Artemis (Cynthia Jeub) 3: The Grift Goes On

[Howl]

On 3/30/2024 at 8:17 AM, LilMissMetaphor said:

 Ryann seems to be doing better (they just posted that they have enough money to get trans surgery--which can't be cheap, can it??

But Ryann was so bad earlier they were bedridden.  How can they be ready for something as serious as trans surgery? 

Re: working fast food jobs -- fast food is physically demanding work, on-your-feet hustling for your entire shift.  What ever Artemis' health issues are, I don't think they could do that type of work. 

There are some work-from-home types of jobs -- is medical transcribing still a thing?  Also editing.  I've recently encountered people working from home  who book appointments for busy medical  practices with multiple doctors.  

 

Edited April 1 by Howl

[Ozlsn]

On 4/1/2024 at 7:51 AM, Giraffe said:

I'm feeling even more confused by their finances now. It seems as though their finances are combined...until they're not and Art is desperate

Yeah, this is how it comes across to me too. As I've said previously we only really see Art hustling and maybe Ryann is out there as well, but it has felt very one sided to me for a while. We're not seeing posts from Ryann about needing to do laundry or shopping, or get medications, or, well, anything. Maybe Ryann's portion is always covered, in which case Art probably needs to look seriously at how to cover their part with less stress. 

[MariaariaM]

18 hours ago, Howl said:

But Ryann was so bad earlier they were bedridden.  How can they be ready for something as serious as trans surgery? 

Maybe a big part of why they're struggling so much is gender dysphoria. If that is so surgery could - after recovery - mean they become more resilient and able to help. 

[Coconut Flan]

Ryann is o SSI right? So monthly income is stable there.

[keepercjr]

8 minutes ago, Coconut Flan said:

Ryann is o SSI right? So monthly income is stable there.

Yes Ryann is on SSI.  He should get the max at $943.  Maybe they split the rent and then Art is responsible for begging for all their other expenses?  It still doesn't make sense.  They shouldn't be paying more than 30% of their income on rent.  Rent should be the bill they wouldn't need to beg for. 

[Maggie Mae]

1 hour ago, keepercjr said:

Yes Ryann is on SSI.  He should get the max at $943.  Maybe they split the rent and then Art is responsible for begging for all their other expenses?  It still doesn't make sense.  They shouldn't be paying more than 30% of their income on rent.  Rent should be the bill they wouldn't need to beg for. 

Art's patreon income has gone down 50% since July, when they filled out the subsidized income paperwork. Not sure if they are taxed up front on that, but they shouldn't be paying anything in taxes. They still should have rent covered by SSI and Patreon, and food by SNAP, and supplemented by food banks/cash assistance.  

I hate the passive aggressive/ignorant hot takes - like "oh rich people go to fundraisers, why can't poor people fundraise?" 

"Fundraisers" are for a cause.  They aren't for an individual. And not all fundraisers are wealthy people at black-tie events.  There are 5K, Jump-a-thons, Climb-a-thons, knitting circles to raise money, golf tournaments, chili cookoffs, conferences, charity gaming, charity auctions and dinners, yes, black tie dinner/dance type things. But me running an athletic event to raise money for kids athletics or ALS or breast cancer or cervical cancer is different than me running a go fund me to pay my rent.  As a race director, I have to do a ton of things - advertise, get insurance, get timers, get sponsors, get people to participate when advertising doesn't work, find volunteers to help with crowd management, rent porta-potties, make sure that everyone who started finished, find someone to donate or sponsor a first aid tent, find a venue, find a good weekend, and the list goes on (tee shirts, swag bags, bib pick up). I'm very happy for a dedicated committee/volunteers to each take on one thing and get it done. 

For something like a dinner dance - those are usually non-profit organizations who have a team of people working on sponsorships, promoting the cause, finding the donors to attend, picking the menu, arranging tables, selling tables, finding and paying for entertainment, soliciting donations, etc. Centerpieces.  Think wedding planning but instead of one bride, you have a group of people on a board of directors who all want it their way and want to do no work. 

Everyone who is fundraising at an event is working very hard to suck up to the right people to get the money, and managing a ton of logistics. It's work - and the "wealthy" aren't the ones setting up tables and panicking because the napkins are the wrong color, it's the staff.  The people who are working the event. 

A poor person posting on social media that they are hungry and need taco bell door dashed is not the same at all .

Why do they seem to think that there are only poor people and rich people? I understand that I have a lot of privilege.  I'm still nothing compared to others. 

[Willowfer]

5 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

Why do they seem to think that there are only poor people and rich people? I understand that I have a lot of privilege.  I'm still nothing compared to others. 

That's a broader issue on left-leaning Twitter. There's no grasp of "financially stable, able to help others sometimes, nowhere near the kind of money that could bribe a politician." I've seen people scold smaller public figures for sharing GoFundMes instead of funding them in full, as if a moderately successful niche podcaster has A-lister money.

[MargieB]

Maggie May is correct -- fundraisers are for causes not to provide living expenses for an individual.  Artemis might have better luck begging (which IS what they are doing) if they would quit posting insulting memes.  They have insulted landlords and people who work for a living.   They think it is okay for people to steal "necessities".  They think they deserve luxuries they cannot pay for.   Artemis needs to realize the world is how it is, not what they want it to be, and adapt accordingly.  In other words, grow up and get a job.

 

 

 

[Expectopatronus]

I really don’t understand how they are not able to get some of their food via food banks. I get that food banks often don’t provide enough food (they can’t due to supply and demand) and that, where I live at least, you can only go once/month but it would help. I had to call an emergency food service line 2.5 years ago when my boss hadn’t paid me for a month and I couldn’t afford groceries. I needed formula for my child and food for both of us. I won’t ever forget the panic I felt. 

[Themanda Duggar]

Ii haven’t been around FJ much lately, but I’m procrastinating and I have a lot of thoughts on Artemis.

i think the biggest reason Artemis hasn’t looked for an actual job is because they’re applying for social security disability benefits, and if they can work enough to support themselves, then they won’t qualify for those benefits.  People getting this kind of monthly disability payment are limited in how much they can earn without losing it.  They often need the full coverage health insurance that comes with this program so badly that they can’t even afford to get married, because having a working spouse would likely disqualify them from the program, and they wouldn’t be able to afford their medical expenses without Medicaid.  I know 2 people in this position, and another who had to get divorced so he could qualify for disability and the Medicaid that comes with it (and he has spina bifida, and didn’t even try to get disability benefits until he was in his 40s and needed a wheelchair he couldn’t afford).
Artemis was raised by grifters in a community of families who were also grifters, or enabled it in others.  For all the religious deconstruction they’ve done, and all the family problems they’ve come to understand, they’ve never addressed the normalization of asking others to provide for their needs and wants.  There’s not much difference between prayer requests, appealing for ministry needs, and asking the general public to give you stuff.  Artemis grew up in a family that depended on the generosity of others frequently, and hasn’t yet realized that this was actually part of that familiy’s pathology.

 

I haven’t followed Artemis closely enough to know about all the places they’ve lived or people they’ve lived with since leaving their parent’s home, but the last three situations have all been problematic.  From their descriptions of the group they lived with in the Olympia area I assumed they were Pacific Northwest style anarchists and self-named “dirty kids” (I live in the same region and am familiar with the demographic from some work I’ve done), who are all virulently anti capitalist, largely anti work (not all of the anarchist types are anti work), with the latter group being known for demanding free stuff and responding with indignant self righteousness when they don’t get it.  I hate to generalize, but they’re also known for just helping themselves to what they need and/or want, which Artemis has said is acceptable.  I think this is where they first came into contact with the kind of politics they express, like the anti work, anti capitalism, and identity stuff.

i think Artemis has spent a lot of time figuring out who they’re not since leaving their family, but not much time figuring out who they are. This has made them especially susceptible to partnering with pernicious types who manipulate them into finding their identity in being needed, and because they were so conditioned to being manipulated while growing up, isn’t able to identify when they’re being used.  I think this happened in their last partnership, and I think it’s happening in the current one.

Artemis grew up in a world of absolutes, where everything was either black or white, and hasn’t moved past that binary approach to thinking, which is terribly limiting, and makes personal growth especially difficult.  I think between this kind of limited thinking and what I think is a manipulative relationship, Artemis is stuck in a horrible position and is unable to see or address it.

i hope they get good enough therapy to break free from all of this.  Artemis could be a poster child for the aftermath of religious abuse.  It’s really sad that there aren’t readily available places for people coming out of situations like the one Artemis did to land safely and get immediate help.  There seems to be a real need for that.

i apologize for writing a book here.

[formerhsfundie]

12 minutes ago, Themanda Duggar said:

gh therapy to break free from all of this.  Artemis could be a poster child for the aftermath of religious abuse.  It’s really sad that there aren’t readily available places for people coming out of situations like the one Artemis did to land safely and get immediate help.  There seems to be a real need for that.

i apologize for writing a book here.

I agree with you! Too bad Artemis can't write said book, it sounds kind of interesting. 

Just catching up on this thread after like, 4 days, and I'm more confused than ever. Nothing about these people makes much sense to me. But mostly how freely they beg on the internet. Great breakdown as to why. I feel like that's the most sense it will ever make. Probably helps that I've been to Olympia, lol.

[Becky]

@Themanda Duggar, thank you for your thoughtful, compassionate analysis.  You have given me things to think about.  I despise Art's approach of hating on working for wages while begging money from people who actually DO, you know, work for wages.  It is exactly the kind of attitude that leads to working people objecting to entitlement programs.  I struggle to find compassion, but your essay has helped me to see it in a different way.  

Edited April 3 by Becky

[keepercjr]

[Kolache]

3 hours ago, keepercjr said:

I'm curious why they would need a paid Dropbox subscription. Free basic Dropbox and Google Drive offer plenty of storage for most purposes, unless you're regularly storing/sharing lots of high-res photos. 

The shower thing is . . . wow. Sponge baths with reusable washcloths and bar soap are an option. Wipes ain't gonna cut it most of the time. 

[atlantagirl30084]

2 minutes ago, Kolache said:

I'm curious why they would need a paid Dropbox subscription. Free basic Dropbox and Google Drive offer plenty of storage for most purposes, unless you're regularly storing/sharing lots of high-res photos. 

The shower thing is . . . wow. Sponge baths with reusable washcloths and bar soap are an option. Wipes ain't gonna cut it most of the time. 

I found the shower thing very weird.  I understand being disabled but they seem to take the laziest most expensive path (also worst for the environment!).  

[formerhsfundie]

I'm going to weigh in here. The "too disabled to bathe" and so someone else must buy us body wipes is a new one for me. 

How have they lost so much mobility that they can no longer bathe themselves? Can't they help each other? This relationship between the two of them is so hopelessly poor me, with neither of them able to help each other, let alone themselves. Ugh.

Remember Artemis grifting for Ryann's birthday a few months ago? Going to the aquarium for the day? Now they no longer bathe? I feel like this is either a new confession, or a new low for them. Maybe both.

[LilMissMetaphor]

I guess the no showering thing is a pretty good answer as to whether or not they can make themselves presentable for a job interview anywhere.

"We don't shower, but send us a $50 cheesecake, because we deserve treats too.  But you have to work hard to earn our treats, not us.  Oh, and we want pets, so you have to feed them too."  

[Expectopatronus]

Would they not qualify for home care support if they can no longer bathe or shower? I’m surprised that Ryann’s doctor hasn’t referred them for support. 

[Meeka]

I know there are certain circumstances where the shower/tub is not accessible to those with disabilities but if they are unable to get in the shower couldn’t they just use washcloths and soap. If they can’t stand for long in the tub, then put in a stool or a chair to sit on. Both of them can’t seem to figure out ways around things to make it work. How do they wash their hair? Washing it in the sink would be even harder on the back I would think.

[Giraffe]

3 hours ago, Meeka said:

I know there are certain circumstances where the shower/tub is not accessible to those with disabilities but if they are unable to get in the shower couldn’t they just use washcloths and soap. If they can’t stand for long in the tub, then put in a stool or a chair to sit on. Both of them can’t seem to figure out ways around things to make it work. How do they wash their hair? Washing it in the sink would be even harder on the back I would think.

This is the other part that mistifies me about them. It seems like no matter what challenge they have they go about finding a solution for it in the most convoluted way possible.  At the end of the day it feels very much as though they never wanted true help in the first place. They seem very much like the only thing they actually want is someone to come along with pity to agree with them that they have zero responsibilities in their lives and here's an unlimited wallet. 
 

What an awful way to live! Nothing will ever change for them unless they finally accept they take responsibility for the shit in their lives that are theirs to control rather than living at the whims if others. 

[Ozlsn]

15 hours ago, Kolache said:

The shower thing is . . . wow. Sponge baths with reusable washcloths and bar soap are an option. Wipes ain't gonna cut it most of the time. 

I quite honestly thought the hygiene thing was going to go in a completely different direction. Wow is about right, and two different types of wipes needed? Really?

[KatharineClimpson]

I don't know much about Artemis or their partner, but I do know that there are several mental health conditions that pop up with people who have trouble with showering,  so not physical problems getting in and out of the tub, but mental prohibitions.   It's often associated with people with problems managing time, so ADHD folk, and other kinds of neurodivergence or depression and anxiety, and of course you can have all of these things at the same time.

With wipes, I suspect they want different types for face and body?

I think if you have good mental health you would just get on with using a flannel and soap in the sink?  I have back problems and actually find that harder than getting in to the shower though so I am not sure about this.

[MargieB]

When I had my hips replaced, I used a bath bench.  My sister-in-law used it when she broke her leg.  The bench makes it easier to get in and out of the tub and with a hand held shower head, they can wash their body and hair with minimal assistance.   I think Ryann could slide from the wheelchair to the bench without much assistance (if any) needed from Artemis.

[formerhsfundie]

With so many homeless people who don't have access to a mobility-friendly apartment and running water, it's disgusting to me how they squander what they do have, and have no sense of gratitude or appreciation. Talk about taking things for granted!

Can't bathe themselves, but need a Dropbox subscription. Okay. Whatever. The more I think about their situation the more my mind is blown. Knows how to redirect their deadname domain name to their current website/blog/mailing list, runs their small writing biz, and refuses to work a j-o-b.

I really appreciate the people on here who have made it clear that you can't get disability because you don't want to do the work you ARE able to do. I am extremely skeptical that Artemis can win a disability case. Their lack of hygiene is a choice, not a disability. 

I still feel like it's an insult to the disabled community, what's going on here. But, hey, if they win their case, I guess I will stand corrected. But I'm not holding my breath.

[allyisyourpally5]

My word. Artemis has become a pro hustler and grifter, As above stated, this was how they were raised. The Jeub family pleaded the poverty card all the time, relied (and bragged) about donations and freebies, yet did Wendy go out to work? No. And what did Chris do for a long time? His “ministry”, low paid, no insurance whilst trying to grift from his family size and bring them forward as the latest Duggar family - basically he just sought to use his situation to get the family wealth. And he failed. 

I remember the family blog and remember snippets from it. I remember Chris stating that he teaches his children what to think, not how to think. I remember that from a homeschooling post. I remember him bragging about some kind of food drive where a ton of bread became available and the family took the whole lot, I mean never mind any one else in need. I also remember both parents stating that they ate most meals off of napkins and paper plates to save washing dishes. Every day. Plus of course they were part of Scamaritans, hustling for discounted medical care and then “praying” and getting their bill covered by other members. 

Despite the fact that they’ve swung away from the religious aspect of their upbringing and gone from far-right to whatever they are now, Artemis is a true product of that family. They’ve not been raised with critical thinking skills or indeed how to be satisfied in working for something better, or just having some dignity. I don’t fault anyone for being disabled, I have a disability but at a level where I can still work, but I’ve been in the boat of everything crashing down and not knowing how to financially move forward and just not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel….it’s a hard place to be, but does Artemis truly have no sense that this can’t and will not work forever? 
 

Artemis showed spark and cleverness once upon a time……they need some serious help.