[Note: This article was written in 2011. It is getting a lot of views right now since the Josh Duggar scandal hit the news. I have written more about that here.]
Having confessed now to watching “Sister Wives,” I dig deeper into my TV watching habits. Periodically, I find I just have to discover what the Duggar Family (of “19 Kids and Counting” fame) is up to.
Last night, Jim Bob and Michelle announced to the family and to their loyal TV viewers that baby number 20 is now on the way. Everyone is SO excited at the news that 45-year-old Michelle is back at this. Her last child, Josie, was born four months premature, necessitating months and months of extremely expensive hospitalization, at no cost to them. Michelle’s blood pressure had gone through the ceiling, very much threatening her life. She says now that she is essentially willing to die in order to bring another baby into the household.
While I disagree with the reasoning, I do think that’s really their decision. My real problem is this: earlier in the show, the Duggar parents, particularly Jim Bob, proudly (could I even say “smugly”?) remind people that TV is forbidden to their children. Not one of those infernal machines in their house!
This reminder comes as we watch how much the children enjoy their lives in their giant and well-equipped home and how great it is to travel all over the place in their expensive vehicles or on flights around the country and overseas, and admitting that a routine trip to the grocery store can cost about $1300 and displaying how much time Jim Bob and Michelle spend with their children home-schooling them. Clearly, there is a good source of income here.
Could it be possible that one of their primary sources of income is the money they make from letting TV crews invade their house on a regular basis? Can anyone else see the hypocrisy here? What Jim Bob forbids to his children is more than likely the source of much of the cash that supports his comfortable life and makes it possible for him and Michelle (and their children) to continue to pop out babies as fast as possible.
So, in order for them to live this way, they have to hope that other people do what is forbidden to them, namely, watch TV. Since they find TV a source of temptation and worldliness, this would mean that they hope others expose themselves to that evil source for them to make money.
Am I the only one who sees the disconnect here? For Jim Bob to stay holy, he has to hope that lots of people sin?
Just the morning musings for the day.
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