Duggars have a special announcement!/Number 20 merged

[IReallyAmHopewell]

I put this elsewhere, but I think the announcement "joke" played on the kids was close to child abuse. Did anyone catch the question on games they play (something like that) one of the big girls mentions "right response" training. This is a Gothard family favorite. The "right" response is to obey. It CAN be done in a fun way, but can also be very, very cruel. Posing the kids for a picture then telling them of # 20 was the ultimate in "right response" training. What a horrible thing to do to those kids. As has been discussed (here or in a different thread) Josiah LEFT the scene and came back looking teary.

I wonder though--did Michelle stop publicly charting her "cycle" so the big girls WERE actually clueless or did they know but not want to "accept" what they saw on the chart???

The whole q/a part of the episode showed how "well rehearsed" this so-called "reality" show is. Even down to Jennifer they had practiced their "talking points" aka "lines....." Sad

[Constance Vigilance]

Oh Jesus, I'd forgotten about "right response" training. What culty culty culty fucked up cultiness.

[CanadianHippie]

Oh Jesus, I'd forgotten about "right response" training. What culty culty culty fucked up cultiness.

Totally over looked that, probably because I don't think like the duggars. I was thinking more along the lines of "Jimmy is left alone with his mother's wallet and knows she has five dollars he wants to buy a new toy, what does he do? Ask mom to borrow the money, take the money without asking, ask mom how he can earn five dollars" sort of questions. Not "mom tells you she's having her 20th child after the last one nearly killed her, do you cry, get angry, or smile for the cameras because children are a blessing?"

[madpsych78]

In the shots when Josiah has returned, what is he holding in his hand? A tissue? :think:

[xReems]

I really do not understand why it was necessary to edit out Josiah's sudden departure from the "pictures." Is it wrong for them to show one of their children genuinely have concern over his mother? I know they're big on obeying parents but you don't need to edit out the worry and show everyone all happy and excited. I feel for Josiah because if I was in his shoes, I too would be upset by the news.

I'm just sick of those pathetic cheesy smiles they put on for the camera. For once, I would LOVE to see one of their children say, "I'm happy but I'm extremely worried about the news" or something along those lines. Although the show Sister Wives irks me at times, it's nice to hear their children voice their own opinions on certain matters. All of the Duggar children act like a bunch of robots, putting on this fake face for the camera to show how peachy happy they are. Nobody is buying it.

I'm sorry, it's just stupid for them to edit out their own child running off with fear so that they can show how pathetically thrilled and excited everyone is.

[annalena]

I put this elsewhere, but I think the announcement "joke" played on the kids was close to child abuse. Did anyone catch the question on games they play (something like that) one of the big girls mentions "right response" training. This is a Gothard family favorite. The "right" response is to obey. It CAN be done in a fun way, but can also be very, very cruel. Posing the kids for a picture then telling them of # 20 was the ultimate in "right response" training. What a horrible thing to do to those kids. As has been discussed (here or in a different thread) Josiah LEFT the scene and came back looking teary.

I wonder though--did Michelle stop publicly charting her "cycle" so the big girls WERE actually clueless or did they know but not want to "accept" what they saw on the chart???

maybe they really, REALLY do not know about reproduction.

they did not publically say they played "right response training" :shock:

that equals brainwashing and they admitted it!!

[Cassandra]

They live out in the country and the girls spend all their time changing diapers and whatnot..... I feel like they HAVE to know about sex.

Maybe they just can't laugh about it until they're married.

[Rachel333]

This is why, as annoyed as I am by the Brown family, I think they're so much better than the Duggars. They showed the kids' negative reactions to the latest pregnancy and they admit that everyone isn't always happy.

I feel so bad for the Duggar kids.

[FloraDoraDolly]

In the shots when Josiah has returned, what is he holding in his hand? A tissue? :think:

That's how it looks to me.

[QAF_Rocks]

I am beyond disgusted with the editors. Whatever people might say about the Browns or Roloffs or any other TLC family, at least those families express their true opinions and emotions. They don't have to act like everything's perfect all the time. They have fights, disagreement, crying, tension, etc. It's just not possible for people (especially hormonal teenagers) to be perfectly happy 24/7. If there was even the slightest shred of normalcy in that household, the teenagers would be expressing some opinions of their own. But they're not allowed to. Instead, they spout the party line. They are well trained, all of them.

Poor Josiah. Seeing him run out of the room (and the disgusting and cowardly way the editors covered it up) was the most disturbing thing I've witnessed since Josh's shaved "sin in the camp" head from 14 Children and Pregnant Again.

[formergothardite]

Wow, those snapshots really show how different they are from how they try and present themselves. I feel so sorry for Josiah. I'm scared to think what JB did to him for daring to show real emotions.

[Kira]

Poor Josiah :( . I'm surprised one the girls didn't do what he did.

[lilwriter85]

I am beyond disgusted with the editors. Whatever people might say about the Browns or Roloffs or any other TLC family, at least those families express their true opinions and emotions. They don't have to act like everything's perfect all the time. They have fights, disagreement, crying, tension, etc. It's just not possible for people (especially hormonal teenagers) to be perfectly happy 24/7. If there was even the slightest shred of normalcy in that household, the teenagers would be expressing some opinions of their own. But they're not allowed to. Instead, they spout the party line. They are well trained, all of them.

Poor Josiah. Seeing him run out of the room (and the disgusting and cowardly way the editors covered it up) was the most disturbing thing I've witnessed since Josh's shaved "sin in the camp" head from 14 Children and Pregnant Again.

I agree with you on the Browns and Roloffs. I have only watched Sister Wives a few times and in the episodes I watched they didn't act like everything was perfect. The Roloffs did hide certain things about their lives from the audiences, but there were times on the show that Matt and Amy didn't act like their kids were perfect. Amy would admit when the twins screwed up.

The Duggars act like everything is perfect and they gloss over some things.

[Bookworm89]

So I made the mistake of telling my fundy s-step sister about the Duggar's 20th child and expressing my worry (in the least snarky way possible) about the possible health problems and possibilty of another early birth. She looked at me like really? then said "well, YOU know where they are placing their faith in" like God alone was going to keep that baby in till full term and be born healthy. I should have known better this is the woman, who when my nephew fell off the counter at two and his arm looked "funny" called a friend and asked if he might need to be taken to the hospital. They did but really? His arm is bent at an odd angle and you going to wait for what "God" to heal his arm like "God" will keep the 20th duggar safe in the overstretched and overused uterus of Michelle? I can't believe their logic sometimes....

[CanadianHippie]

I really do not understand why it was necessary to edit out Josiah's sudden departure from the "pictures." Is it wrong for them to show one of their children genuinely have concern over his mother?

That would be against the duggars 'image'. In the Duggar family you can only be upset by something if the parents say it's ok, otherwise you have to smile like a drugged up clown.

[FloraDoraDolly]

That would be against the duggars 'image'. In the Duggar family you can only be upset by something if the parents say it's ok, otherwise you have to smile like a drugged up clown.

And you always, always, always have to be thrilled when you hear there's going to be another new baby.

[Jessica]

Yes, otherwise you have been brainwashed by the mainstream "culture of death" or whatever VF called it.

[Buzzard]

Something tells me that whatever "one on one" time these poor kids get is occupied by the "right answer" game.

Does anyone know if grandma duggar has any friends? Does she go out on her own? Does she email? When this pregnancy ends in a train wreck she is going to be the one who steps up to be the matriarch of the family, along with the j'slaves. I wonder if she's reachable...

[bananacat]

Josiah looks like he is one the verge of tears in the second to last picture. And Michelle is right in front of him, grinning hard. I hope he makes an escape the day he turns 18. How old is he now?

Oh, and $20 says that TLC minions are reading this and there will soon be an episode that is purely damage control, where Josiah claims he left to get a tissue because of allergies or he had explosive diarrhea or something like that. That's all the show is anymore, just staged scenes to try to make the critics shut up.

[JenniferJuniper]

I think I've read - and I don't doubt - that part of the Duggars' deal with TLC gives Jim Bob final say over what footage of his family is broadcast.

So they were in a quandary with the Josiah situation. While the older girls probably knew in advance, it's clear the younger kids didn't. They were only going to get a "genuine" reaction from the kids once so they couldn't re-shoot. They had to use the footage as it was, but some creative editing probably caused most viewers to miss Josiah's abrupt disappearance. That must have been good enough to meet with Boob's approval.

But what they did show was more than sufficient for someone watching very closely to conclude Josiah had a viscerally negative reaction, something we'd never normally know anything about from watching the show. It was a tiny glimpse of the reality lurking behind the curtain.

Josiah does appear to have a tissue in his hand when he's next seen.

[CanadianHippie]

Josiah looks like he is one the verge of tears in the second to last picture. And Michelle is right in front of him, grinning hard. I hope he makes an escape the day he turns 18. How old is he now?

Oh, and $20 says that TLC minions are reading this and there will soon be an episode that is purely damage control, where Josiah claims he left to get a tissue because of allergies or he had explosive diarrhea or something like that. That's all the show is anymore, just staged scenes to try to make the critics shut up.

Or he was so happy it brought tears to his eyes.

[formergothardite]

I noticed that. And after Jim Bob comes back with Josiah she's looking at JB like "You rat bastard". I don't think she likes what just happened.

I noticed that too. She looks pretty upset at what has just happened.

[Jessica]

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/3742/d ... mstrip.jpg Jill doesn't look too thrilled either.

[Lillybee]

Dr. Drew is talking about the Duggars now.

[Buzzard]

I missed it :-( they're back on MJ