Seewalds 44: Skip the Ads and Jessa Won’t Get Paid!

[nelliebelle1197]

Just a reminder when you are watching Jessa’s content! I couldn’t think of anything funny to say about these people so I improvised a PSA! 

eta: Ben is dumb.

[purple_summer]

Omg did I indirectly name this thread?? I’m happier than I should be ???

[nelliebelle1197]

7 hours ago, purple_summer said:

Omg did I indirectly name this thread?? I’m happier than I should be ???

It was not indirect! I totally stole that from you!

[princessmahina]

I skipped the ad on her day in a life video. And it was not at all what I expected. If she really wants views, she needs to post more engaging content that addresses what people want to know. 

[lexiloumarie]

3 minutes ago, princessmahina said:

I skipped the ad on her day in a life video. And it was not at all what I expected. If she really wants views, she needs to post more engaging content that addresses what people want to know. 

Joy and Alyssa seem to have gotten the youtube platform - I watch one video discussed here and accidentally am going through the channel. I cant with Jessa or Erin though. They just don't seem to get it as well.  

[freealljs]

Has anyone watched Jessa's latest Youtube video titled "My Journey from Doubt and Depression to Grace"? I believe that it's a response, oddly, to Jill's Youtube of the Dillards going school shopping. I watched snippets of Jessa's video and didn't find it encouraging, like most of the commenters. 

[jljohnson527]

Has anyone watched Jessa's latest Youtube video titled "My Journey from Doubt and Depression to Grace"? I believe that it's a response, oddly, to Jill's Youtube of the Dillards going school shopping. I watched snippets of Jessa's video and didn't find it encouraging, like most of the commenters. 

Yes.

Nothing has made me so glad to have left Christianity in the dust. I came running here to unload.

You were selfish and self-focused? Yes, you were a child. Around 12 the world started to look different? Yeah, that’s maturity. Jessa was a “problem child,” are you kidding me?!

It’s so clear that the belief system is pathologizing normal psychological development and it just left me so deeply sad and angry.

[Melissa1977]

35 minutes ago, freealljs said:

Has anyone watched Jessa's latest Youtube video titled "My Journey from Doubt and Depression to Grace"? I believe that it's a response, oddly, to Jill's Youtube of the Dillards going school shopping. I watched snippets of Jessa's video and didn't find it encouraging, like most of the commenters. 

I don't think it's about Jill. "Doubt" is the new trend among fundies. Bates did a big deal of Addallee (or Ellie?) having doubts and reinforcing her faith. Some posters said that IBLP is focusing in children and teens having doubts (which may be common), offering guidance and probably making a business of it.

Doubts were banned/hiden years ago and now are applauded. But it's the same old brainwashing method.

[Pecansforeveryone]

Doubt is a necessary and beautiful thing. My doubts have never tormented me the way my faith often did. 

[DundeeUnFundie]

For people intent on raising as many children as possible, Jessa's responses on her IG left me horrified. I'm really shocked how little they know about early childhood development and psychology. (Shouldn't be, but still somehow am.) Saying her children are sinners for lacking impulse control?! Are you kidding me? The behaviour she describes as 'sinful' in the comments is completely age appropriate.

[baldricks_turnip]

I just watched her faith video and it was kind of interesting to me because as an Australian, Christianity is kind of a fringe culture. There might be a decent amount of people who put 'Christian' as their religion on the census but it's very unusual to meet someone under the age of 80 who goes to church or reads the bible. So it was kind of interesting to me to see how much reflection goes into having faith (I know plenty of practicising Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus but only 2 Christians). I kind of always assumed if you believed in god it was like a nice security blanket but Jessa made it sound like a lot of work. I already spend a lot of mental effort wondering if I am a good mother, a good wife, a good friend, a good employee. Wondering if I am a good Christian sounds like about 10 times as much work as that.

Is this what it is like for mainstream Christianity or is this just a fundie thing?

[OrchidBlossom]

15 hours ago, freealljs said:

Has anyone watched Jessa's latest Youtube video titled "My Journey from Doubt and Depression to Grace"? I believe that it's a response, oddly, to Jill's Youtube of the Dillards going school shopping. I watched snippets of Jessa's video and didn't find it encouraging, like most of the commenters. 

In what way do you think of it as a response to the Dillard’s?

[squiddysquid]

So Josh was "just curious" but Jessa was the "problem child"

Ladies and Gents, the Duggars in a nutshell.

[SassyPants]

5 hours ago, squiddysquid said:

So Josh was "just curious" but Jessa was the "problem child"

Ladies and Gents, the Duggars in a nutshell.

Yep. Makes me want to throw up, especially when you know the initial mission of their show was spreading Their message and their way of life. What utter BS-

[Jenderqueer]

I thought Jana was the "problem child" because she was "willful."  On second thought, everyone but Josh and Josie has probably been a "problem child" at some point, depending on Michelle's whims, and most of them probably internalized it as God's opinion.  It all just makes me concerned for Jessa's kids, since she seems really invested in giving her kids the same upbringing she had.  She seems to see self-hatred as a good thing, and I have a hard time envisioning anyone thriving with that mindset.  

[Pecansforeveryone]

I think Jessa and Jana were "problem" children. I think they were both similarly "strong-willed". It's part of why I think they genuinely butted heads over the years. 

[mpheels]

1 hour ago, Pecansforeveryone said:

I think Jessa and Jana were "problem" children. I think they were both similarly "strong-willed". It's part of why I think they genuinely butted heads over the years. 

Yep - Jessa and Jana are both leader/organizer types, and that often goes with being strong willed. They both know what they want and can see exactly how to get there. That’s typically a good leadership trait (clarity of vision), but can cause problems if you aren’t supposed to take the lead and/or you have two people with differing visions and no clear leader.

Joy also has leader/organizer tendencies, but she doesn’t have the clarity of vision. That may be a side effect of her substandard education, relative to her older sisters. I sometimes wonder if she has big thoughts, but struggles to organize and articulate them.

In contrast, Jill and Jinger and both followers. They want to please the people they care about, and therefore will shape themselves to the situation. I think Jill is more independent now, but it’s because Derrick wants her to be independent.

[lilith]

1 hour ago, Jenderqueer said:

I thought Jana was the "problem child" because she was "willful."  On second thought, everyone but Josh and Josie has probably been a "problem child" at some point, depending on Michelle's whims, and most of them probably internalized it as God's opinion.  It all just makes me concerned for Jessa's kids, since she seems really invested in giving her kids the same upbringing she had.  She seems to see self-hatred as a good thing, and I have a hard time envisioning anyone thriving with that mindset.  

I’m not sure how much of this is coming from Jessa’s upbringing and how much is Ben’s Calvinist influence (total depravity etc). Ben actually studies theology, unlike Jessa’s father, and his reading material that she probably has access to has a Calvinist bent.

[Italiangirl]

Can you explain a little more @lilith? I get often lost between ben's and Jb's different visions. More about the theological difference between Calvinism and Gothardism/Baptist thanks 

[lilith]

Just now, Italiangirl said:

Can you explain a little more @lilith? I get often lost between ben's and Jb's different visions. More about the theological difference between Calvinism and Gothardism/Baptist thanks 

I’m no theologian, but this lays out Calvinist basics:

http://www.prca.org/pamphlets/pamphlet_41.html
 

The big difference is that Calvinists believe God predetermines who will be saved. So while Baptists are trying to fulfil the Great Commission and save the whole world, Calvinists believe that you need to make sure the predetermined elect hear his word (and nobody can know who they are). The Calvinists are also big on the total natural depravity of man, and I’m seeing a lot of that in Jessa’s current thoughts.

IFB and Calvinism really are incompatible theologies (though with many similar practices) and it always blows my mind that JimBob married two of his daughters to Calvinists - it shows how shallow his theology is and how focused on legalistic rules his idea of religion is. But they also appeared in Vision Forum production back in the day and VF was reformed through and through.

[Glasgowghirl]

I can't help but feel sad for anyone raised to think that they terrible sinners over stuff they did as children, Jessa being strong willed and making mistakes as a child shouldn't have made her feel that way, Jim Bob and Michelle treated all their children terrible but the older girls got the brunt of by the looks of it, four of them abused by their brother then two of them were asked to defend him on TV, Jana crying years later over having to give away a cherished possession to Jessa, being given the responsibilities of taking care of younger siblings, cooking, cleaning, laundry. They had it harder than the boys. 

I do worry about her passing that mentality on to her children since she still believes she was so bad and Jesus saved her, for all their sakes I hope they at least change some of beliefs on this and a few other things. 

[llg1234]

She's definitely passing on that mentality to her kids:

Spoiler

What a depressing way to live.

[Vivi_music]

28 minutes ago, llg1234 said:

She's definitely passing on that mentality to her kids:

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What a depressing way to live.

Wow, the fact that she says ''it comes naturally to a child to be self-centered instead of thinking of others.'' Does she even realize that on a psychological level, empathy develops around 18 months (and it needs to be encouraged of course for it to flourish) and that they start seeing things from other people's perspective at around 4 YO.

Children are self-centered because it is their way to survive. Asking adults to respond to their needs. It is normal that they don't think of others first. It isn't because they are selfish creatures motivated by original sin, it is because they are CHILDREN and what constitute their ''world'' is often pretty limited to Daddy, Mommy and siblings. Your role as a parent is to teach them that you live in society and it is important to consider people around you because others are important too. FFS.

[AussieKrissy]

47 minutes ago, llg1234 said:

She's definitely passing on that mentality to her kids:

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What a depressing way to live.

Oh for fucks sake. Can I just slap the stupid out of her now? Honestly that’s what I felt like doing after reading that. 

[Italiangirl]

@Vivi_music the sad part to me is that I get all what you are saying but who could have teache Jessa all of that? She hasn't had her parent example since they decided it was way easier to force their children to raise their siblings, and she can't read books about child development because they are not the bible, and they could instill in her fragile women mind some really bad ideas like maybe Michelle wasn't so good with children or so much MOTY and the horror she could start to think that Jill may be right in sending her children to school and decide that SORDR don't really work for her since children need appropriate stimuli to learn better, and gasp Josh wasn't just a curious boy when he touched his own sister in a not appropriate way, she could learn that the vast majority of young boys don't touch their sister or molested them, she could learn that that is not so common as her parents told her. 

It is a really sad way to live ?i'm sad for them all