TLC stars the Duggars 19 Children and Countingsuperficially presented as an eccentric real-life version of the characters. Dozens of Cheaper. Beneath this facade, however, were religious fanatics who adhered to an extreme form of patriarchal Christianity that opposes abortion, disapproves of LGBTQ+ rights, and manipulates women through scriptures that constantly encourage women to get pregnant. Four episodes of Prime Video Bright Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets It is a brutal overthrow of the Arkansas clan, led by the testimony of two members of his clan.
However, it is also a revelation of the role played by the Duggars as key supporters of a sexist evangelical crusade designed to humiliate, dominate and disempower its female members, while also spreading its message into the corridors of US political power. As such, it’s also a goddamn indictment of TLC and its parent company, Warner Discovery, that helps illuminate a reactionary and deeply misogynistic movement.
Faith of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, 19 Children and Counting. However, its fundamental ties to the Institute for Fundamental Living Principles (IBLP), an ultra-there association founded by Bill Gothard, were less obvious. From the 1950s to the 1800s, Gothard preached a Christian doctrine that men were perfect heads of household and women were their submissive wives, as seen in copious seminar talks and promotional videos. Demanding purity and humility from girls, inflicting corporal punishment on children (smacks will bring them in line!), deterring people from reporting abuse, or giving fathers – and other male figures – full authority over their daughters’ lives (especially dating and marriages (basically arranged) It was and continues to be a system of physical, psychological, emotional, and sexual control and abuse.
If Jim Bob and Michelle’s relationship with IBLP was overlooked by TLC’s hit show, it was obvious; instead, the network chose to profit from them and their fundamentalist lifestyles without even getting an inch below the surface. Bright Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets it does just that, using copious amounts of archive images ( 19 Children and Counting and IBLP materials) to highlight the links between the Duggars and their beloved religious organization. It turns out that these links extend to pedophilia and incest. During the family’s TLC golden age, it was revealed that eldest son Josh Duggar molested five underage girls, including his four sisters, but that scandal was swept under the rug by Jim Bob and Michelle (Fox News special hosted by Megyn Kelly full of her program) where her abused sisters defended her). The same was true for Gothard and his brother Steve, who were accused of caressing, assaulting and raping minors (which caused Bill to leave the IBLP) and yet did not face any legal consequences for their alleged crimes.
Josh may have gotten away with his early crimes, but he wasn’t so lucky when he was arrested by the feds in 2019 for possession of horrific child pornography. Josh, who is currently serving a 12-year sentence behind bars, Bright Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets as the inevitable byproduct of the evangelical-homeschooling pipeline that obsessively identifies sex as bad, conveys values of male superiority and female subordination, and protects criminals and blames victims.
Director Julia Willoughby Nason and Olivia Crist’s documentary series shows Josh’s behavior in line with this culture’s trajectory. The many ex-IBLP members (Lindsey Williams, Tia Levings, Heather Heath, Lara Smith, Chad Harris, Tara, and Floyd Oathout) who boldly describe Gothard’s horrific experiences in his de facto cult attest to this. They describe being educated with nonsense (“Hands are made of ‘lifeless’ atoms’”) and “Wisdom Booklets” filled with teachings that instill fear and shame, and were threatened and harassed by their male compatriots, none of whom they could get. Considering they had been brainwashed into thinking that meek submission was their sacred duty, they objected.
Elsewhere in the documentary series, Duggar family friends Jim and Bobye Holt discuss their shock and horror at Josh’s actions and the relief they felt when he spoke out against them at his trial. Still, the biggest “achievement” Bright Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets One of Josh’s main victims, Jill Dillard (née Duggar), sits down with her husband Derick for a long conversation about living under the roof of Jim Bob and Michelle, the morals she’s been brainwashed to accept, and her eventual decision to separate herself from him. (née Duggar). relatives.
Jill ignores any outright accusations against Josh and has more than once made it clear that she wishes her own harassment had never been made public – a clear example of how deeply she was taught to protect crime (and criminals). However, she criticizes her upbringing and the fact that she was never properly compensated for her show and participation. 19 Children and Counting or the post-Josh scandal spin-off Jill and Jessa: TrustingHe talks about another way evangelicals take advantage of people: through financial exploitation, which often involves child labor.
Jill’s cousins Amy King and Jim Bob’s sister Deanna also enlist the Duggars for their violations, adding more inner voice to this censorship of reality TV stars and therefore the religious group that uses them as proselytizing tools and entertainment machinery. gave them a platform. TLC and its parent company, Bright Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets for turning this retrospective piety into something lovable and pleasant. This condemnation is only heard louder in the final episode of his docu-series when he – as commented by attorney Alex Harris – shows that the Duggars and the IBLP are part of a larger “Generation of Joshua” campaign to promote and elevate young Evangelicals to the most powerful positions. across the country from the Senate to the White House and the Supreme Court. Far from a signal, the Duggars are portrayed as leaders of a movement intent on theocratic revolution (also backed by a wave of Christian social media influencers).
In the wave of conservative fanaticism in the USA in 2023, Bright Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets It turns out that the Duggars aren’t weird anti-birth-control maniacs, but sneaky radicals with a hideous agenda. It’s a revelation that resonates as a warning about the rising tide of religious Americans. Handmaid’s Tale closer to a dream than a nightmare.