist or gets a dream job across the country or the world? What if they just don't want to take care of their parents?  Kids are not a retirement or old age plan.  

 

ETA that I definitely help my parents out as they've gotten older and will continue to do so, but my job and lifestyle afford me the ability to do that.  My sibs on the other hand, are military, and they cannot do that right now.  

[socalrules]

I never had a problem being an only child. Never wanted a sibling. I was fine with family and friends. I had a happy childhood. I will agree that it would be helpful as an adult to have a sibling help take care of a parent. My mother is in a wonderful nursing facility but it is still difficult when you are the only one who can go to doctors appointments or stay with her in the hospital and feel guilty or worried when you have to go back to work. My mother refuses to allow blood work or certain procedures unless I am there. That means I am out and about at 5am waiting for this or that to be done. It means leaving work to go for a 10 minute procedure to only turn around for the hour drive back to work.  It would be nice to have someone share those duties. It is difficult when you are the one who makes all the decisions and have to worry about whether you have made the right choice. 

[Purrl]

The only problem I see with the consistent drop in ratings is that Jessa will notice that "her" episode got the highest ratings, therefore, she must be the most fascinating and the one people want to hear from...

[Shadoewolf]

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/03/31/complicated-relationship-between-duggars-and-tlc/

According to the above article which came up on my Yahoo homepage,

"TLC General Manager Nancy Daniels acknowledged to FOX411 that some brands don’t want to be associated with the family. But she said the anti-Duggar faction is a “small, vocal group,” and there are “millions and millions of viewers” who want to tune in to see Jessa Seewald and Jill Dillard share their lives."

I nearly choked on my drink when I read that!!  1.2 million and FALLING in actual ratings doesn't seem to jive with the tale TLC is telling.

[CorruptionInc.]

3 minutes ago, Shadoewolf said:

According to a Yahoo posting that was done with Fox News, the people who don't want to see the Duggars "are a small, vocal group"  but there are "millions and millions of people who do want to see Jill and Jessa".  I nearly choked as I read it, trying to see if I can find the article.

Fox news, stop reading here. GET YOUR STORIES SOMEWHERE ELSE! 

[OrchidBlossom]

3 hours ago, Mothership said:

This is a really, really interesting point.  If the Seewalds are truly Calvinists then their theology and doctrine would be very different from fundie-Gothard-cult.  It would be right up there with a pre-vatican 2 Catholic and a current Southern Baptist.   Basic beliefs--God, trinity would be there, but there should be some serious differences, which makes me think that the Seewalds became Calvinists because they heard the term, not because they studied the doctrine.

 

I am certain they aren't Calvinists because of their deep study of biblical doctrine. A Calvinist fits for Jessa, she's expressed before her firm belief in a vengeful god. But my guess is they are adrift in fundamentalism, liked the term Calvinism, and that it wasn't too hard to persuade Ben to jump on the Gothard bus. Speculation though, but it sort makes sense with a lot of what Ben has said as a rapper/preacher/grifter.

[Marissap]

2 hours ago, Snarkangel Gabriel said:

my son is an only and he is very happy and well adjusted. I sometimes worry that he will be the only one lumbered with the elderly parent care but I intend to tell him that he must live his life and put me in a home. I would honestly prefer that and would not want him to feel guilty. I changed his nappies, spoon fed him and wiped his drool but I definitely do not want him to return the favour! 

This is exactly how I feel about my children. My mom expects full live in care from me or my sister. I told her how I felt about wanting to be treated by my own kids and she didn't talk to me for a week she was so offended (about how I planned to address my OWN children in MY elderly state). Yeah....