Why I Take No Pleasure In the Duggar Family's Downfall
...and you shouldn't, either.
Amidst allegations of sexual abuse, TLC has reportedly cancelled all scheduled airings of its hit reality television show, "19 Kids and Counting." The show, which recently entered its tenth season, revolves around Jim Bob and Michele Duggar and their nineteen children. Conservative Christians (the family consider themselves "independent Baptists") and staunch Republicans, the family is deeply rooted in traditional values and has been lauded as being one of the only "wholesome" families on television. The children are homeschooled, dress modestly, interact only with other families who share their beliefs, and follow strict courtship rules which forbid sexual contact of any kind until after marriage, including hugging and kissing. The show has become a staple in TLC's lineup, with the October wedding special pulling in 4.4 million viewers, and its season finale boasting 2.2 million.
In recent years, the Duggars have become known not only for the size of their family but for their political activism working against LGBTQ and women's rights. Although TLC has been careful to keep discussions about the family's political beliefs on the cutting room floor, the Duggars have made a name for themselves in their home state of Arkansas and across the nation as being at the forefront of the fight against equal rights. In March of 2012, the Duggars used their considerable fame and influence to garner support for Rick Santorum, who opposes same-sex marriage and condemns the use of birth control, in his presidential campaign. After "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson was suspended from the show for homophobic remarks, the Duggars rallied behind him, stating in a blog post that the "real issue" behind Robertson's suspension was "religious intolerance." The Duggar's oldest child, Josh, became the executive director of the Family Research Council's legislative action branch in June of 2013. The group condemns LGBTQ and women's rights and is identified as a hate group. In August of 2013, Michele Duggar led a campaign protesting an anti-discrimination bill that would allow transgender people to use whichever public restroom they were most comfortable in, among other things related to LGBT rights. Michele recorded a phone call for voters in Arkansas in which she states:
The Fayetteville City Council is voting on an ordinance this Tuesday that would allow men- yes, I said men- to use women's and girl's restroom, locker rooms, showers, sleeping areas, and other areas that are designated for females only. I don't believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls. I doubt that Fayetteville parents would stand for a law that would endanger their daughters or allow them to be traumatized by a man joining them in their private space. We should never place the preference of an adult over the safety and innocence of a child.
They attend anti-LGBTQ and women's rights rallies, promote candidates for office whose beliefs are in line with theirs, and have likened abortion to the Holocaust. I could go on, but I am sure you get the picture.
There have been numerous attempts to have "19 Kids and Counting" cancelled, all of which have failed. The family has managed to emerge from every controversy they have encountered relatively unscathed. Until now.
A police report obtained by In Touch magazine accuses Josh Duggar of "forcible fondling" of five minor females, including several of his sisters, when he was fourteen and fifteen years old. The Duggars did not deny the allegations, releasing a statement through their Facebook page in which they acknowledge that Josh "made some very bad mistakes" as a teenager, but that the situation had been dealt with and that the difficult time ultimately "drew them closer to God." Josh also spoke out, stating that he had "acted inexcusably" and that he is "extremely sorry," but is "very thankful for God's grace, mercy, and redemption."
Those who rightfully opposed the show are now rejoicing, anticipating that the cancelling of future scheduled airings of the show is the first step in the cancellation of the series entirely. I, however, am not.
Did I want to see the show cancelled? Of course. Did I want to see it at happen at the expense of five minor girls who were molested, and never saw their attacker brought to justice? No. I wanted to see "19 Kids and Counting" cancelled because the voices raised in support of LGBTQ and women's rights had grown so loud that TLC could no longer ignore them. I wanted to see people rise up against the idolization of a family that teaches their daughters that the only value they possess are their reproductive organs. I wanted to see their audience shrink and advertisers pull their support because the Duggars have chosen to use their considerable fame to promote discrimination and fear. I wanted them to lose the soapbox on which they have preached a multitude of hypocrisies because we as a society no longer tolerate people who attempt to rob others of basic human rights based solely on their gender or sexual preference. Had their show been cancelled for any of these reasons, I would be joining the multitude of people who are celebrating the Duggar family's fall from grace. I would be overjoyed had we as a society had finally taken a stance against a family that promotes hatred while preaching love and acceptance, and that stance had been powerful enough to effect real change.
But that is not the case. None of those reasons was apparently enough to bring down the Duggar family. I am glad that "19 Kids and Counting" will most likely be cancelled in the near future. But I will take no pleasure in watching them fall.
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