Another Duggar Courting - Joy and Austin, Part 2

[trustworthy]

The TLC promo for the show where Joy and Austin have their full announcement of their courtship is adorable -- totally a nanosecond clip, but the way they look at each other is so real and cute.  Unfortunately they're going to have to say what's expected of them, the line they're all supposed to say -- "I really saw his heart and knew that he loved the Lord."  But I have this fantasy, that they'll be totally real while still being Christian.  Such as: "I've helped out at this camp for a number of years so Austin and I have worked side by side on a lot of projects and he's so amazing to be with!  I saw how selfless and generous he was with people, and I love his sense of humor -- he's the funniest person I've ever met -- he makes me laugh so hard!  He has this way of being self-deprecating and it is sooo funny.  I love how earnest he is about  getting to know the Bible in a real way -- we push each other on that, which is great.  We both want to build a life based on helping people be the best they can be and we just seem to "get" each other in this really cool way.  I feel more myself around him then I do when I'm alone -- I can't explain it!  He respects me and wants me to really grow my talents and we want to discover life together."  OR SOMETHING!  Anything but toting out the line.  But with parents watching, okay, I get it, you have to say the line.  But can we just have a teeny, eeny bit of something else, like what you're REALLY thinking?

[Percy]

Would love for Josiah and Marjory to get together once she finishes school, and have her gently lead him into new experiences such as paid work.

[amendgitan]

On November 15, 2016 at 10:33 PM, grandmadugger said:

Those small town boys aren't just playing. They have the same training and responsibilities as the paid guys without the set hours or a paycheck. Many people would die everyday if it weren't for the men and women who volunteer to keep them safe. /rant

 

I was a vollie for 15 years and a pet peeve of mine is people thinking that we weren't trained or were less than a paid version. Most of my classes had paid or people taking the class so they could get the job. 

The point is that volunteer firefighters don't make upwards of 100k with incredible benefits and a fabulous retirement package like some of my clients do. So it doesn't look like Joy is marrying someone who can at least ensure she isn't totally starving while she spits out a gazillion kids. 

On November 15, 2016 at 10:41 PM, 16strong said:

For everyone sad about Jana's singeldom, why? We don't know why she isn't married. Maybe she doesn't want to get married, or maybe she just doesn't want kids. Lay off.

There is no real choice for women in that culture. They have to marry and have children in order to have any status. Period. 

And if dad doesn't want them to marry, or doesn't approve of a potential mate, that's it. 

Jana's expressions as she gamely participates in discussions about marriage and kids and the future evidence her misery and desperation. She has two options in life- the family drudge, living a life of endless servitude for her parents, stuck in the house, never having been kissed or engaged in sex, being loaned to her endless brood of siblings, or queen of her own household in which she will drudge until she has enough kids to do it for her, and with the "elevated" status of "Wife" and "Mother". 

She has no other means of escaping that house except suicide. No one can tell me Jana is choosing her current life. 

[alba]

There is no real choice for women in that culture. They have to marry and have children in order to have any status. Period. 
And if dad doesn't want them to marry, or doesn't approve of a potential mate, that's it. 
Jana's expressions as she gamely participates in discussions about marriage and kids and the future evidence her misery and desperation. She has two options in life- the family drudge, living a life of endless servitude for her parents, stuck in the house, never having been kissed or engaged in sex, being loaned to her endless brood of siblings, or queen of her own household in which she will drudge until she has enough kids to do it for her, and with the "elevated" status of "Wife" and "Mother". 
She has no other means of escaping that house except suicide. No one can tell me Jana is choosing her current life. 

Alternatively, Jana has two options in life: stay at home, where her childcare responsibilities diminish every year now that her mother's uterus has shut up shop, or lose what little control she has over her body by being "joyfully available" to her husband and spending the next 15-20 years of her life constantly pregnant and being run ragged by a perpetually expanding brood.

Personally, I would 110% choose the former (or, you know, leaving the cult). No one can ever tell me that pregnancy and childbirth is a better option than, well, just about anything.

[samurai_sarah]

Contine here: