I wrote an article on the Duggar family, stars of TLC’s 18 Kids and Counting, and felt I needed to follow up after comments indicated a misunderstanding of my thoughts.

For one, the original article was not intended as an indictment on the Duggars, but rather ABC.com for bringing in environmentalism as an argument against having a large family. I thought the authors strayed far from the topic at hand (the birth of the Duggar’s 19th child) and inserted their own tilted perspective onto this so-called news article.

Actually, it is kind of scary to think that with the EPA’s declaration of carbon dioxide as a pollutant (don’t tell that to plants), some might try to use this as a justification to institute population controls like we see in China. Obviously, that is the general idea the author’s of that article were taking when they discussed “carbon legacies” when citing the tons of carbon dioxide those children will emit in their lifetime. Very scary, indeed, but this is a topic for another day.

Getting back to the Duggar’s, though, after watching several episodes of the show, they seem like good people; perhaps a bit odd, but then again they do have 19 children (and live in Arkansas). Of course, we all know how “real” reality television is (see divorce of Gosselin, Jon, and Gosselin, Kate).

That said, while I think they originally had good intentions when they started this huge family, I think at some point they quit worrying about what was good for the children and started worrying about how they could get more viewers (and thus more money and fame). The more children they produce, the more popular they become.

According to a Dallas Morning News Article, the Duggars were first noticed by the national media in 2003 when an AP photographer snapped their picture as the parents lugged their 14 children on their way to the voting polls. The picture ran on the cover of the New York Times.

In 2004, the Duggars starred in a USA channel documentary (child count at that point was 14 with the 15th on the way). They appeared in numerous documentaries as they cranked out two more babies before landing their own reality program 17 Kids and Counting in 2008 (changed to 18 Kids and Counting for season 2 and sure to be 19 Kids and Counting soon).

Since gaining media popularity, the Duggar’s moved up to a 7,000 square feet house. All of the appliances were provided by TLC and other sponsors. They appear to live frugally (at least when the cameras are rolling), but despite claims of success in real estate, it is doubtful they would enjoy the same standard of living had fame not supplemented their income. I also find it interesting that they seem to spurn watching television, yet parade their children in front of the cameras daily.

I do not think the Duggars are inherently bad people; quite the contrary. However, they did seize an opportunity for fame and fortune and continue to crank out child after child to feed the media beast. They can claim to be extolling the virtues of large families, but perhaps they should take a look at what their actions are doing to their own children. Beyond the traditional challenges of living in a huge family, their children are also being put behind a camera for a national audience to sit and gawk at. Only a fool would say that this will not have unintended consequences at some point.

Reality television has enhanced the lives of the Duggars by providing a comfortable standard of living. However, it has also spurred the perhaps harmful expansion of their family size and put the lives of 19 children under a spotlight which could prove psychologically damaging.

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?