Duggars: Darlings or Douchebags

It's almost time for the new season of The Duggars 730 Kids and Counting, I tell myself I won't watch it since reality programs represent everything that's currently wrong with television......and then I remember I don't own a Nielson box and in no way can contribute to a show's ratings. So guess what-I'm probably gonna watch it.

The Duggars represent a problem for me since as a general rule I despise anyone who creates a reality a show around their children; still the Duggars seem relatively unchanged since becoming Cable stars and they do have their positive attributes. Let's look at the Pros and Cons, shall we.........

Pros:
1) In this day and age of Real Housewives, it's nice to have a show built around people with strong moral values;even if some of those values are kind of ridiculous. (I'm still hoping for a time in the near future when Bravo runs out of lux locations for the Real Housewives franchise and is forced to create The Real Housewives of Dayton OH. It would concern a group pf actual housewives who's weekly routine involves going to PTA meetings, church, book club, shopping for crocs and oohing and awwing over the latest Vera Bradley bag. The season finale would involve a passive aggressive smack down over a stolen brownie recipe).

2) Unlike other famously large families-I'm looking at you Goslins-the Duggars were self supporting long before TLC came into their life.

3) For sheltered uberChristian kids they have been all over the United States, and have met many different kinds of people;including the Naked Cowboy.

4) Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar are still totally hot for each other-another way in which they are the anti John and Kate. It's pretty sweet to see a real married couple on television that is still very much in love.

5) No one from the show has tried to break into the music business.

6) They seem like a nice family, dammit!-so I can't really hate them.

However tons of things about the Duggar family disturb me, I give you.............

The Cons
1) I certainly don't think everyone should walk around in tank tops and booty shorts-especially not the mother of 730 kids-but Michelle Duggar's self imposed 'modesty' and  long jean skirt ensembles are too much. In some hot TLC on TLC action she stopped by Kleinfelds to try on dresses,(either for her son's wedding or a renewal of vows-I can't remember), and had to wear a 'modesty top' for her fitting. The 'modesty top'-or whatever the crap it was called-ensured her that no one would see the area from her neck down to her elbows.

As I said before, TOO MUCH. Granted I think even secular America needs to lighten up on their policy on nudity. If we have another nipple slip at the Superbowl it might usher in a new era of censorship.

2) The hair-where in the Bible does it say that God fearing Christian woman have to sport bad home perms that look like a botched homage to Elaine's hair on Seinfeld.

3) If you saw the episode where their oldest son got hitched-you know that the Duggars teach their children not to kiss before marriage. Let me repeat that, in the Duggar household their is no premarital KISSING. Apparently anytime you kiss someone you're giving a little piece of yourself to that person. Admittedly that's the way I feel about sex------but KISSING?!!! Apparently I gave away alot of myself to my classmates in acting class, and to random drunk dudes at parties in college...and to...oh, never mind. Now obviously I'm very much for saving yourself for someone special-but if you're going to be celibate past your early teens you need other outlets to explore your sexuality; whether that's making out, dancing sexily, dressing like a skank, or the big M. (Interestingly enough I don't think the Duggars have ever addressed masturbation-but then again in a house with that many people....where would you go to do it?)

4) My father grew up the oldest in a family of nine kids-which is now less than half the size of the Duggar family-and he will tell you the more children there are the more responsibility falls on the older siblings. In some ways being an older Duggar child involves being a babysitter twenty-four hours a day.

5) Which brings me to the thing that bothers me most about the Duggars.......their policy on birth control. I am a big, BIG, fan of birth control. I truly believe if Americans were more educated on the subject we could bring the abortion rate in this country down to almost nonexistent. If you haven't already guessed the reason the Duggars have such a large brood is that they believe birth control is evil. (I also think they both have a pregnancy fetish-but maybe that's just me). You can read all about their stance on birth control here on their website:
http://www.duggarfamily.com/aboutus.html
Of course I realize the Duggars aren't  jerks that have children to squeeze more money out of the government----but still, they're setting a very bad example. I know they are very earnest in their beliefs but can you imagine what a mess the world would be in every family had 730...er....20 kids. *Sigh* Whatever , who am I kidding ---I'm still totally going to watch the new season.