... And Baby Makes 19!

Before this thread started circling the drain in typical SportsJournalists.com fashion, I thought I posted a comment (apparently, it didn't take) that Mystery Meat's and Zeke's takes were well-thought out and intelligent. Even though I don't agree with MM and don't think it's right for someone to breed like a Golden Retriever, I can see his point.

That said, parading yourself around like a circus sideshow because of this is reprehensible -- almost as reprehensible as these companies donating thousands of dollars to this family... a family that obviously has the means and wherewithal to sustain its lifestyle (which is approximately $5,000 a month, according to a story I read).

THAT, I think, is turning people off as much as anything else. Not the religious element.

 

Amen, said the congregation.

 

I think it's a chicken and egg issue. Is the family selling themselves, or did the sellers come to them first? By this point it's probably a wash.

Now I WILL say, and your post made me think about this, that if the parents are having kids as a way to keep themselves viable as a media sensation, then that's pretty fucking insane and a horribly cynical manipulation of what SHOULD be an act of love and, in their case, a perceived obedience to their Lord.

I might have overstated the religious implications, but I swear on a stack of AP stylebooks that this thread came up during their last kid (or even the last two or three, at the rate they're going), and it was pretty damning of them for the way they spoke of their faith. And I know it's come up in other places. But in fairness, it's not carrying this conversation. So I apologize for jumping that gun.

 

RE: One of the kids being named Jigger.

Odd as it sounds, that's been my dad's nickname all his life. Everybody in Shackelford County calls him that as opposed to his given name of Luther Weldon (he does use the middle name for business, however).

I have no idea how he got the nickname, but considering when and where he was born, there's bound to be a plausible explanation for it.

 

I believe Jinger is supposed to be pronounced like "Ginger." To keep the "J" thing going.

 

Are you upset at my joke zeke. tough. I thought you could handle humor. I guess I was mistaken.

 

Just go away, boots.

 

If you can't handle the humor zeke, perhaps you should go away.

 

You're right about that. It is pronounced Ginger. And it's cheating to spell it like that just because they ran out of legitimate J names.

 

But they didn't... as witnessed by upcoming addition Jennifer Danielle.

 

I find the "J" thing weird but not nearly as weird as naming both of your sons Manny Ramierez Jr.

While two of his daughters have a derivative of his name (Freeda George and Georgetta), all of George Foreman’s five sons bear his name: George Jr, George III, George IV, George V, and George VI.

there is Nicolas Cage with a Kal-el for his son

 

OK, I usually don't wade into these deep moral/ethical/philosophical discussions, but this is one that strikes my fancy a bit, so what the heck.

Why does anyone care how many kids someone else has?

Deciding how big a family a husband and wife want to have is the most personal of decisions. It shouldn't be up for public approval, at least in any civilized country. (I guess the Chinese government begs to differ).

On this board, we have literally hundreds of posters who use the "it isn't hurting anyone else, so it shouldn't be a problem" argument for any number of topics. Gay marriage. Marijuana use. Plenty of other issues I'm drawing a blank on right now.

So, if that's your belief system for things in life, then why should you be bothered by the fact that people who aren't in any way affecting you have chosen to have such a large family?

Whether they are choosing to do it out of some sort of religious ideaology, or just because they love kids, is really immaterial to the discussion. It's their decision, and it isn't hurting anyone else.

You don't want to have 19 kids? More power to you. As someone who has three and knows how big a handful they can be, I would agree with you that I don't want 19.

But make that argument. Don't castigate these people just because they chose a different path.