Duggars by the Dozen 45: Life with Josh in Prison and Marrying as Fast as They Can

[JermajestyDuggar]

58 minutes ago, JMO said:

I love Lindsey Holiday. I've never noticed the accent though, I'll have to listen closely next time.  She's very calming. 

I’m weird and I notice literally all accents. Even people who try to hide them but they pop out here and there. 

[Nothing if not critical]

So I got bored today and watched James' vlog about his day in London with Elijah, and here are my takeaways (behind a spoiler, because this got longer than I'd planned):

Spoiler

I actually thought James seemed less obnoxious than usual, which I put down to being in a place where he clearly felt less sure of himself. But I'll give the two of them points for taking the opportunity to go and explore the city instead of just hanging around at Heathrow Airport, despite being exhausted from the flight.

That said, the ignorance on display was truly staggering ("that clock tower"), and they both seemed completely clueless and overwhelmed. Elijah was doing a tiny bit better (at least he knew what country he was in), but they both had such a massively diminished experience because they lacked any framework for what they were seeing. I remember taking my kids up on the London Eye last year, and they kept pointing out stuff to me (like the Houses of Parliament or Buckingham Palace), or asking about others (like, if we could see Downing Street Number 10 from up there). With those two, it was basically just, yeah, this is London from above. And that's so sad, because they miss so much.

And honestly, I don't expect Americans to know their way around every European city. It's fine if you don't recognise Stockholm's city hall, or the Brandenburg Gate, or Charles Bridge in Prague. But this is London! And they have never heard of Big Ben, or the Changing of the Guard. They just wander aimlessly around, unable to think of any places they want to see. And they don't even have a language barrier to overcome. I genuinely ended up pitying then because they seemed so lost.

Anyway, end of rant. I guess it's just another example of how fundies fail their kids. Even if they have the chance to travel, they lose out on so much.

Edited February 12, 2023 by Nothing if not critical

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, Nothing if not critical said:

So I got bored today and watched James' vlog about his day in London with Elijah, and here are my takeaways (behind a spoiler, because this got longer than I'd planned):

  Hide contents

I actually thought James seemed less obnoxious than usual, which I put down to being in a place where he clearly felt less sure of himself. But I'll give the two of them points for taking the opportunity to go and explore the city instead of just hanging around at Heathrow Airport, despite being exhausted from the flight.

That said, the ignorance on display was truly staggering ("that clock tower"), and they both seemed completely clueless and overwhelmed. Elijah was doing a tiny bit better (at least he knew what country he was in), but they both had such a massively diminished experience because they lacked any framework for what they were seeing. I remember taking my kids up on the London Eye last year, and they kept pointing out stuff to me (like the Houses of Parliament or Buckingham Palace), or asking about others (like, if we could see Downing Street Number 10 from up there). With those two, it was basically just, yeah, this is London from above. And that's so sad, because they miss so much.

And honestly, I don't expect Americans to know their way around every European city. It's fine if you don't recognise Stockholm's city hall, or the Brandenburg Gate, or Charles Bridge in Prague. But this is London! And they have never heard of Big Ben, or the Changing of the Guard. They just wander aimlessly around, unable to think of any places they want to see. And they don't even have a language barrier to overcome. I genuinely ended up pitying then because they seemed so lost.

Anyway, end of rant. I guess it's just another example of how fundies fail their kids. Even if they have the chance to travel, they lose out on so much.

What’s funny is that if I ever went to England, I would recognize a ridiculous amount of places only because I like British tv and movies. I would look like I’m well read or so knowledgeable of London. But really I just like their shows/movies. 

Edited February 12, 2023 by JermajestyDuggar

[HereticHick]

1 hour ago, Nothing if not critical said:

So I got bored today and watched James' vlog about his day in London with Elijah, and here are my takeaways (behind a spoiler, because this got longer than I'd planned):

  Hide contents

I actually thought James seemed less obnoxious than usual, which I put down to being in a place where he clearly felt less sure of himself. But I'll give the two of them points for taking the opportunity to go and explore the city instead of just hanging around at Heathrow Airport, despite being exhausted from the flight.

That said, the ignorance on display was truly staggering ("that clock tower"), and they both seemed completely clueless and overwhelmed. Elijah was doing a tiny bit better (at least he knew what country he was in), but they both had such a massively diminished experience because they lacked any framework for what they were seeing. I remember taking my kids up on the London Eye last year, and they kept pointing out stuff to me (like the Houses of Parliament or Buckingham Palace), or asking about others (like, if we could see Downing Street Number 10 from up there). With those two, it was basically just, yeah, this is London from above. And that's so sad, because they miss so much.

And honestly, I don't expect Americans to know their way around every European city. It's fine if you don't recognise Stockholm's city hall, or the Brandenburg Gate, or Charles Bridge in Prague. But this is London! And they have never heard of Big Ben, or the Changing of the Guard. They just wander aimlessly around, unable to think of any places they want to see. And they don't even have a language barrier to overcome. I genuinely ended up pitying then because they seemed so lost.

Anyway, end of rant. I guess it's just another example of how fundies fail their kids. Even if they have the chance to travel, they lose out on so much.

I just watched it and I feel the same way. I often find vacuous tourists to be obnoxious, but for James...I just feel sad. He honestly didn't know what country he was in. He didn't recognized Big Ben when he saw it. I will bet you anything he didn't know the name of the river he was crossing over. When they were in Covent Garden--I bet you anything he's never seen My Fair Lady and knows nothing about it.  This is all just...for a native English speaker like him...appalling. And they had smart phones in hand--they could have looked things up. It looked they were riding the Heathrow Express in to Paddington* Station--they could have used the wifi and looked at maps & thought about what might interest them. But thinking about what might interest them has been trained out of them. They walked by the British Museum, one of the greatest museums in the world, and didn't seem to have considered going in (it would have been much cheaper than the London Eye : )

*Yeah, I bet he doesn't know who Paddington Bear is either.

This is what fundy homeschooling does to a person. 

Edited February 12, 2023 by HereticHick

[Nothing if not critical]

49 minutes ago, HereticHick said:

They walked by the British Museum, one of the greatest museums in the world, and didn't seem to have considered going in (it would have been much cheaper than the London Eye : )

It's free, actually. It wouldn't have cost them a bloody penny. But honestly, judging from their overall demeanour, they wouldn't have been able to make sense of the museum exhibits either. So much wasted potential...

[Father Son Holy Goat]

That is so sad. I hope it’s a wake up call to those boys that they need to take their education into their own hands. 

[samurai_sarah]

5 hours ago, Nothing if not critical said:

It's free, actually. It wouldn't have cost them a bloody penny. But honestly, judging from their overall demeanour, they wouldn't have been able to make sense of the museum exhibits either. So much wasted potential...

I can understand why going to a museum might not have been up their alley, while on a layover. But what bemuses me, is why they didn't take a Hop-on-Hop-Off bus tour. And then, it sadly doesn't at all. As you and a previous poster said, they probably wouldn't have been able to make much sense of anything at all. So, it might have been far more boring to them.

Like others, I am saddened for their lack of curiosity, but have some sympathy for them. Only for how lost they seem, and I know whom I ascribe the blame to.

[Tangy Bee]

2 hours ago, Father Son Holy Goat said:

That is so sad. I hope it’s a wake up call to those boys that they need to take their education into their own hands. 

I'm not sure but I think the Duggars visited England when James was a kid. He probably doesn't remember much. Everything was for TLC back then. I can't remember which country it was that JB asked a sword swallower what religion he was, and the guy was an atheist. JB had the nerve to place his hands on him to pray while most of the kids looked shocked or confused.

[justmy2cents]

6 hours ago, Tangy Bee said:

I'm not sure but I think the Duggars visited England when James was a kid. He probably doesn't remember much. Everything was for TLC back then. I can't remember which country it was that JB asked a sword swallower what religion he was, and the guy was an atheist. JB had the nerve to place his hands on him to pray while most of the kids looked shocked or confused.

I think they were in Scotland.  Either JB had to wear a kilt or he was confused by men wearing kilts.

Edited February 13, 2023 by justmy2cents

[Cam]

8 hours ago, samurai_sarah said:

I can understand why going to a museum might not have been up their alley, while on a layover. But what bemuses me, is why they didn't take a Hop-on-Hop-Off bus tour. And then, it sadly doesn't at all. 

It would have been the simplest thing to do to take in all the highlights. They weren’t raised to value education, history or historical places. Their lives have been so dumbed down.

[HereticHick]

17 hours ago, Nothing if not critical said:

It's free, actually. It wouldn't have cost them a bloody penny. But honestly, judging from their overall demeanour, they wouldn't have been able to make sense of the museum exhibits either. So much wasted potential...

I was think of the suggested donation--but yes, most of it would have been lost on them. Also, I think they grew up with a great fear of stumbling on "pagan idols"/naked art/anything Catholic. And overall, I think it would just be overwhelming.

You know, as Protestants--they could have visited St. Paul's Cathedral. Or Westminster Abbey.

And maybe they would have loved the Imperial War Museum?  But I bet they didn't know it existed.

So much of James's "cultural" and "entertainment" life growing up consisted of being herded to a place or activity with an unruly riot of children of all ages and being filmed doing whatever the cameras wanted, whether it was personally age appropriate.  Spending a few minutes thinking about what YOU wanted to see/hear/learn more about wasn't part of the equation.

[samurai_sarah]

5 hours ago, justmy2cents said:

I think they were in Scotland.  Either JB had to wear a kilt or he was confused by men wearing kilts.

He wound up wearing a kilt, tried to minister to a disinterested street performer, attempted a Russian dance in front of one of the most important Scottish cathedrals in Scotland's Christian history and made American tourists look bad.

 

[CarrotCake]

5 hours ago, HereticHick said:

. Also, I think they grew up with a great fear of stumbling on "pagan idols"/naked art/anything Catholic

Good luck in Rome then 🤣

[marmalade]

3 hours ago, samurai_sarah said:

He wound up wearing a kilt, tried to minister to a disinterested street performer, attempted a Russian dance in front of one of the most important Scottish cathedrals in Scotland's Christian history and made American tourists look bad.

 

They also toured a castle, where Boob proclaimed that King James "wrote the bible." 😂

[Bad Wolf]

He wore a kilt over his pants (trousers) as I recall. Definition of ugly American.

[Satan'sFortress]

7 hours ago, samurai_sarah said:

He wound up wearing a kilt, tried to minister to a disinterested street performer, attempted a Russian dance in front of one of the most important Scottish cathedrals in Scotland's Christian history and made American tourists look bad.

 

That sounds a little bit like Lucy Riccardo's tour of Europe.

[Father Son Holy Goat]

7 hours ago, samurai_sarah said:

He wound up wearing a kilt, tried to minister to a disinterested street performer, attempted a Russian dance in front of one of the most important Scottish cathedrals in Scotland's Christian history and made American tourists look bad.

 

That’s stupid tourist bingo right there. 

[Cam]

23 hours ago, HereticHick said:

So much of James's "cultural" and "entertainment" life growing up consisted of being herded to a place or activity with an unruly riot of children of all ages and being filmed doing whatever the cameras wanted, whether it was personally age appropriate.  Spending a few minutes thinking about what YOU wanted to see/hear/learn more about wasn't part of the equation.

Sooo much this. To me, that’s all the entire 19KAC series consisted of. And then there’d be a talking head of Michelle speaking for the entire family about what their thoughts and feelings were. “We’re all just so thrilled to have another baby coming.” Seriously, Michelle, you are brain dead if you think each one of your children was as friggin thrilled as you and JB about the continuous pregnancies and being just another neglected, lost face in the crowd of kids. 

[Knight of Ni]

I remember him attempting to minister to the street performer. All the Duggars looked absolutely shocked that he said he was an atheist. I was shocked that JB used the reason that Earth was the "exact perfect distance" from the sun as being a reason to believe in God. 

[HereticHick]

James et al are now in Venice per James' Instagram reel. Joseph Shoemaker is travelling with them--a Medicorps friend. 

Any chance he is linked to Jana or Laura?

Also, these guys are inching closer to Turkey with each stop--maybe this is ultimately a Medicorps earthquake victims bothering trip?

Edited February 14, 2023 by HereticHick

[SassyPants]

I think I’ve finally figured out what pisses me off the most about JB Duggar. He is equal parts complete, bumbling idiot and 100% condescending, know-it-all prick. It’s almost an impossible station to obtain. 

[Cam]

3 hours ago, SassyPants said:

I think I’ve finally figured out what pisses me off the most about JB Duggar. He is equal parts complete, bumbling idiot and 100% condescending, know-it-all prick. It’s almost an impossible station to obtain. 

Reminds me of that quote about ‘carrying yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man.’  Could be describing JB altho mediocre might be giving him too much credit.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Cam

[patsymae]

On 2/13/2023 at 6:45 AM, justmy2cents said:

I think they were in Scotland.  Either JB had to wear a kilt or he was confused by men wearing kilts.

JB gave some rambling lecture about how in their religion men aren't supposed to wear women's clothes. Because of course it never occured to him that he was in a place where kilts are men's clothes.

On 2/13/2023 at 2:14 PM, CarrotCake said:

Good luck in Rome then 🤣

Jessa and Ben went to Rome on their honeymoon. She said she was surprised how many Christians were there.

[christiane87]

It's Carnival time in Venice and the city is full of people wearing the most gorgeous (but sometimes bizarre) costumes... I am wondering what the Duggars will think of it!

[Alisamer]

On 2/12/2023 at 11:34 PM, samurai_sarah said:

I can understand why going to a museum might not have been up their alley, while on a layover. But what bemuses me, is why they didn't take a Hop-on-Hop-Off bus tour. And then, it sadly doesn't at all. As you and a previous poster said, they probably wouldn't have been able to make much sense of anything at all. So, it might have been far more boring to them.

Like others, I am saddened for their lack of curiosity, but have some sympathy for them. Only for how lost they seem, and I know whom I ascribe the blame to.

I think a museum would be perfect for a layover. Calm, but you're not stuck sitting around like you will be on the plane, and lots to see and learn! But yeah, I can see it not being their thing.

But I agree about a Hop-on Hop-off bus. My sisters and I call it the HoHo and we LOVE the HoHo! We used one in Paris and it was awesome, easy transportation between sites, had places to plug in headphones and hear about what you were passing, and had wifi! At one point we ended up walking alongside a HoHo bus for a block or so using it's wifi to whatsapp our Air B&B owner, to figure out how the airline was going to get my suitcase they'd lost back to me. (My suitcase spent a nice weekend in London, apparently. It might have gotten more out of it than the Duggars. I still have not yet been to London.)

But if I was going to be spending a few hours in a city and wanted to see as much as possible, I'd seriously consider looking for a HoHo. Maximum tourist sites, minimum time, no figuring out your own transportation.

Edited February 15, 2023 by Alisamer