No matter how Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar want to spin it, they’re the only ones to blame.
It is not a “bad choice” to molest your baby sisters.
The truth is not more traumatising to the victims than the abuse itself.
These lies are just two more for the mountain of untruths that the Duggar family have piled up over their lives.
Today, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar gave an interview about the fact that their son, Josh, abused five girls in their home. In the course of that interview, the Duggars revealed that their daughters, Jessa, 22 and Jill, 24, were two of Josh’s five victims.
You can watch the interview here. (Post continues after the video).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBEhb_XmeHw
Now, there’s no doubt that the Duggars have some explaining to do. They knew that their son was assaulting their daughters. They knew for at least four years before telling the police. They sent him on a working holiday with a friend in order to treat him for his “mistakes”. Yes, it’s fair to say that we have some questions for the Duggars.
So what did the Duggars actually say when confronted with the years in which they did nothing to protect their daughters from an incestuous sex offender living under their roof?
They said: “We’ve tried to raise our kids to do what’s right – to know what’s right – and yet one of our children made some really bad choices and I think, as a parent, just… we were devastated.”
Bad choices.
The Duggars think that Josh made some “bad choices”.
At 14 and 15, Josh crept into his little sisters’ rooms and touched them on the breasts and their genitals while they were sleeping. Five little girls. Who should have been safe in their beds, safe in their homes.
These were not bad choices. Bad choices at 14 are not doing your homework. Or forging a note to get out of PE. Bad choices are hiding ciggies in your school bag. A bad choice is pashing your boyfriend behind the school toilets.
IT IS NOT SEXUALLY ASSAULTING YOUR LITTLE SISTERS WHILE THEY SLEEP.
That’s not a bad choice. That’s a criminal act. It’s the act of someone who needs urgent intervention, treatment and punishment.
So you want to see ALL the Duggars? Here is the wholesome face that the Duggars show to the world(Post continues after gallery):
Perhaps more importantly, the Duggars’ daughters were not victims of a bad choice. They were victims of crime. They were victims of incest. They deserved to be protected, supported, counselled. Not treated as if they were just incidental witnesses to their brother’s poor choices. Not forced to live with their abuser. Not forced to watch on as their parents did nothing to make sure they were safe.
So, what have the Duggars said today about the abuse their daughters suffered? Have they been contrite? Have they acknowledged their abrogation of responsibility? Have they begged for forgiveness?
Nope.
Michelle told interviewer, Megyn Kelly: “They [the girls] have been victimizsed more by what has happened in these last couple weeks. And they weren’t told years ago because they honestly – they didn’t even understand or know that anything had happened until after the fact when they were told about it.”
According to their parents, their daughters have been more victimised by coverage of this story than by being sexually assaulted by their brother in their beds.
Because – obviously – that was no big deal.
Time and time again, the Duggars have minimised the enormity of what has happened to their daughters. They have hidden it, they have played it off, they have told everyone (including their daughters) that it is not a big deal.
Is it any wonder why Jessa is playing the assault down herself? “I’m like, that is so overboard and a lie really,” she told the interviewer today. “I mean, people get mad at me for saying that but I can say this because I was one of the victims.”
Without a doubt, the fact that the world knows that they are survivors of incest is immeasurably hard for the Duggar daughters. To see this played out in the media would be difficult for any survivor. But let’s remember that it was the Duggars who named their daughters today. It was the Duggars who invited cameras into their homes for 20 seasons of a tv show, after their son had confessed that he had been molesting his sisters.
The Duggars courted the attention of the media and the world at large – until the world discovered their dirty secret. And now they want to blame the media for exposing their neglect.
No matter how much the Duggars want to spin it, this story isn’t about Josh Duggar’s bad choices.
It’s about the bad choices made by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, over and over again.
The bad choices that saw them fail to report a grievous crime.
The bad choices that saw them protect an abuser at the expense of their daughters.
The bad choices that saw them today sit in front of a global audience and tell the world that an incestuous assault is just a childhood prank.
What should the Duggars have done when they discovered their son’s abuse?
Looking for more on the Duggar’s? Try these:
The one important thing missing from the Duggars cover-up.
Top Comments
What is the "right" way for a family to cope after this revelation??
I read a very interesting article from the perspective of men who were sexually attracted to kids, and didn't want to be, but had no idea how to change.. There is no mechanism or community to help these men NOT follow these urges. What if this Duggar guy is truly repentent? Do we allow that, or are there no second chances? I don't even know if I believe he should be given a second chance (what he did was inexcusable) but I do wonder what is the alternative way forward in this situation??? I have no idea how I'd cope if I discovered a family member was abusive.
The parents should have sought help/counselling for their son and taught him what he did was wrong. Instead, they hid it, swept it under the carpet, and acted like it was no big deal.
I feel this is quite a sensationalist article. Firstly, '...they're the only ones to blame'. No. They are two people to blame. The key person to blame is the offender, in addition to the parents for enabling it, and failing to protect their daughters. To fail to protect their daughters is morally and ethically unforgivable. However, this article has completely failed to investigate the experience of parents when you gain the knowledge that one of your children is offending against your other children. It is not an easy experience for parents. This absolutely does not excuse their continuing to enable his offending. But some intelligent exploration of the issue, as opposed to sensationalist repetition of 'The bad choices', would have done this article much more justice. For anyone wishing to learn more about child offenders, particularly offences against their own siblings, I would recommend watching 'Kid Criminals Season 1 Episode 1'. Please pick up your game Mamamia, and explore these issues intelligently.
I couldn't agree with you more.
Couldn't agree more.
I agree- This is such a complex area. They may have felt their decision was in their daughters interest- making a big deal, dragging in counselors would have been very harmful to me as a child having had similar experiences to the Duggars. My parents reacted similarly and I think it was the best course of action in my situation.
Also downplaying the Dugger girls responses and not listening to their answers, negating their experience telling them they MUST be damaged is really even more damaging. I have no doubt this carry on an sensationalist journalism wallowing in the drama is fundamentally more harmful.
I suggest you back off with the mega judgement. Listen to the experiences of a family- child and adult because they are far to common. I can relate to these people and my blood boils when you tell people how they should react to something like this. LIve it before you judge.
About time you did some real journalism and explores the issues this present instead of hating on the Duggars, lets look into the dynamics that cause these situations, how to protect your own kids, what is the best way to react in these situations. I don't think involving the police with teens is beneficial to anyone - unless the parents actions do not work.
Being sent away from your family for three months when your only 14 was a punishment and one I hoped worked. The girls say it did so maybe listen to them.