After garnering a slew of comments on my recent blog post about the Duggars, I thought I’d take the time to respond to a few of these people.

Janice says: …It doesn’t appear that they are having kids any faster than they did before they were in front of cameras. I do hope that they stop and think of their other children after this scare, they need their mother…

They may not be having kids any faster than before, but then again by the time they started filming documentaries, Michelle Duggar was already in her late 30′s with 15 kids. I second the hope that they see this scare as a sign to stop having children. I don’t think God wants all of these children to be without a mom.

Jennifer says: …I seriously doubt they continued to have kids just because of a TV show…

Okay, so what is the real reason?

SGW555 says: The Duggars have a zillion children because they subscribe to the Quiverfull Movement, which is basically about repopulating the US with white, Christian ’soldiers’. It’s all wrapped up in ‘children are blessings’ nonsense, but essentially it’s about having as many babies as possible so that Christianity remains dominant.

Maybe you are right. Maybe this is not about money, but rather more about fame. The more famous they get, the more they spread their message of, “have as many Christian kids as possible.” Still, I think the money does play some part in their thinking; how could it not? If they didn’t want or need the money to help support all those kids, it would seem almost cruel that they put their family through such media scrutiny. I would guess it is a combination of both motives.

Mary says: …With that in mind many people are thinking in terms of when does having more children become less about the health and welfare of the children and a huge loving family, and more about having a obsessive desire to add to the clan…

Yeah, I would say having more than 10 children could be considered a compulsion or maybe a symptom of Narcissism.

Kelly says:…Well, before this world became so liberal and went to the “if it feels good, do it” mentality, families like these were the norm…And people always supported there president, no matter whether they agreed or not…

Funny, I think the Duggars seem to be the main subscribers of the “if it feels good, do it” mentality with little care for the consequences of having so many children. And since when was blind patriotism a good thing?

Dale Snynder says: The author is a true douchebag with zero understanding of the Family or the show… The Duggars were expecting their 15th kid and were building their current house BEFORE TLC came knocking…You are a total douchebag for insinuating people from Arkansas and/or Christians who believe in family are odd.

People can be brutal. State one opinion and you are the jerk of the universe. Glad to see you know the Duggars on such a close personal level, Dale.Seriously, though, you might want to check your facts. The Duggars built their home in 2006, after they had already starred in one documentary special and made numerous television appearances. TLC made a special about them moving into their new house and helped supply it with goods as well. And then you have to call me a douchebag again. Come on, Dale, surely you can think of another insult to throw. And no, I do not think Christians who believe in family are odd. People who have 19 children are odd.

Dawn says: Why should you all be entitled to your negative opinions and these people aren’t entitled to make decisions for their family without someone having something to say about it? Kind of weird don’t you think?

Maybe if they didn’t want people commenting on their family decision, they wouldn’t PUT THEMSELVES ON TV every week.

Raequel says: …It appears that you are poor, wretched, and blind. You would love the freedom they have in Christ, but envy has eaten you up…Why would someone on the outside looking in be so concerned with the welfare of their lives in such a negative capacity when you have not been appointed as their Nanny, maid, financial provider, pastor, friend, etc…After all, God so loved the world, (that would include you), that He gave His only son that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish. You are perishing my friend.

I was writing an opinion article about stars of a television show for entertainment purposes. Calm down, people. You are getting on my case about drawing conclusions about the Duggars, but I believe you just told me I am a bad person and facing internal damnation based on one bit of writing.

Eric says: To other commenters… I would encourage you to not be so harsh. Some of your words are very unlike the spirit of the Duggards and do your view more harm than good…

Got to agree with you there, Eric. The Duggars seem like much nicer people than their fans who have been posting on this article.

Kitcat says: …For the idiots who deem the Duggars “abusive”…I invite you to spend a day in a pediatric ER and see REAL abuse…

That is a great point and I want to clarify that I do not believe the Duggars are abusive or even remotely on that path. My main point is that I think their family size combined with having their lives dissected on television could have adverse consequences on the children.

…Our planet simply cannot sustain the growing population of increasingly greedy and resource-hungry humans. Having child after child without regard for the Common Good is, in itself, immoral in my opinion. I truly wish more people would realize this and stop selfishly having child after child for what I see as purely their own self interest…

Glad to see the communists/hippies chime in on the subject. Point taken and rejected.

Carle says: ..And, for those who think they are so wonderful because they are debt free – keep in mind they make a lot of $$$ off the TV show and also claim their home as a church so they don’t have to pay taxes…

If this is true, that is pretty weird and cultish.

Brandon says: You know, I agree with Zach. What’s disgusting to me is the fact that he wrote an opinion, and then got vilified for it because 90% of the people reading the article can’t seem to do what he’s doing (which would be thinking for ones’ self). It’s a freakin’ OP-ED piece people, learn to take an opinion as that: AN OPINION!..

For further reference, all that I have written is my opinion intended for your entertainment. I have no ill will towards the Duggar family and wish them well.

I avoid “reality” television like former President Bush avoided books and Vietnam. The Jon & Kate Plus 8 saga, however, has recently crossed over into the ‘interesting’ category.

There are many allegations coming from all parties involved, and I am not hip enough to know about all of them. After watching Jon Gosselin on Larry King this weekend, I am able to string together a few questions about the entire drama.

First, it remains to be seen who is the true monster in this story. Did TLC, in all its corporate glory, find a couple it could exploit? According to Jon Gosselin, that is just what happened. Naturally, parents of eight children could use a few easy bucks. Jon alleges he was not allowed to consult an attorney per the contract, so does anyone really expect corporate attorneys to draft a fair contract? Did the Gosselins really know what they were getting into?

Then there is Jon’s behavior. Though I do not make excuses for such behavior, let everyone remember that sudden celebrity and access to money is often a road to infidelity and/or substance abuse. It is easy for the common person to say he will never do drugs or cheat on his wife. Put in a situation where attractive women are constantly available, however, and many a strong men have broken.

Again, I do not condone that behavior, but it would seem odd that America wants to chastise a man for doing what so many men in history have done; seemingly a bit of human nature, if the corporation truly is the monster in the room.

Then there are the legal issues. Did TLC have the right permits? Permits are not necessary to film documentaries. Jon Gosselin’s statements prove that these shows are not ‘reality’ at all. If they are directed, rehearsed, written, etc., then TLC would have needed a permit to shoot the show when it seems they did not. Another case of a corporation trying to cut corners to make some money?

On the matter of money, what are the eight children being paid? According to Jon, the children are paid nothing directly. The family of 10 makes about $1 million a year, to be divided evidently how Jon and Kate see fit. Some experts say the show brings TLC $186 million a year. With so much income generated by the show, how is the family, especially kids who should not be employees at their respective ages, not compensated accordingly?

Finally, there is the issue of renaming the show. According to Jon, he made the decision to cancel the show on some of the grounds stated above. He says the papers were filed before TLC decided to pull his name from the show. He seemed rather adamant about this, and it would be easy to prove. Will we find that TLC is merely pulling his name from the show to undermine his attempts to cancel the show for the sake of his children?

As this show and others have proven, ‘reality’ shows are a joke. Though the Gosselins may be repugnant characters willing to sell the privacy of their children, what about the corporation that would offer to buy such a thing? Though the story of this family of 10 has never interested me, the new legal issues have caught my attention. Will the verdict point towards Jon Gosselin’s lack of character or something far more sinister: the character of a network willing to exploit a family, and the Americans who would enjoy such a concept?