Duggars by the Dozen 37: Your new thread

[viii]

On 7/2/2019 at 4:03 PM, OyToTheVey said:

Backtracking to the last page. I was eaten the last time I said this. But the thing that I really really envy of the fundy lifestyle is the social circle. I'm an only child with no cousins my age. Right now the friends situation is extremely sparse. I'm not even sure I'll have a few people show up at my birthday. I'd love to have an automatically built in social system. I know people will say that just because they show up doesn't mean they're friends. But it would be nice to have people that make the effort just to show up. Meanwhile I can't even get my closest cousin to actually answer texts. 

I completely understand this. Growing up in a cult was full of cons, but there were a few pros - and one of them was the "built in family". I have a great family in itself with two loving parents and two older sisters, but I grew up in a small church where everyone was friends. It was like I had tons of aunts/uncles and plenty of cousins to play with. Growing up, I knew that if anything bad was to ever happen to my family, there would be another family there to take me in. Now that I'm older, I'm not friends with any of those people - leaving the cult cost me those relationships. There are days where it is still hard, because those people had a hand in raising me, and honestly were like family, but being free and out of their judgement is still worth it. 

I'm sorry that you're feeling lonely - please message me if you ever want to talk. I love chatting with people, and would love to get to know you better! 

[Rachel333]

On 6/25/2019 at 4:29 PM, Longhairedheathen said:

Any former fundies slightly nostalgic their former lives because of social media? 

That's actually a really interesting question to me. I can look at fundies on social media and feel slightly envious because, while I'm well aware that this is just what social media makes it seem like, for the most part their lives look fairly simple, without too much thinking about what they need to be doing with their lives.

But nostalgic for my former life? Never. It was never easy for me and I always struggled with my beliefs, the gender roles assigned to me that never felt right, and the inconsistencies and cruelties I saw in what I was taught to believe. It was miserable.

So I never wish that I, as the person I am, could still be fundie, but I guess I do sometimes wish I could be someone else.

[Bobology]

10 hours ago, Smee said:

That’s so interesting because when I think of Judaism I think of a big social circle! I guess no one on the outside truly knows. 

Also, when their happy social media makes you jealous, just remember their social circle has to include Josh. (And potentially soon JRod).

Here's where I have a dilemma: your post is nice and normal and I'm nodding along, then I get to your last phrase in parentheses and nearly spew my coffee. I so badly want to click the laughing face but don't want it misinterpreted as laughing at the entire post. And this happens a lot to me and I sometimes DO click the laughing face and just hope readers understand and don't take it as being disrespectful to the good elements of the post.
 

[xenobia]

The Duggar family instagram/Fb just posted a picture of a birthday lunch with James - it's his 18'th birthday today, apparently. I'm glad they remembered him! 

[VeryNikeSeamstress]

Wow! Pretty much 2/3 of the Duggar offspring are legal adults now. I wonder when the next courtship will happen.

[xenobia]

Definitely at least one this fall, so that they have a wedding next spring. My guess is one of the younger twins. 

[jillsdopplerofdoom]

For the past three years they have had at least one wedding a year and at least one courtship/engagement announced a year. There were two each in 2017 (Jostin engagement/wedding and JoKen's courtship/engagement/wedding) and 2018 (SiRen's courtship/engagement/wedding and John/Abbie's courtship/engagement/wedding). Five Duggarlings (of marriage age) are currently single as far as we know (Jana, Jed, Jer, Jason and now James).

Edited July 8, 2019 by jillsdopplerofdoom

[tabitha2]

TLC is probably urging  Jed and Jer to find some twin sisters to court so they can have a very special Duggar wedding episode.

[Chewing Gum]

8 hours ago, tabitha2 said:

TLC is probably urging  Jed and Jer to find some twin sisters to court so they can have a very special Duggar wedding episode.

Abbie has twin sisters. Nah. Just kidding.

[jillsdopplerofdoom]

15 hours ago, tabitha2 said:

TLC is probably urging  Jed and Jer to find some twin sisters to court so they can have a very special Duggar wedding episode.

Well I just had a look on Fundie Wiki. Apart from Maggie/Carinna Burnett there is Morgan/Sabrina Ford (born 2003) and Maranatha/Sophia Thomas (born 2002).

There is also Savannah/Sophia Nelson but they're only 13/14 so they're a bit young at the moment. Mind you, there's a six year age gap between Jeremy and Jinger so age isn't a problem for the Duggars once a girl is 18.

[tabitha2]

The sad thing is if that actually ever happened you damn well know Jim Bob would use his pull and authority over that to set have them do one wedding to save cost and TLC would as I mentioned would jump at a double wedding episode. 

[Snarkasarus Rex]

I’m going with Jer and Jason for the next announcements.  Jer now has his pilot license, and we saw announcements from both Joystin and SiRen after Austin and Si got theirs.  Also, Jason has been quietly buying several properties...he bought his first one jointly with Boob when he was 16.

[Smee]

I really hope Jed and Jer marry completely different women with a big gap between courtships. It’d be bad enough being a Duggar with your whole identity tangled up in birth order and J-names and being one of 19; those poor boys then got stuck in “twin” identities where they barely get their own names and had years of doing talking heads together etc. Adulthood, careers and marriage should be a chance to establish themselves as individuals.

[tabitha2]

I suspect any children who never marry will live in the big house together after JB and Michelle are gone.

[HarleyQuinn]

I can't imagine howler courtships. I still can barely tell any of them apart. 

[mango_fandango]

There are now four Duggar sons who are 18 and over, then Justin will join them next year. Plus, of course, there’s Jana. So it’ll be interesting to see who’s next.

Which ones are considered the “howlers” again?

[justmy2cents]

26 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

Which ones are considered the “howlers” again?

It's the twins down to Jackson. Hard to believe that 4 of the 6 are now 18 and over.

[LurkerOverThePond]

This is from Keeping Up with Fundies tumblr:

Spoiler

Did we know that both James and Jason attended the fake fundie military course Alert Academy? This cannot be an old picture. I haven't been keeping up with the Duggars very much this year (they started to piss me off too much) so have probably missed that piece of information.

[Snarkasarus Rex]

Yes, the ALERT picture was very recent.  I think they were planning a welcome back party for them the day Mary died.

[Angelface]

Could Jason and/or James go on to join the military and make that a future career? It seems like it would be something that may have been of real interest to several of the Duggar boys and I just wondered if this is an avenue that is open to them. 

[HarleyQuinn]

18 minutes ago, Angelface said:

Could Jason and/or James go on to join the military and make that a future career? It seems like it would be something that may have been of real interest to several of the Duggar boys and I just wondered if this is an avenue that is open to them. 

I think they discourage the military because it's "too worldly"

[Sullie06]

4 hours ago, LurkerOverThePond said:

This is from Keeping Up with Fundies tumblr:

  Hide contents

Did we know that both James and Jason attended the fake fundie military course Alert Academy? This cannot be an old picture. I haven't been keeping up with the Duggars very much this year (they started to piss me off too much) so have probably missed that piece of information.

So if they discourage actually joining the military what is the point of Alert? Other than some right of passage for fundie men. Like "here they are ladies, all whipped into shape and virile but with no real job prospects, come and get em."

Also I feel for those boys, those hairlines. They are barely adults and they have worse hairlines than my Dad. 

[LurkerOverThePond]

1 hour ago, Angelface said:

Could Jason and/or James go on to join the military and make that a future career? It seems like it would be something that may have been of real interest to several of the Duggar boys and I just wondered if this is an avenue that is open to them. 

But... but... there could be a heathen, or a heathen woman, or a heathen gay woman giving them orders there, and the fundies can't have that, now can they?

On a more serious note, and even when I'm a lifelong pacifist, I could see military as a real and quite enticing option for some Duggar boys. I'm not that familiar with the US military benefits, but I think they would get a decent wage, housing and health care for family, and a free (?) college education after service.

[Snarkasarus Rex]

I think ALERT is more of a prepper course than anything...in the absence of a functioning gov’t, all the ALERT-trained fundie white males will step up and impose order, and their will, on others.  Sure, they do help out a bit during natural disasters, but I don’t think that’s the primary purpose.  There is actual first responder training for that.

ETA: The Duggarlings could theoretically join the military, but I think they would have a hard time assimilating.  Also, as Tier 2 candidates (homefooling/no college) it would be harder for them to join as compared to traditional high school graduates.

Edited July 9, 2019 by Snarkasarus Rex

[NoKidsAndCounting]

13 minutes ago, Snarkasarus Rex said:

I think ALERT is more of a prepper course than anything...in the absence of a functioning gov’t, all the ALERT-trained fundie white males will step up and impose order, and their will, on others.  Sure, they do help out a bit during natural disasters, but I don’t think that’s the primary purpose.  There is actual first responder training for that.

I think that if the ALERT-trained fundie white males step in to take over, I'll just consider myself as part of the revolution, zombie apocalypse, coup, corporate takeover, WHATEVER ELSE.