Aish.com Defending the Duggars

[Beeks]

BARF.

 

wwwDOTaish.com/f/mom/The_Duggar_Family.html

 

For those who don't know, this is an orthodox Jewish site, but it definitely tries to appeal to secular people as well. I'm sort of shocked they'd do duggar defense...maybe the trip to Israel won Aish writers over? Still seems pretty odd though.

 

edited to break the link

[ilovetchotchkes]

BARF.

wwwDOTaish.com/f/mom/The_Duggar_Family.html

For those who don't know, this is an orthodox Jewish site, but it definitely tries to appeal to secular people as well. I'm sort of shocked they'd do duggar defense...maybe the trip to Israel won Aish writers over? Still seems pretty odd though.

edited to break the link

Nothing aggravates me more than when pro Duggar folks pull the "feminism" card. So, forcing your oldest daughters to take care of your youngest children is "feminist" now?

Last I checked it was the diametric opposite of feminism.

[GeoBQn]

Once more, with feeling.

I don't dislike JimBob and Michelle Duggar because I am "jealous" of them. I like having a college education, being able to work outside the house in the field of my choice, reading books of a variety of subjects, watching a variety of TV shows, having an open mind, being an equal partner in marriage with my husband, and using birth control both to plan my future family and treat a chronic medical condition.

My dislike for them is entirely rooted in:

1. The fact that they are setting their kids up to fail, in so many ways.

2. That while Michelle had the choice to get pregnant, most people make their choices based on how their decision will effect themselves and everyone in their life. Michelle made hers without regard for how it will impact the rest of her family.

3. That JimBob and Michelle are part of a movement that wants to turn America into a dominionist Christian theocracy. Once again, they flaunt Michelle's "choice" to get pregnant--and it is a choice that, given the chance, she would take away from all other women.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Right in the second line of the article, the author admits that she doesn't ever watch the show. I think that says it all.

In other words - she hasn't seen the stuff that most FJ regulars find most objectionable. She doesn't realize that it's not about hating any large family, but a more specific objection to exploiting your kids on reality TV, farming out primary responsibility for the younger children to an older buddy, teaching girls that they must be under the "authority" of a man, including a vow to always reject birth control right into Josh's wedding ceremony, actively promote an extreme philosophy in their show, and proudly share with the world that they are perfectly willing for Michelle to die during a high risk pregnancy instead of using birth control.

Yes, as a feminist, I would not control anyone's fertility, which means that I wouldn't seek to forcibly prevent Michelle from having another baby. OTOH, that doesn't mean that I need to refrain from saying that it's a crazy idea.

[MamaJunebug]

aish.com/f/mom/The_Duggar_Family.html

I tried to comment. The site crashed. I may go back later today, to say that as a feminist, I strongly support choice as well as education, which none of the 19 kids have gotten or are getting, and I support common sense, which tells me that if a mother and baby both die on pregnancy #19, there's no reason to go for pregnancy #20 except for the most craven reasons: publicity and mo' money mo' money.

I also would say that the psychologist who makes the blanket statement that two-children families are certainly leading to a generation of self-involved, selfish people who are afraid of hard work is both irresponsible ... and cadging from the "Me Generation" screeds of the '80s. Think up something new, Sigmund!

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Interesting.

On other purely secular snark sites, I often see posts in favor of the Duggars because supposedly they're "doing it right" because they supposedly "pay their own way." Most of the people saying that (while at the same time being horribly critical of anyone they don't approve of or anyone poor having a kid and needing some aid, for however short a time) haven't watched the show either.

And I'll admit, *I* have never seen the show either other than a few YouTube clips, but when looking around for information on quiverfull I stumbled onto the "Television Without Pity" website and read quite a few endless fascinating threads (that always got in trouble for going off topic from specifically the TV episodes - I was happy to find FJ from a post there!) that made it clear to me that all wasn't sweetness and light at that house, nor is it really "paying their own way."

[pomology]

Side note, but whenever I see Aish.com (and I used to see it all the time in Lina's sidebar), I always think "Aye-eesh" in my head, even though I know that's not how it's pronounced. Why did they transliterate it as Aish? Why not Eysh, which to me seems far closer to the Hebrew word for fire?

Sorry. I just had to vent about this.