Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets - Amazon Prime

[milestogo]

This covers the rise and fall of the Duggar family (19 children) into a television success, their affiliation with Bill Gothard/IBLP, and their ultimate downfall when their oldest son is revealed to be a sexual predator.

There are 4 segments, and I can't believe I made it through all of them without projectile vomiting at my television.

Things I did not know- there is an affiliation between a very authoritarian and patriarchal vision of Christianity and the Duggar family... the exploitation of the Duggar children and others as unpaid labor... the planting of a so-called Joshua Generation whose sole point is to have Conservative white woman procreate ad nauseum so that they have enough people in their camp to take over American government... and Madison Cawthorn is one of them.

I prefer to ignore this kind of thing, but we do so at our own peril. There are a lot of survivor stories in this documentary, and they are horrifying.

I did know some people who idolized Bill Gothard when I was in college. Most of them were pretty vulnerable in the first place. Give them a religion which is ABSOLUTE in every way and you exacerbate those tendencies.

I can understand why this might appeal to men. Its harder to understand why girls and women don't leave, but they are stripped of all power, confidence, and other resources by their families.

A must watch.

[dflprincess]

1. These people are even worse than I thought

Glad to see some of the kids getting out from under Jim-Boob and Michelle.

[milestogo]

3. I think being pro-choice means being open to the idea

that some people may choose to have a lot of children.

BUT, as the documentary points out, its not fair for girls who are still children themselves to be tasked with raising infants, doing laundry for 21 people, shopping and making meals for 21 people, and not having any contact with the world outside the family. Its not fair to isolate children from their chance to get a decent education.

There are various kinds of home schooling - I know people who were home schooled by their PhD holding parents, or correspondence school, or just taught by parents who used real educational materials. The Duggar kids just get indoctrination.

You can't give 19 children decent parenting because there aren't enough hours in a day. Even if you could afford nannies for everyone you still aren't giving the kids parental attention. They grow up with a lot of deficits.

[dflprincess]

9. It has nothing to do with how many children they had

Though 19 is a ridiculous number and, as you point out, not fair to the older siblings (mostly the girls) who get to act as the actual parent while still kids themselves.

it's the subjugation of women, the beating of children to teach them to not to have any independent thought (did you catch Michelle talking about "blanket" children), the lack of any real education (note the one girl who was told the only math she needed was fractions because those are used in baking) and the general dishonesty all in the name of Jesus.

[Ocelot II]

2. Just watched that - very creepy, with significant ramifications

way beyond the ickiness of the Duggar family. It's the whole authoritarian, unquestioningly obedient, submissive thing that's central to fundamentalist Christianity. The homeschooling movement is intended to train children that the only way to live that will save them from Hell is to be part of an authoritarian, rigidly hierarchical system in which men are the absolute masters and women are the servants whose "purity" is essential. They are even taught to evaluate other women's clothing for its tendency to tempt men - it's always women's fault if men are tempted, which means that it's always women's fault if men sexually abuse them. As a result, sexual abuse is rampant in these families and churches. Pretty scary stuff.

[milestogo]

4. It reminded me of the problems with the Amish.

Lots of Amish girls are raped by their male relatives, including brothers. In one case where a teenager reported rape, her brother went on trial and the whole Amish community turned out to support him. They all turned against her. He was found guilty but given a very light sentence.

[Ocelot II]

5. That's what's behind the excellent recent movie, "Women Talking."

It's based on a true story about a Mennonite community in which there was widespread sexual assault - sometimes women and even children were drugged and raped. https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a42418874/is-women-talking-based-on-a-true-story/

[MuseRider]

7. THAT was one of

my favorite movies in a very long time. So very well done.

[MuseRider]

6. I did not last long.

The idea of what they did, the way they spoke about it as if it was normal made me crazy. I was ready to punch every stupid male face that came on the screen and a couple of the women needed to be taken out, washed and completely re educated about human decency and what they should not expect and condone from the creepy men in their lives.

[CousinIT]

8. These people didn't magically go away. They've taken over our courts, our schools/school boards...

...and our state and federal legislatures and houses. They're insane and nothing short of a Theocracy based on THEIR INTERPRETATION of God/The Bible will appease them. People better wake the f*ck up. I call them the American Taliban for a REASON. They have GAINED A LOT OF POWER IN AMERICA NOW because people haven't been paying attention. They're taking over EVERYTHING.

[vanlassie]

10. Did you pick up on the fact that the men get to spank their wives?

And that Gothard has never been married and routinely picked from the 15-16 year old girls his “favorites?”

[CousinIT]

11. And they wag their kiddie-diddling fingers ....

... at drag queens & lbgtq people. Good distraction for idiots but the rest of us know better.

[vanlassie]

12. Also, I hear that the couple with with eleven kids,

the good friends of JB and Michelle, Jim and Bobye, are now separated. She got a ten year restraining order for him. …HMMMMM.

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13. The story that hit me in the gut was the girl

who had a beautiful wedding with 'God's chosen man' and was raped by him 3 times on her wedding night.

She married an abuser and had no way out.

[vanlassie]

14. Ugh.

[yankee87]

15. Corporal punishment

Another thing I noticed, didn’t you think that thaiold man pastor taking a rod to that little boy was way too happy doing it?
Violence begets violence

[dflprincess]

22. Way too happy

that was really twisted.

And these are the people who worry about drag queens.

[AwakeAtLast]

16. Research QUIVERFULL

But have some Pepto handy...

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17. uterine prolapse

down to their knees

[intrepidity]

18. Unfortunately, they are using natural selection to their advantage

by massively out-procreating every other sensible being.

How does one stop such a thing? I had to stop watching shortly after starting the first episode.

[milestogo]

19. You can't isolate your offspring forever.

I think a lot of these kids grow up and really resent that they were deprived of so much.

[intrepidity]

20. It is *so* hard to do that, though

The *vast* majority don't.

ETA: meaning, rebel from their upbringing

[Beaverhausen]

21. Just finished this. Holy shit!

Scary