Which does Jim Bob love more?

[Daenerys]

Many people on here say that JB will never let any of his daughters leave as he is addicted to having a personal harem waiting on him. However, I think that he is also addicted to the fame, validation and attention that comes through having his own TV show.

 

The show is dying, we all know that. One of the few things that might 'save' it for a season or two is if one of the J'Slaves, who are reaching the age when people start asking questions, gets married and has some sort of 'life' of her own. The fact that JB has sent Jana to intern at ATI, which is a notorious way of honourably husband-hunting, tells me that he is at least thinking about letting one of the girls go. Joy is old enough to 'take over' at 15.

 

The question is, does JB love his Harem or his TLC contract more?

[alba]

I'd hazard a guess that it's the TLC contract. He gets more fawning fans and more money this way.

[luckystone]

Hmm...well if he gets rid of just one, he'd still sort of have a harem. So he can have cake and eat i!

[tankgirl]

He needs TLC more, they need hair gel, "food" and perms. But I agree letting one go is probably the best to get the best of both worlds. I mean, hell even FJ can't always tell if the entire clan is together in one picture. As long as he keeps up the look of a huge clump of people for pictures, and the cameras, he is probably still happy. More then a few would be rough on him though.

[luckystone]

He needs TLC more, they need hair gel, "food" and perms. But I agree letting one go is probably the best to get the best of both worlds. I mean, hell even FJ can't always tell if the entire clan is together in one picture. As long as he keeps up the look of a huge clump of people for pictures, and the cameras, he is probably still happy. More then a few would be rough on him though.

Plus, adding a new person would add to the pictures. I don't think I've seen a single family shot lately without Anna and her kids. (Though I don't know if that's because it's the husband's family, maybe Jana would have to go off and hang with her husband's family for photos instead.)

[bananacat]

I don't think yet another courtship would save this snoozefest. Been there, done that, etc. However, if he did need a courtship, he could always find a wife for a son. JD is old enough, and I think the next son is 18 or close to it.

[lilwriter85]

I agree with bananacat, a courtship wouldn't save the show. Interest in the Duggars is starting to decrease for different reasons. I think about half of the people who watch the show aren't Duggar fans, they are people who watch the show as a case study. The other half are people who truly like the family, but I can see some of those people getting bored at watching JD court. Not to be mean, something seems off with JD.

[RR88]

Doesn't his large tract of land allow his married kids to live on his property and stay close by? If so, a wedding might be in the works if it means that whoever gets hitched also can come by on a regular basis and "joyfully help out".

[lilwriter85]

Doesn't his large tract of land allow his married kids to live on his property and stay close by? If so, a wedding might be in the works if it means that whoever gets hitched also can come by on a regular basis and "joyfully help out".

It does. I would be surprised if the family built another house near the TTH. There are a few fundies families that have similar compound setups.

[alice pleasance]

*doublepost*

[alice pleasance]

I think inside Jim Bob is panicking because he's had all these kids and only one so far is married off and with all the rules regarding dating I think it would be intimidating for anyone to approach him about dating his daughters and the ones who aren't intimidated are probably not suitable. I think he's stuck with a harem of spinsters.

[lilwriter85]

Boob could be panicking about that. But at this point, the other unmarried kids aren't seen as too old in fundie land. I think one of the Duggar girls will be married off in at least two years. The fundie girls that I worry about are Sarah Malley and Sarah Maxwell.

[mrs]

I agree with Bananacat and lilwriter85.

I also believe the theory, that TLC could end the show like "Kate Plus 8." This was mentioned by a poster on a previous thread. Showing the dark side would bring in a whole new audience.

I would start watching once more if TLC showed the unedited Duggars.

[dpndetfarm]

I think he loves the TLC fame and fortune best, but I also think he is arrogant enough that he doesn't even

realize his gravy train is coming to an end. I also think he assumes IF he marries off a daughter that she and her headship

will live on his compound. However, any male who is prestigious enough to come a courtin' at the Duggars will also

be expecting that his new unpaid labor will live where HE dictates so me thinks JB is in for a very rude awakening.

[silverspoons]

I think he is scared to trust any young man with his girls. He can talk about how they (both the young man/women) have learned to squash down the sexual feelings and concentrate on the courtship process but he KNOWS that the feelings will come up. He also knows what life is like without ATI/Gothard and sees Josh and maybe worries about how tempting it would be if he lets a daughter off to marriage or courtship they will change thier beliefs. Now if his fear of them leaving ATI or go too far with a boy is because of his beliefs or because of the TLC/image issue is up in the air to me.

I'm not into the harem theory. I think he likes how Michelle's child rearing responsbilites are taken care of and that his socks get packed but I doubt he cares if JoyAnna or Jessa packs his bags.

[Minerva]

Hmm...well if he gets rid of just one, he'd still sort of have a harem. So he can have cake and eat i!

If Jana has female grandbabies, won't that ultimately grow his harem, though? What with Michelle's childbearing days drawing to a close and concerns about Josh's health, he's probably looking for a new way to keep expanding his entourage.

Though I too would totally have been expecting it to be JD if it weren't for Jana going to ATI. Jana will have to move to wherever her husband lives, will she not? That would distance JB from his grandchildren, but on the other hand watching Jana move out of state might generate interest for an episode or two.

[lilwriter85]

I think he loves the TLC fame and fortune best, but I also think he is arrogant enough that he doesn't even

realize his gravy train is coming to an end. I also think he assumes IF he marries off a daughter that she and her headship

will live on his compound. However, any male who is prestigious enough to come a courtin' at the Duggars will also

be expecting that his new unpaid labor will live where HE dictates so me thinks JB is in for a very rude awakening.

I think Boob, Mullet, and Josh are the ones love the TLC fame the most. They are very arrogant and they love the attention from the show. I think at best, the Duggars might get another two seasons. I wouldn't be surprised if TLC decides to pull the plug this summer and then have a crew filming several episodes for a farewell season. TLC at this point as to know that a lot of people don't like the Duggars these days. Some of the episodes from last season didn't even get 1 million viewers. Also the Duggars have gotten backlash because of the Jubliee pictures and the video of Michelle saying that overpopulation is a lie. But Boob and Mullet are to dumb to realize that the video and other stuff they have done over the past several months are the nails in their TV show coffin. Once the show ends, they will likely try to have some speaking career. I suspect that won't last long. Some fundie circles or other Christian type circles will grow tired of the Duggars at some point. Boob and Mullet will hate not being in the spotlight at conventions or other events.

I agree with you, I can see Boob being in for a rude awakening if married off one of the girls and his son-in-law wanted to live away from the family. The Duggars seem pretty nosy to me about a lot of things. Mullet and the J'Slaves at times seem very nosy about Josh and Anna's life. I wonder if Anna ever gets tired of having to hang out with her in-laws almost 24/7.

[alba]

Here's a thought: Jim Boob and Jichelle (and their fans) make big of how they're raising their kids to be responsible adults, but so far only one of their 6 (?) adult children even displays a façade of independence. Their daughters staying at home doesn't reflect well on them as parents because it shows that they haven't raised them to be responsible adults. A daughter marrying and running a household, while not financially independent and doing pretty much what she's already doing at home, would at least look to be more responsible.

[lilwriter85]

Here's a thought: Jim Boob and Jichelle (and their fans) make big of how they're raising their kids to be responsible adults, but so far only one of their 6 (?) adult children even displays a façade of independence. Their daughters staying at home doesn't reflect well on them as parents because it shows that they haven't raised them to be responsible adults. A daughter marrying and running a household, while not financially independent and doing pretty much what she's already doing at home, would at least look to be more responsible.

I often laugh whenever the Duggar lovers say that the older kids are responsible adults. The only adult Duggar kid that would do ok completely on his own away from the family would be John David. Joshie boy can't support his own without daddy or TLC. The Duggar girls don't have any work experience I do think they are pretty responsible at home, but I can see them having problems in a workplace. The Duggar girls are used to Duggar time and that would not go over well in retail places, restaurants, or even in cleaning businesses. At some point, Boob is going to be questioned more about JD or any of the girls aren't married off.

[Patsy]

Oh, I'd say most of the daughters are very responsible. They step up to the plate when kids are crying without complaint. Independent, however...

[Elle]

I think he loves whichever one is the path to more personal glory and adoration. If he had to pick his kids or the show, and one had to go away forever, he would pick his kids. If the show were to go away, he could still make money selling books and going on tours. If he ditched the kids, people would hate him and he'd never get another penny.

[FlorenceHamilton]

I think that a proper suitor for one of the girls would be more of a draw than the same for JD. The key word here is "proper". ATI girls are very well trained. It is key to completely break down the female sense of self. They do well on camera because they know nothing more than to keep sweet. Males are taught to be rather helpless and arrogant. As we can see now that Smuggar has more freedom, it does not make a very attractive package. The Duggars will be hard pressed to find an ATI young man who has drunk enough of the Kool-aide to be acceptable but is physically attractive enough for the camera and has a personality that is amiable enough to not piss off the viewers. The family has truly boxed itself into a corner with the future of their daughters.

[chiccy]

I don't think Jim Bob is so into the harem. The only harem he needs is Michelle. I think he's as smitten with his baby-voiced, former-cheerleading sweetheart as ever.

I think they are trying to get the girls married. One very perceptive thing someone mentioned on one of the why-aren't-they-married threads is that fundie boys are probably scared of being thrust into the public eye and having the skeletons in their closets discovered and exposed. More generally, I can't imagine many good, humble guys being very into the idea of the show at all.