Where in the World Is Doug Philips (Who Is a Tool)? Part 7

[Sobeknofret]

I always have to wonder what Doug's family of origin was like. He has insane levels of hero worship for his father Howard, but was he really that close to Howard? What was their relationship like really? I've always had the impression that his mother favored the youngest son, Samuel, hence why he hasn't really talked about her much, except that weird anecdote where he brags about her going to her college class reunion pregnant, but I also suspect he wasn't as close to Howard as he claims to have been. Everything he did seemed to be a grab for attention from his dad, and now that his dad is gone, and he doesn't have to impress anyone, he's let go and let the real Doug Phillips emerge.

[hoipolloi]

@Sobeknofret - good questions. 

Re: Howard Phillips. Born & raised Jewish, he converted to fundamentalist Xtianity as a young man, reportedly under the tutelage of that arch-loon, Rushdoony. 1970s Republicans were too liberal for him so he split away & founded the Constitution Party.

Despite his saturation in RWNJ politics & religion, Howard seems to have been a loving father to all six of his kids, male & female. He certainly supported his daughters -- particularly Alexandra (a.k.a. Alessandra Rossi-Filippi) -- in their lives & career aspirations.

Alexandra seems to have a successful career as a soprano and music teacher in Germany, after completing undergrad & graduate education in music performance in the US at Eastman and U Tenn.

[AnnaSofia]

3 hours ago, acheronbeach said:

It's baffling that a man who looked like this - pale, petite, pudgy, awkward - managed to marry a woman who looked like Beall.  No wonder he's always trying to overcompensate with his masculinity.  

Actually, I'm always sort of amazed the Dougster turned out even decent looking with Howard providing half the DNA. Not to speak ill of the dead, but Howard Philips was... unfortunate looking. I've never managed to find a good photo of Doug's mom when she was young. If anyone has, please post it!

I think I did find their wedding announcement:

https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/11/howard-phillips-to-wed-margaret-e-blanchard.html

[hoipolloi]

4 minutes ago, AnnaSofia said:

I've never managed to find a good photo of Doug's mom when she was young. If anyone has, please post it!

Believe this is a photo of her as a young woman -- think it came from one of DPIART's blog posts when she was recognized by Eagle Forum as Homemaker of the Year:

I

It's interesting to see some of the other Homemakers, such as Kayla Moore, wife to Pedophile Roy:

Quote

Mrs. Roy Moore — Kayla Kisor is married to Roy Moore, former Alabama Chief Justice. Roy Moore admits that without Kayla's unwavering support and encouragement, he would not have been able to withstand the incredible pressures associated with his battle to honor the Ten Commandments and America's religious history and heritage. Justice Moore has remained involved in politics in Alabama. Kayla and Roy have four beautiful children. Kayla is the premier type of woman who is building a family that is the hope of America's future.

 

[GenerationCedarchip]

I sometimes wonder about DP's home life, too. All of the Phillipses have turned out very differently and I do wonder what it was like growing up under that roof. I've heard stories that make me think DP's mother could be both distant and difficult, but none of these are directly from the family itself, just folks who've dealt with her.

[CyborgKin]

How to watch a movie as a family: make sure everyone has a notepad and pen/pencil and is prepared to take notes.  When the movie is over, discuss the message and worldview at length, particularly how it portrays important issues and whether you agree or disagree with that portrayal.  Also discuss plot structure, obvious plot holes, how well the storytelling works, cinematography, music, acting, costumes, etc.  Consider how realistic the characters' actions and dialogue are.  Perhaps discuss you all thing you would do if you were in the situations portrayed in the movie.  For movies that purport to be Christian Films, subject them to the additional scrutiny of whether they are doctrinally correct and how well and accurately they set forth the gospel message.

 

Because otherwise you've wasted learning/teaching opportunities and have allowed yourself and your familiy to become indoctrinated!

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

Wow, the Phillips children really favor Doug’s mother. 

[refugee]

23 hours ago, CyborgKin said:

How to watch a movie as a family: make sure everyone has a notepad and pen/pencil and is prepared to take notes.  When the movie is over, discuss the message and worldview at length, particularly how it portrays important issues and whether you agree or disagree with that portrayal.  Also discuss plot structure, obvious plot holes, how well the storytelling works, cinematography, music, acting, costumes, etc.  Consider how realistic the characters' actions and dialogue are.  Perhaps discuss you all thing you would do if you were in the situations portrayed in the movie.  For movies that purport to be Christian Films, subject them to the additional scrutiny of whether they are doctrinally correct and how well and accurately they set forth the gospel message.

 

Because otherwise you've wasted learning/teaching opportunities and have allowed yourself and your familiy to become indoctrinated!

Sounds about right. Especially ironic in the light of how lame the movies he celebrated at his film festival turned out.

[Hane]

@refugee, I love the time some young people (English,IIRC) won a prize at his film festival and he was gushing about how they were homeschooled and they replied, “Um, no—we weren’t.” Can’t remember his response to that!

[refugee]

49 minutes ago, Hane said:

@refugee, I love the time some young people (English,IIRC) won a prize at his film festival and he was gushing about how they were homeschooled and they replied, “Um, no—we weren’t.” Can’t remember his response to that!

You know, I read a book written (I think) by the daughter of the English family. It was fascinating. She talked about her impressions of the festival and DPIAT. If I’m remembering right (it was a few years ago), the bulk of the book was about trying to rescue a girl raised in patriarchy that they had befriended. It was really sad. She just didn’t seem capable of living outside the cult, as I recall. I think in the end she went back to captivity.

Phillips’s methods resulted in stunted human beings. So much for taking over the culture and political scene.

Those who got out, after being born and raised in that culture... my hat’s off to them.

Did anyone ever see that film DPIAT and Lourdes took part in? I think it was Alone But Not Alone. Did it ever get released? I seem to remember FJ discussing the trailer.

[CyborgKin]

37 minutes ago, refugee said:

You know, I read a book written (I think) by the daughter of the English family. It was fascinating. She talked about her impressions of the festival and DPIAT. If I’m remembering right (it was a few years ago), the bulk of the book was about trying to rescue a girl raised in patriarchy that they had befriended. It was really sad. She just didn’t seem capable of living outside the cult, as I recall. I think in the end she went back to captivity.

I am interested in finding that book.  Do you (or anyone else) have any further keywords to narrow it down?  It'll be useful for a project I'm working on.

 

3 hours ago, refugee said:

Sounds about right. Especially ironic in the light of how lame the movies he celebrated at his film festival turned out.

Well I did write that from experience.

[GenerationCedarchip]

Yes, the movie had limited release in theaters and it's available on DVD. I remember seeing it for sale at our state homeschool convention. I've not watched the actual movie, though. 

[Marian the Librarian]

If memory serves, I think the book is "Fake Someone Happy." (I haven't read it - it was discussed here on FJ.)

[hoipolloi]

23 minutes ago, Marian the Librarian said:

If memory serves, I think the book is "Fake Someone Happy." (I haven't read it - it was discussed here on FJ.)

Did read it -- and IIRC it was available as a Kindle/Prime loan through Amazon though it doesn't seem to be there now.

Know I didn't pay for it and it isn't a title that any library I've ever patronized would purchase

Think that the author was Abigail Fox who, with her brother, won a prize at the 2004 SAIFF. She may have published under a nom de plume, though.

[refugee]

1 hour ago, Marian the Librarian said:

If memory serves, I think the book is "Fake Someone Happy." (I haven't read it - it was discussed here on FJ.)

That sounds right! I must have borrowed it through Amazon’s Prime program instead of buying it because there’s not a copy of it in my library now.

@CyborgKin

Well, if you want it badly, there’s a copy for sale on Abe Books. I was curious so I did a little searching. There’s also an entry for the book on Goodreads.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

There's a review of the book on Homeschoolers Anonymous. 

https://homeschoolersanonymous.org/2013/11/04/fake-someone-happy-a-book-review-by-rebecca-irene-gorman/

 

[CyborgKin]

Thanks everyone for your help

[Quinquagenarian]

On ‎2‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 1:54 PM, hoipolloi said:

Re: Howard Phillips. Born & raised Jewish, he converted to fundamentalist Xtianity as a young man, reportedly under the tutelage of that arch-loon, Rushdoony. 1970s

Actually, Howard Phillips maintained his Judaism until late in life---after DPIARBT was married and had a family, IIRC.  So it was a marriage of a Jew and a Catholic in 1964 for Howard and Peggy. Don't let the significance of that escape.   I think HP was fairly absent/busy with The Conservative Caucus and the observations here made by folks with respect to DPIARBT being desperate for his attention and approval are likely accurate as well as the fact that Peggy raised those kids.  But HP--out of professional interest at the very least, was certainly cozy, even as a Jew, with Falwell et. al in the late 70's and early 80s and had positive things to say about evangelical Christians.  DPIARBT seems to have been introduced to evangelical Christianity by Pastor Gifford who surfaced and piped up after the Lourdes scandal. Gifford was quite revered by DPIARBT and performed his marriage ceremony.  So interesting that DPIARBT's non-Christian father was ok by DPIARBT and Beall, while Beall's protestant Christian parents were dismissed and cut off with dispatch once DPIARBT was married.

[hoipolloi]

1 hour ago, Quinquagenarian said:

Actually, Howard Phillips maintained his Judaism until late in life---after DPIARBT was married and had a family, IIRC.  So it was a marriage of a Jew and a Catholic in 1964 for Howard and Peggy. Don't let the significance of that escape. 

Interesting. That explains why DPIART took any excuse to use Yiddish in Doug's Blog and brag about stuff like making fried matzoh for his kids on Saturday mornings. 

Is Samuel the only practicing RC among those children? DPIART obviously went Xtian fundie wack as did, presumably, Brad, founder of the Persecution Project, since he seems to be in bed with Franklin Graham & the Samaritan's Purse people. Don't know about the daughters. 

[DomWackTroll]

What I've always wondered is if Doug was raised a Roman Catholic. If so, he refuses to discuss/admit it. 

[GenerationCedarchip]

2 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

Interesting. That explains why DPIART took any excuse to use Yiddish in Doug's Blog and brag about stuff like making fried matzoh for his kids on Saturday mornings. 

Is Samuel the only practicing RC among those children? DPIART obviously went Xtian fundie wack as did, presumably, Brad, founder of the Persecution Project, since he seems to be in bed with Franklin Graham & the Samaritan's Purse people. Don't know about the daughters. 

I don't know about all the children, but DP has a sister in northern VA who has 4 or 5 kids, and leads a fairly quiet life. I just know of her through homeschool circles. She is a conservative Protestant but not online famous or anything like that.

@Quinquagenarian - Do you have a source for Howard Phillips remaining Jewish until very late in life? I was just curious because I had always heard that he was at least somewhat active in McLean Bible Church going back at least to the Reagan years. MBC is a very large church in the DC area that was led for almost 40 years by Lon Solomon, who is also affiliated with Jews for Jesus. He is now retired and David Platt is the current pastor. 

 

[AnnaSofia]

Thank you! @hoipolloi

 

On 2/24/2018 at 6:16 PM, JemimaPuddle-Duck said:

Wow, the Phillips children really favor Doug’s mother. 

They do, especially JT

 

Re: Howard Phillips' conversion, most of the things I've read give a rather vague "in the 70s". According to Jen'sGems (not a source I would usually cite, but I think she's reliable enough on something like this) Doug and Beall were married by "Pastor Robert Gifford" whom Doug has referred to as a "spiritual father", so obviously the conversion happened before then. I also found a quote from Samuel saying that his father converted before he (Sam) was born. I think Sam is around 31ish now?

 

 

[Quinquagenarian]

Yes. Samuel was born about 1986 and now that you mention it @AnnaSofia there did seem to be some connection between HP and Christianity and the birth of Samuel. @GenerationCedarchip I do not think he was a professing Christian during the early Reagan years.   I'm recalling what I understood from people who knew him in William & Mary era. Also, in his first year or so at W & M--before Beall-- he wasn't so much a fundie boy. He was in a fraternity and had another girlfriend.  There seemed to be a religious (not political) disconnect between DPIARBT and his parents.  He was far more connected that way to Bill Potter and Pastor Gifford--to whom Brad was also connected. Agree on the older sister, Amanda. She seems to be the most normal and the ONLY child who has no need to be in the public eye.   The other sisters are nominally RC or agnostic (Jennifer in NYC) and of course Samuel is VERY RC. It's such an interesting family mixture and one that VF-era DPIARBT would have been MOST critical of. Beall's family seemed to be much more aligned with the Sproul-scene etc than DPIARBT's but then that's how shapeshifters are.  It's a really good question though, particularly with DPIARBT how he was raised? RC? Jewish? Both? Neither?

[AnnaSofia]

I seem to remember something about Doug going to a Jewish school as a child, but I can't find the reference now. Does it ring a bell with anyone else?

[DomWackTroll]

In the comments, a friend asks Beall if she and Doug did anything "extra special" for their 25th anniversary, and Beall says yes, they spent a week in Florida.