Stories that won't die

[turkey feather]

Does anyone have any new thoughts on the Duggard story?  It is beginning to look like discrimination against Christians to me. That boring show must have has a large following somehow to get so much interest in the media. Or was it the money the family was getting for the show? The story should not have been leaked after so many years to ruin this man's life.  Lots of severe crimes do not get this much attention on major shows.

[Kay/NC]

I will be honest:I have been zoned out on news lately. If I have picked up bits of this right, this young man is now accused of molesting five girls, one of them a sister.  This has evidently caused problems for the TV show about a family with 19 children "and counting". 

Frankly, I think is he has done this, he is not someone who should be held up as a celebrity.  It is not clear to me whether his parents knew of any of this abuse or not. I am not usre why families like htis are famous anyway. 

Yes, there is a tendency for stories like this to take on a life of their own, just as "Call me Caitlyn" did.  I am way less interested in the lives of other people...I like a good drama on TV, or a DIY show.  Reality TV is mostly lost on me.  SYTYCD and Idol are exceptions, but I can live without either one. 

Religion is not usually an issue, unless you make it one.  If this family has held up a mirror to its faith, then it has invited a bit of scrutiny on that account.  A lot of abuse of females and children goes on in religious communities...it recently came out on Dr. Phil that the Amish are especially cruel with physical punishments.     

[turkey feather]

Yes I agree with you on all points. I know the Amish stories are true because we have heard stories from the community near us for many years. I recently got a book written by an abused Amish woman telling of her abuse and how she overcame her past but I could not read the book. There are stories all the time from radical religious groups. I just saw another one in the news. I do not believe we will know the real story here. I just want the media to drop it.

[k-289]

Headlines are a great thing along with the spot light untill a questionable action comes along - long ago example Palm Sunday then Good Friday - interesting to this day ---

[SLC]

I have never understood the draw to watch that show.  There is nothing about it that interests me.   I do enjoy Duck Dynasty, Pawn Stars, and Survivor...  thats' about my reality limit.

[Kay/NC]

Mike is inexplicably drawn to several "reality" TV shows...and the whole tome he's watching them, he says, "They create all this drama just for TV!" 

Well, YEAH...DUH!!!

I will be so glad when "Survivor" runs its course.  Am not really sad to see "Idol" ending.  I do really enjoy the SYTYCD show, though.   It is my only exposure to dancing, and I find it very educational, as well as entertaining. 

As for any family that chooses to air its laundry on television, it can only be expected that something dirty might make its way to the line eventually, too. 

[manureseller]

 I think the only reality TV we watch anymore is either "The Voice" or Deadliest Catch and after that Todd may watch some shows but I really don't pay that much attention to them. 

[Kay/NC]

While all these cable networks need cheap programming - with no real writers or actors, reality TV fills the description - to fill the airspace, I am hoping for real comedies wnd dramas to rebound soon.

I remember how Erma Bombeck wrote a lot about her family life in her column, but I recall her also saying that she chose very careful wha she wrote about her three children. When these families hand theirs over to TV producers who only want ratings, it is a situation ripe for poor choices....

[Kay/NC]

Notice how fast the Caitlyn story is dying down? Most of the last half of its headline lifetime was over awards like the Arthur Ashe bravery one.

Stories sometimes are one report. Others have what used to be called " a long tail". Often, one allegation triggers another...look at the Dennis Hastert disgrace this month.

Some stories just invite further investigation, too. This pool party story in Texas is one that really bugs me...if you really scratch the surface there, none of those kids were supposed to be at that private neighbkrhood pool. It seems like a setup to create an incident.

[Suey73 · Accepted solution]

The Duggards  do not interest me at all.   Jenner seems to be fading fast.   Pool story has a tale that needs to be told.   But,  the media is so focused on police violence  that they don't want to know the rest of story.    This was not neighbor hood kids having a pool party .  This was organized party and no one made arrangements  to reserve the pool.   Regular residents didn't want to leave and the kids  then started an incident.   The cop quit too easy.   In 2 hours on the job that day  he dealt with:  one suicide,  one attempted suicide,  and then a pool incident.  

Kids,  when a cop tells you to do or not to do it.   Do what they tell you NOW!   Ask questions later,   Don't talk back,  Don't touch a police officer.     The cop might have over reacted.   But,  we don't see or hear what happened before the video.