Duggars by the Dozen 37: Your new thread

[Angelface]

So, if not the military, how about the police? Zac Bates is a law enforcement officer and Ben Seewald’s sister, Jessica, is also in the police service. I just think that it would be very healthy to have some independence from JB and perhaps a little geographical distance too! I would feel very claustrophobic being so enmeshed in the Duggar family; the lack of personal space and privacy would drive me nuts. But, if it’s all that they are used to, maybe they like it? Jinger  is the only one who has moved a significant distance away from “Duggarville”. 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Angelface
Proof reading

[Meggo]

2 hours ago, Angelface said:

So, if not the military, how about the police? Zac Bates is a law enforcement officer and Ben Seewald’s sister, Jessica, is also in the police service. I just think that it would be very healthy to have some independence from JB and perhaps a little geographical distance too! I would feel very claustrophobic being so enmeshed in the Duggar family; the lack of personal space and privacy would drive me nuts. But, if it’s all that they are used to, maybe they like it? Jinger  is the only one who has moved a significant distance away from “Duggarville”. 

What about whats-his-name? John David - isn't he a constable? In his home town... which is probably populated mostly with Duggars?

[Snarkasarus Rex]

JD is an elected, but I believe unpaid, police constable.  Law enforcement positions and political office are seen as desirable, if you have to work for the man, because they are positions of influence and authority.  That's why Boob tried his hand at politics, and Josh was moving in that direction while he was at the FRC.

The Bates kids had to seek out real occupations out of necessity because they didn't have the kind of TLC money the Duggars did.  I honestly believe it's the show that keeps them so dependent on Boob, and he exploits it.  Most of the kids don't remember life without the show.  Couple a culture of dependency with a questionable education and few life skills, and it's easy to be fearful of life outside of Duggarville.

I think watching how the Gen 2 Duggs cope with life after the show will be very interesting.

Edited July 10, 2019 by Snarkasarus Rex

[Anna Bolinas]

I shudder to think of any of the Duggar boys being police officers. Even if they aren't all actively malicious, I wouldn't want them in a position of power over vulnerable people in the community. 

[WarriorJane]

10 hours 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.

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.

Yup.  Exactly this.  They can't join the US military,  that's run by the government and they answer to a higher power.  However, they are religious extremists  who all go through paramilitary training and learn to fly planes.  Should we be worried?  Even the girls seem to have a certain level of comfort around guns.  I know this will sound paranoid and conspiracy theory like, but their whole thing is fighting persecution while awaiting the Second Coming.  They are ready for an ebil gubmint crackdown should one occur.   I'm sure there's a bible passage justifying it somewhere. 

 Perhaps I've gone off the rails myself,  but when I see the young boys in uniform or recall Jessa holding that gun in the gun shop ON A DATE with Ben, I'm reminded of those off-the-grid militias with the huge stockpiles of weapons and backyard training centers.  It's creepy. 

[Flossie]

To be honest here, I think that the Duggars have been tainted by the life given to them by their so-called TLC ministry.  

Their cult has always been about taking over from within, via getting into government, and outbreeding everyone else to try to change American culture and provide a large pool of voters to back up their ideals.  JB ran for office, got into the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002 and eventually only showed up for votes that concerned their limited political ideals, mostly abortion issues.  It's still an achievement, and the hardest any Duggar ever since has worked toward that goal.  He spent the next few years trying to get into the Senate, all while living in church sponsored housing and accepting food donations to support his growing family.

They didn't break into limited national consciousness until 2004 when they got a one time show called "14 Kids and Pregnant Again".  It did well and a couple of other follow-ups were produced, followed by getting a contract in 2008 with TLC.  Yeah, there was that hiccup when it was revealed that their oldest son molested some of his sisters and another girl, and his parents did everything possible to cover it up.  But TLC didn't want to give up on them and now we all can watch "Counting On", where his oldest daughters and their husbands agree to be filmed and the Duggar parents keep sneaking in.

Jana has failed to launch and is relegated to supporting roles as house decorator when she isn't running the Duggar compound and growing her garden.  Jessa snagged a guy who thought he'd won the lottery by snagging Jessa Duggar.  He now works in some fashion for someone, but is always available for filming and impregnating Jessa.  Jill isn't supposed to be filmed anymore because her husband is a blowhard douchebag that can't stop spewing crap, but we'll see how long that lasts.  She's creeping back onscreen bit by bit.  Jinger married a failed soccer dude who has delusions of becoming the next TV evangelist.  He can't preach worth a damn, and is excessively concerned with his wardrobe, but they have a cute baby that they won't be filmed without.  They have moved to LA so he can further his career.  Joy married some guy whose main claim to fame was appearing on a reality show as the child of parents who were billed as the most strict parents in America.  They flip houses and such, but aren't featured as much as the older siblings are.  

Child molester Josh is trying to get back in the swing of things.  His wife thinks he's wonderful and they have five kids and are expecting the sixth.  He is sometimes seen lurking in the background these days, after a couple of years where TLC tried to hide him when filming functions.

A couple of the older boys have married and their weddings were featured on Counting On.  They're dutifully pumping out the blessings and will probably be given more airtime in future seasons.

If you look at them as a whole, they pretty much hang around waiting for the film crews and do little else in their lives.  Some of the Duggar daughters and their new sisters in law are trying to make a name for themselves by cashing in on their fame, but for the most part the Duggar family as a whole seem content to do their thing.  All in all, the Duggars are quite comfortable now.  They've given up openly displaying many of the trappings that got them the show, and are still talking the talk in many other ways, but in the end it's easier to play the game.  They've gone soft.

How many of the second generation Duggar kids could support themselves if they had to give up the advantages that their association with TLC provides?  For most of them, their income depends solely or partially on the show.  Without frequent reminders they exist, a large number of their fans would forget about them and move on to other things.  Their ability to cash in on the Duggar name would drop exponentially with every passing year, and within five years they'd be relegated to "Where are they now?" status.

I don't know if any of the Duggars have it in them to become religious extremists who would be capable of trying to take over the government or flying planes into buildings.  That's too much work.  They don't have the drive to do much of anything without cameras around and an adoring public to feed their egos.

[Markie]

I’ve wondered about the military for the Duggars, too. Could J Boy say that God spoke to him to join the military and it was on his heart to do so? It is a service profession and their Grandfather served. I’m sure there would be plenty of prayer meetings to change his mind but if J Boy was determined he could probably join and with his patents’ Hesitant blessing. 

[WiseGirl]

Was I the only one that missed the gun room in the Duggar's listing for the million dollar house? Wtf

*Sorry my link to Radar online article and picture isn't working aka tablet is acting weird. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

8 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

Was I the only one that missed the gun room in the Duggar's listing for the million dollar house? Wtf

*Sorry my link to Radar online article and picture isn't working aka tablet is acting weird. 

Do you really think that there’s any possibility of a house that huge in Arkansas not having a gun room?

Which leads me to wonder - where do the Duggars keep their guns? They have to have several.

[Bobology]

2 hours ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

Which leads me to wonder - where do the Duggars keep their guns? They have to have several.

One of the shows back when showed the kids all (from a certain age up) going shooting, I believe on their property, led by the older kids. It seems Jana had the key to the gun safe and they talked about how the firearms are kept locked up somewhere. I'm willing to bet JB, and now the older boy-men, carry a personal defense weapon on their person. (I'm not aware of PD weapons use in Arkansas, but they are probably allowed.) And I wouldn't be surprised if some of the older girl-women also carry.

Someone with a better memory than I can address this, but it seems there was an incident, a robbery or foiled robbery? with JB at their business in their much-younger years. He either carried a PD (personal defense) back then or that's when it started.  This anecdote may have been in their first book. In my defense I did not buy the book... a friend had it and passed it around to others interested in reading it.

Edited July 11, 2019 by Bobology
To clarify not ALL, as in every single one, of the children shot firearms that day

[lumpentheologie]

I'm pretty sure the ALERT boys are training to be the militias that kill us all when the US becomes Gilead.  They're a theocratic paramilitary operation and they scare the shit out of me.  

[AtlanticTug]

12 hours ago, lumpentheologie said:

I'm pretty sure the ALERT boys are training to be the militias that kill us all when the US becomes Gilead.  They're a theocratic paramilitary operation and they scare the shit out of me.  

Every last one of them is nothing but a chickenhawk,

It's really easy for looney right wingers to form paramilitary groups that go off in some forest in the middle of nowhere and play war on the weekend. It's really easy to have an arsenal of weapons at home for theoretical use.

These losers have never seen war on their soil. They have not had their women and children slaughtered in the streets, their mothers and fathers executed, their houses bombarded and burned down. If you were to drop them in the middle of Yemen, they'd shit themselves.

[lumpentheologie]

1 hour ago, AtlanticTug said:

These losers have never seen war on their soil. They have not had their women and children slaughtered in the streets, their mothers and fathers executed, their houses bombarded and burned down. If you were to drop them in the middle of Yemen, they'd shit themselves.

I get that, but most people in the real American military have never experienced these things either.  And I don't think not experiencing these things makes a group of people with lots of weapons and extremist views not dangerous.  

It's important that we take these militias seriously.  Can they really topple the US government?  Probably not, at least not without at lot of people on the inside.  But they certainly have the potential to turn into domestic terrorists, either individually or as a group.  Male entitlement + racism + misogyny + guns is a pretty predictable combo for that kind of thing, even without the dominionism. 

[WiseGirl]

Federal Court Duggar Sisters lawsuit can proceed. Sorry if this needs to go in another thread. No idea why I can't copy the link. *sigh*

ABC News -
Duggar sisters privacy suit over alleged sexual abuse by brother to proceed

Yahoo News
Federal court: Duggar sister privacy lawsuit can proceed
 

 

[Antipatriarch]

3 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

Federal Court Duggar Sisters lawsuit can proceed. Sorry if this needs to go in another thread. No idea why I can't copy the link. *sigh*

ABC News -
Duggar sisters privacy suit over alleged sexual abuse by brother to proceed

Yahoo News
Federal court: Duggar sister privacy lawsuit can proceed
 

 

Mentioned here on the Smuggar thread too, with a link to another story.

Edited July 13, 2019 by Antipatriarch

[Cheetah]

13 hours ago, lumpentheologie said:

I get that, but most people in the real American military have never experienced these things either.  And I don't think not experiencing these things makes a group of people with lots of weapons and extremist views not dangerous.  

It's important that we take these militias seriously.  Can they really topple the US government?  Probably not, at least not without at lot of people on the inside.  But they certainly have the potential to turn into domestic terrorists, either individually or as a group.  Male entitlement + racism + misogyny + guns is a pretty predictable combo for that kind of thing, even without the dominionism. 

I watched the Frontline episode about the Bundys last night (the standoff of Cliven Bundy against the BLM for his cattle and then the takeover of the Malheur wildlife refuge by Ammon Bundy) - it's this sort of armed militias angry at federal government overreach.  It was a little surreal watching it now that the federal government is headed by 'their' side and thinking about how easy it would be on the land-rights end to flip sides depending on where you lived and where your livelihood was.  I still can't get behind regular people just having all of these guns all over the place, though.  

[PainfullyAware]

I really dislike the Duggars and what they stand for, but I'm not ready to predict one of them will the next Dylan Roof. I think they perpetuate an ideology that is sexist, homophobic and xenophobic. It erases all forms of systemic discrimination. It tries to control the bodies, livelihoods and beliefs of others. It's the fertile ground in which the alt-right and white supremacist terrorists grow.

Like you could perpetuate rape culture by saying things like "look at how she dressed, she was asking for it" but not actually be a rapist yourself. Reproducing toxic masculinity is a different, but related, aspect of violence against women than the perpetrators of assault. It's important to be accurate about the differences and overlap. You have to see all the strategies and tactics of an ideology or culture in order to push back.

The Duggars try to work within media to affect pop culture and politics to advance a Christian right agenda. It's different than a militia of sovereigntists with guns holed up somewhere. But they're both trying to tear down public institutions and reassert a (white, straight male) patriarchy.

[lumpentheologie]

4 hours ago, PainfullyAware said:

I really dislike the Duggars and what they stand for, but I'm not ready to predict one of them will the next Dylan Roof. I think they perpetuate an ideology that is sexist, homophobic and xenophobic. It erases all forms of systemic discrimination. It tries to control the bodies, livelihoods and beliefs of others. It's the fertile ground in which the alt-right and white supremacist terrorists grow.

Like you could perpetuate rape culture by saying things like "look at how she dressed, she was asking for it" but not actually be a rapist yourself. Reproducing toxic masculinity is a different, but related, aspect of violence against women than the perpetrators of assault. It's important to be accurate about the differences and overlap. You have to see all the strategies and tactics of an ideology or culture in order to push back.

The Duggars try to work within media to affect pop culture and politics to advance a Christian right agenda. It's different than a militia of sovereigntists with guns holed up somewhere. But they're both trying to tear down public institutions and reassert a (white, straight male) patriarchy.

I just want to clarify that I didn't mean to imply that any Duggar boy (or any person in particular) is going to be a terrorist.  I meant that ALERT and organizations like it are very fertile ground for that kind of thing.  

But I also don't think that the Duggars are limiting themselves to media and pop culture. That's certainly their public image, but they do also participate in ALERT and I suspect that so many of the boys becoming pilots has to do with this kind of training as well. 

[IReallyAmHopewell]

So, Jason and James are done with homeschool and have finished Alert. Who'll be engaged first?

[Kelsey]

I think James should court Lily S. Just so they can be James and Lily (like the Potter parents) but have no idea what people are talking about. 

[VeryNikeSeamstress]

Future thread title: James and Lily Duggar, Quiver Full of Muggles (or Muggars)

I think Jason will court ahead of James because he's been buying properties.

Edited July 16, 2019 by VeryNikeSeamstress

[Sullie06]

I feel like more of the Duggar men will follow the path that John David has taken and wait to get engaged where as the women are ready for husbands the second they turn 18 and I think it all goes back to their upbringing. Women's main purpose to to have and raise the children so they have to get on that as soon as possible. Which says a lot about their self worth. The men can take time to buy property, seek careers opportunities (pilot, constable, auto, real estate), live life, etc.  

[Jesquire]

Where I live a community college has a new program called "Advanced Technology Academy" or ATA, and every time I see a sign or ad for it, I freak out a little bit. Then I re-read it, and exhale.

ALERT scares me too only because of how right-wing everything has become, and these fools think they can fight people based on their Boy Scout Survivalist Boot Camp for Jesus.

[JesusPony]

Dang. I forgot there was a Jason Duggar. And I have probably said that before.

[Pecansforeveryone]

I said this in the Joe/Kendra thread that I predict at least one of the boys will announce a courtship before Jana does. I wouldn't be shocked it was Jason or James even before the twins. (Now watch Jana go and be the next one to announce a courtship. Duggars, sheesh.)