These two have been major bees in my bonnet practically since they crossed my radar, mostly because of the back-ass-wards fundamentalist Christian views they spew, chiefly via their ‘reality’-television series, 19 Kids and Counting, even more because of the way they exploit their offspring, and deny them any freedom and agency (though the adult offspring are now willing victims) in the name of pushing their religious views and agenda, inspired chiefly by fallen preachers Doug Phillips and Bill ‘Grab-Ass’ Gothard, who were caught with their pants down. So no surprise these two subhumans would be among the first entries into my personal rogues’ gallery. It was either them or Faytene Kryskow.

The recent kerfuffle over Chapter 119 of Ordinance No. 5703 in Fayetteville, Arkansas is just the tip of a very sordid iceberg. I myself first learned about the Duggars and the fundamentalist-Christian movement they’re members of, Quiverfull, in an article in Bitch magazine, titled ‘Multiply and Conquer,’ which discusses Quiverfull’s, and the Duggars’, anti-woman views, which state women’s sole purpose for existing is to marry heterosexual men–chosen by their fathers, of course–and pop out kids like Pez dispensers, like Michelle Duggar has done (though I speculate she decided on her own to marry Jim Bob). Further research showed–surprise, surprise–that they’re also anti-gay. And, on one episode of 19 Kids, the family visits the Creation Museum run by Ken Ham, and talks crap about evolution–or, rather, the typical creationist strawman of evolution. And let’s not forget Michelle Duggar’s denial that the world is overpopulated, and that, in the same breath, she quoted the late Mother Teresa: “Saying there are too many children is like saying there are too many flowers,” then added, “We need more children because we need more joy.” This last statement is the most selfish one I’ve ever heard, especially considering the world’s population is now at seven billion people (that’s billion–with a ‘B’), and I submit to anyone reading this that if you feel the need to bring kids into this world who never asked to be here because you need more joy in your life–especially if you can’t find other ways to get it–there is something seriously wrong with you, and you need to seek professional help–pronto.

What angers me only slightly more than the way that Jim Bob and Michelle exploit their kids for their own personal gain and to push their nefarious fundamentalist-religious agenda is the amount of influence they have, especially among the poorly educated. Much like the Dalai Lama, the platitudes they utter are those of a simpleton, and not even original (though I seriously doubt, at this juncture, that they’re capable of anything even remotely resembling original thought), yet, much like the Dalai Lama, they, and their family, manage to generate enough charisma to inspire sycophantic fawning in as many people as they have, including some otherwise intelligent people–though I must credit those who have seen through the Duggars’ schtick, and called them out on it. But I still hope they don’t have more influence on politics than they should have, and that society can progress relatively unhindered.

Now, I realize Jim Bob, Michelle, and Company are merely part of a huger problem, and far be it from me to waste time chasing symptoms. But this couple has a wide platform, thanks to current celebrity culture, from which to spew their filth, and, as previously mentioned, exploit their kids in the process. As a result, I hope they, sooner rather than later, fade back into much-deserved obscurity and anonymity.