Bontragers and Bowers 3: Kittens Having None of Their Shit

[fundiefan]

Does Josh have an actual job with an income? If touring is his only way of supporting his submissive wife and their brood, they'll tour as long as possible. I can't imagine him getting a job with a boss or anyone else superior to him that might tell him what to do. The other married brothers run the farm, right? 

[lilith]

5 minutes ago, fundiefan said:

Does Josh have an actual job with an income? If touring is his only way of supporting his submissive wife and their brood, they'll tour as long as possible. I can't imagine him getting a job with a boss or anyone else superior to him that might tell him what to do. The other married brothers run the farm, right? 

I think Josh has been encouraged to see himself as the family intellectual- John Maxwell made a point of mentioning he was his only groomsman with a degree and Allison sometimes mentions how amazed she is by his vast intellect. While I’m sure he helps with the manual labor on the farm his goal is politics.  He would probably also be thrilled if his pretentious blog and “preaching” with the band led to some fundie speaking gigs. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

15 minutes ago, lilith said:

I think Josh has been encouraged to see himself as the family intellectual- John Maxwell made a point of mentioning he was his only groomsman with a degree and Allison sometimes mentions how amazed she is by his vast intellect. While I’m sure he helps with the manual labor on the farm his goal is politics.  He would probably also be thrilled if his pretentious blog and “preaching” with the band led to some fundie speaking gigs. 

I’m sure he will eventually write a book. 

[browngrl]

31 minutes ago, lilith said:

While I’m sure he helps with the manual labor on the farm his goal is politics.

Agree. Young Josh is aiming for politics. He is just setting up his brand as godly family man preaching the gospel right now. 

[lilith]

3 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I’m sure he will eventually write a book. 

He’s already written his little ebook.

[Aithuia]

4 hours ago, browngrl said:

Agree. Young Josh is aiming for politics. He is just setting up his brand as godly family man preaching the gospel right now. 

There was a PBS article on the Bontragers campaigning for Cruz back in 2016, and it definitely mentioned Josh as being interested in running for office someday. I don't think he's going to stop at an ebook, especially given his father-in-law's political background and the Bowers' whole Agenda thing.

The Bontragers' congressional and state senate districts both went Democratic last year, however (though their IA House district is Republican). I would wonder if that would end up being a future obstacle to his likely Gilead-esque dreams, but then again, it's Iowa, so you never know. Or he could pull a Curtis Bowers and move the family around the country until he found an office to hold.

Edited April 10, 2019 by Aithuia
edited to clarify

[Aithuia]

A bit random, but for any West Wing fans: in my brief dive down the rabbit hole of local Iowa politics on Wikipedia, I came across a state senator by the name of Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-41). That's about as close to Marion Coatsworth-Hay as I think any actual person will ever get.

[ophelia]

Doesn't Josh hold a degree from a real university or college? So really might be better equipped for the real world than most fundie headships. His big ego will undoubtedly always be in his way and disqualify him for jobs with superiors that aren't fundie or GASP women! 

I can totally see him getting into politics and until then he'll drag his wife and their brood on tour twice a year.

[lilith]

1 hour ago, ophelia said:

Doesn't Josh hold a degree from a real university or college? So really might be better equipped for the real world than most fundie headships. His big ego will undoubtedly always be in his way and disqualify him for jobs with superiors that aren't fundie or GASP women! 

I can totally see him getting into politics and until then he'll drag his wife and their brood on tour twice a year.

I’m not sure where his degree is from, but I know he didn’t attend a campus.

[petrushka]

4 hours ago, lilith said:

I’m not sure where his degree is from, but I know he didn’t attend a campus.

http://www.kalonanews.com/life/joshua-bontrager-and-cassidy-bowers/article_1b3469b8-5113-11e7-83f3-0f3ec6bff33c.html

Looks like Thomas Edison State University, which offers a range of online degrees. 

Edited April 10, 2019 by petrushka

[petrushka]

14 hours ago, ophelia said:

Doesn't Josh hold a degree from a real university or college? So really might be better equipped for the real world than most fundie headships. His big ego will undoubtedly always be in his way and disqualify him for jobs with superiors that aren't fundie or GASP women! 

I can totally see him getting into politics and until then he'll drag his wife and their brood on tour twice a year.

My daughter's first college degree was in communications, as is Josh's. She chose the major due to math and science phobia on her part. Graduated with honors but found the job market 12 years ago glutted with communications majors and eventually returned for a totally different degree. I don't know if much has changed since then, but if Josh were ever to test the value of his degree in the real world, he might be a bit disappointed--and not just with the job market, but also with the limitations of his homeschooling as far as it did not prepare him for choosing from a wider range of majors.  I do think he fancies himself the family "intellectual" and his sisters have been taught to support his manhood, whatever that means.  I feel squicky just typing that.

I'd love to see him make a run for public office and have his opponent mop the floor with him.

[lilith]

I could see him succeeding in local politics - he’s part of a big church in a small community and he’s hooked into the local republican network. I don’t think he would manage state or federal representation though. And he might be a bit nutty even for the local republicans, especially if he starts spouting his father in laws views about absolutely everything being a communist conspiracy.

[singsingsing]

My experience has been that a large number of decent, well-paying jobs are not overly concerned with your specific major, only that you have a university degree.

[fundiefan]

3 hours ago, petrushka said:

My daughter's first college degree was in communications, as is Josh's. She chose the major due to math and science phobia on her part. Graduated with honors but found the job market 12 years ago glutted with communications majors and eventually returned for a totally different degree. I don't know if much has changed since then, but if Josh were ever to test the value of his degree in the real world, he might be a bit disappointed--and not just with the job market, but also with the limitations of his homeschooling as far as it did not prepare him for choosing from a wider range of majors.  I do think he fancies himself the family "intellectual" and his sisters have been taught to support his manhood, whatever that means.  I feel squicky just typing that.

I'd love to see him make a run for public office and have his opponent mop the floor with him.

I have a Communications degree. Although I do not work directly in a Communications field, the degree definitely contributed to my jobs and progression in Corporate America. I think it depends on what your focus is and how you use it. I never got the degree for one specific dream job; I did it because it is very broad and can be applied to just about anything. If you get an Accounting degree, you go for Accounting jobs....if you get a Communications degree, you can reach farther because all jobs require effective Communication. 

Every real job (non temp) I've had since getting my degree has been thanks to having that degree. My current position has nothing to do with Communications per se, but I do the Communications emails from our department to the company, I write and edit policy manuals and documents, I work closely with my boss on presentations and reports. 

That's just to say that a Communications degree is not a bad or lower degree. If you get a Communications degree and only intend or want to work directly in Communications - a Corporate Communications department or something - you may have a difficult time simply because so much of that has morphed into Marketing and Tech areas. But, it's damn helpful if you don't limit your intended or hopeful use of it. 

[VVV]

13 hours ago, petrushka said:

http://www.kalonanews.com/life/joshua-bontrager-and-cassidy-bowers/article_1b3469b8-5113-11e7-83f3-0f3ec6bff33c.html

Looks like Thomas Edison State University, which offers a range of online degrees. 

Thomas Edison is beloved of homeschoolers and the College Plus crowd. I have a family member whose daughter has a "degree" from there. Her degree plan consisted of CLEPping out of half the credit hours for her degree and taking whatever classes she couldn't do online at the local community college. She thinks she has a college degree and I suppose technically she does, since Thomas Edison is accredited (how, I do not know). But she has little actual education.

The idea that passing a CLEP test in American literature, say, is in any way equivalent to being in a class where the books are discussed and students express differing points of view makes me roll my eyes so hard my cataracts start to clear up.

Edited April 11, 2019 by VVV

[petrushka]

2 hours ago, fundiefan said:

I have a Communications degree. Although I do not work directly in a Communications field, the degree definitely contributed to my jobs and progression in Corporate America. I think it depends on what your focus is and how you use it. I never got the degree for one specific dream job; I did it because it is very broad and can be applied to just about anything. If you get an Accounting degree, you go for Accounting jobs....if you get a Communications degree, you can reach farther because all jobs require effective Communication. 

Every real job (non temp) I've had since getting my degree has been thanks to having that degree. My current position has nothing to do with Communications per se, but I do the Communications emails from our department to the company, I write and edit policy manuals and documents, I work closely with my boss on presentations and reports. 

That's just to say that a Communications degree is not a bad or lower degree. If you get a Communications degree and only intend or want to work directly in Communications - a Corporate Communications department or something - you may have a difficult time simply because so much of that has morphed into Marketing and Tech areas. But, it's damn helpful if you don't limit your intended or hopeful use of it. 

@fundiefan: that was the issue with my daughter--she had specific ideas about how she thought she would use her degree and where she wanted to work.  When it didn't pan out, she went back to school and is now doing well.  I thought she should have broadened her sights before going back to school, but she was pretty strong willed and over 21.  (No fundie maidens in our household, lol!)  Apologies if it sounded as though I thought less of the field of Communications, that was not intended.  My daughter had to do numerous group projects and presentations and do some interdisciplinary work with the Business and Theater departments.  It was a good wide ranging program, and I don't know how Josh's education compared with hers.  I'm just being a bit skeptical.

[JermajestyDuggar]

The Bowers family and the Duggar family are hanging out. There aren’t any opposite sex same age single fundies in those families so no match ups until some of the teens get older. 

Edited April 14, 2019 by JermajestyDuggar

[lilith]

My god Joshua Bontrager is a pretentious wanker.

That is all.

[JermajestyDuggar]

25 minutes ago, lilith said:

My god Joshua Bontrager is a pretentious wanker.

That is all.

Someone got a thesaurus for his birthday! 

[JermajestyDuggar]

It’s ok Micah. We understand.

[JillyO]

Look at that creepy af smile on Marlin's face. I would be crying my eyes out too if he was holding me. And running far, far away as soon as I learned to walk.

Seriously though. That dude creeps me the fuck out.

[Melissa1977]

Wallace may have had enjoyed the cows, but couldn't Joshua find a worse picture to show that? In the picture I see a scared baby. 

And if it's the same grass cows are walking in, they should better not to sit a baby there. Because shit. And bugs. 

[HereticHick]

On 4/19/2019 at 8:34 PM, lilith said:

My god Joshua Bontrager is a pretentious  prodigious wanker, boasting of a long history of puffed up fundy male ancestors.

FTFY

 

 

[Syriana]

Alison Bontrager is suddenly taking a break from her blog and won't be back until June, she'll apparently be filling her time with work, family, cooking, the young women's retreat and preparing for the summer tour...

I suppose it's a break from her chatting about essential oils!

[JermajestyDuggar]

29 minutes ago, Syriana said:

Alison Bontrager is suddenly taking a break from her blog and won't be back until June, she'll apparently be filling her time with work, family, cooking, the young women's retreat and preparing for the summer tour...

I suppose it's a break from her chatting about essential oils!

Isn’t it interesting that she could faithfully blog while stuck on a bus for three months but once she gets back home, she’s not blogging. That tells me that like chelsy, she’s happily busy and doesn’t have a lot of time left over to blog. Her time on the road is so unhappy for her and her time at home with friends, her sister, her job, and her activities are obviously what make her happiest. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started blogging again just in time for another singing tour she doesn’t want to go on.