Alright, I'm Just Gonna Say It...

[Leta]

Yeah, that's a much better way of putting it, that they were self reliant- they don't accept government assistance or charity, and were self employed.

Now, though, they are employees of TLC. So they aren't quite as self reliant as what they were previously.

 

[k15n1]

Sheri and Whoopi both describe the Duggars as being "very self sufficient" and Elisabeth was seemingly amazed that they make their own wipes and built their own house.

Being SS is hard because it takes time to learn what works. We talk about it like it's just a matter of doing certain things, but I think it's a matter of knowing what to do. Learning takes time. And my progress toward being SS has been rather slow, so I'm willing to cut them some slack. Still, it's produced to make them look a bit like a freak show. And I haven't heard anyone mention SS when talking about the Duggers... Most people are distracted by all those kids!

 

[Beekissed]

I think we've all agreed on here that true self-reliance is not achievable on this Earth and never truly has been. Every society can only truly thrive and produce with interdependence on trade/barter/reliance upon another. Hermits do not live past a generation or so, if that.

One can work and earn a living from an outside source and still be considered, largely and as much as possible, self-reliant. It's all about degrees....more or less.

If one worked a job off the farm and still farmed in the evenings and weekends, he would still be considered a farmer. Farmers who derive all their income from their farms do not consider these people "true farmers" but they both show up at the livestock auctions and unload the same animals~ just in different numbers.

I'd say that a family that grows most of their staple diet, avoids buying anything they can reasonably make with their hands or repurpose from existing items, produces food or income from their land and tries to depend as little as possible on the utility grid(hangs out clothes, solar/wind powered, wood heat, no city water ~or any combination of that) can be safely considered as MORE self-reliant than their typical neighbor.

It doesn't have to be an all or none prospect. One can have a day job and live on a homestead or farm and be working on being more self-reliant than the norm.

 

[Tractor girl]

My understanding is that they don't pay taxes on their place as they home school and conduct their children's religious studies there, so their home is considered a "church" and therefore, tax-exempt. They are being subsidized by the government in this way. I don't think they should be allowed to do this, as many parents teach their children religious beliefs at home. Should we all be allowed tax-exempt status? I thought teaching your children your value system at home was just part of parental responsibility, and part of our religious freedom. Somehow what they are doing just seems underhanded and dishonest to me.
I also do not like the fact that Michelle spends three months with each new baby, and then assigns their care to one of the older girls. The boys are completely out of the loop on this. She keeps breeding and uses the older girls as slave labor. Just not right. As she gets older, pregnancy will become increasingly difficult for her, and the babies will be more in peril, but it's not my place to question how many children she chooses to have. Many women have assorted female problems after three, four, five babies. It's amazing to me that her female anatomy is still functioning. I have not checked to see if their show is sponsored by Depends, though.
I agree that they are not self-sufficient, but I'm sure the words are applied to them because they are currently "buzz-words", which make the Duggar family seem more relevant, instead of cult-like. It's marketing.
I would watch your show, and I'm sure I would learn a great deal. There should be a place on network or cable TV for some REAL self-sufficient broadcasting. If they produce a show like that, people will watch. There is so much to be learned!

 

[Leta]

Certainly, no one is completely self sufficient because no man is an island. We are social animals. We need each other, like it or not.

I just get a bit exasperated by the buzzword thing. I agree that it's a continuum, but I think the spectrum has to actually begin somewhere, rather than being, "Oh, I'm self sufficient... I can use the bathroom all alone..."

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

hmm...maybe I could get a show....I have 6 kids AND we're trying to live as self sufficient as possible in our circumstances.

 

[Marianne]

Certainly, no one is completely self sufficient because no man is an island. We are social animals. We need each other, like it or not.

I just get a bit exasperated by the buzzword thing. I agree that it's a continuum, but I think the spectrum has to actually begin somewhere, rather than being, "Oh, I'm self sufficient... I can use the bathroom all alone..."

Hey, I want a show, too. I'm truly on my way to being a SS hermit.

 

[TanksHill]

I think some of the above comments are a bit harsh.

More power to them. They are making a great family.

And by the way this morning they announced on the Today show #20 will be here in April.

God bless them and the wonderful children they are raising.

g

 

[Leta]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean this to be harsh. As far as I know, the Duggars have never made a claim to self sufficiency, that was a label that was used by the hosts of the View. I don't mean this as attack on them, I'm just saying, they aren't SS. They are a very mainstream family that is more religious and larger than the typical family, but their lifestyle is very, very mainstream. And I would say this if they had one kid, or 20, or 5. Running to WalMart or Aldi for everything is what most people do.