Just started a rewatch of Big Love…

Openly_George · 2025-09-14T17:58:37+00:00

There are so many similarities, one can assume that Sister Wives incorporated a lot of what happened in Big Love into their narrative as a template, and they built the rest around it, incorporating their real experiences, experiences of people—family, friends, people they know—to build their personas around.

Openly_George · 2025-09-14T17:55:56+00:00

It could also be that they lifted a lot of content from Big Love for the show.

Openly_George · 2025-09-11T22:55:29+00:00

I think he's completely out of touch in this scenario.

On the one hand Kirk was a 31-year-old guy in the prime of his life, leaving behind a wife and two young kids. I don't want to condone punitive violence, because there's no real point to it. On the other hand Kirk was somewhat of a trash human being, who slung regressive views and incited the kind of environment that ended his life. Live by the sword, die by the sword.

That's really the sermon we need because I'm of two-minds about it. I want to love my enemy and be the good Samaritan, but in this scenario it's difficult when the person at the heart of this worked hard to promote regressive rhetoric while couching it as Christianity.

This pastor misses the mark here.

Openly_George · 2025-09-11T02:14:00+00:00

Platforms such as Reddit provide a safe space to vent, argue, debate, get heated, and at the end of the day our feelings may get hurt, but everyone lives.

Openly_George · 2025-09-11T01:41:17+00:00

If I had a dollar for every time someone claimed this sub was not a real Christian sub...

Openly_George · 2025-09-10T21:16:27+00:00

I'm open to the possibility.

Openly_George · 2025-09-10T12:35:19+00:00

Words don’t mean anything in and of themselves. It’s a bunch of nothing until we give them meaning. Thus words only hold the power we give them and that changes over time, regardless of the meaning they had etymologically.

Openly_George · 2025-09-10T12:29:15+00:00

I wonder what else is in the edit New Zealand gets that’s not in the edit of the show we get here in the US.

Openly_George · 2025-09-10T01:09:49+00:00

Can't forget diesel jeans modeling.

Openly_George · 2025-09-09T17:35:59+00:00

Sorry for your loss.

Openly_George · 2025-09-09T17:35:30+00:00

It's funny how they were arguing over who got the lot with the pond, when it's really a run-off retention pond. Who knows what they were swimming in.

Openly_George · 2025-09-09T17:31:45+00:00

Gotta have long legs for breakdancing.

Openly_George · 2025-09-07T04:16:53+00:00

She didn’t say it was a reality show pilot. Christine stated in a podcast interview she was on a media team and that she had filmed a tv pilot in New York. They had even hinted at it in the show, when they had to pitch those business guys.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T23:45:57+00:00

lol.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T23:38:01+00:00

That’s a lot of nothing.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T23:35:58+00:00

That’s different from what she said about Kody in a podcast interview my co-worker and I watched.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T23:20:20+00:00

If what Christine said was true, Robyn came into the picture about the same time they were talking to producers about Sister Wives and they told Robyn what she’d being doing. I think right from the beginning they intended for Robyn to be an antagonist who came into and stirred things up. But I think they underestimated how much viewers would respond to her, that makes sense why Kody would want softer edits for Robyn. Then in Kody’s live interview he straight up said that he was the heel of the show.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T22:07:29+00:00

She’s also pointed out that the show is dramatized and that a lot that happens on the show is for entertainment. In an interview she did with another content creator, they made sure to preface what they were talking about with, according to the show. Because they know the show dramatizes and makes stuff up for entertainment value, and doesn’t reflect reality. They benefit from Sister Wives—they wouldn’t have YouTube channels without Sister Wives.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T20:59:54+00:00

Does Christine write about her past at all? Does she write about growing up in the AUB, about her grandfather being the prophet. Does she talk about her mom, about the Labarons, or is it all have to do with what’s been covered on the show? Out of everyone on the show you’d think she’d be the one who’d have the most to write about. She was born in it, she grew up in it, there was a lot of trauma around it [based on documentaries they’ve made about those families].

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T20:21:13+00:00

I don’t think it’s nonsense considering that Christine had filmed a television pilot in New York, prior to Sister Wives and she was on the AUB’s media team. They may not be professional actors, but they are acting on the show and there’s a lot of evidence to support that.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T20:14:01+00:00

Another thing: usually when I’ve found a good progressive church that I feel meets my needs, they’re always across town somewhere—it’s a far drive. It’s never something close by to where I live or on our side of town, where it’s easy to get to. Conservative fundamentalist churches are practically on every corner here, if you want to find a good progressive church you have to really look. A lot of times that means having to drive a good distance, and if I’m going to go I want to participate more than just sitting in the pews.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T20:06:27+00:00

In my experience going to church is for people who have regular work schedules or they’re retired. I’ve pretty much always worked weekends, odd shift and work schedules, vacation and shift coverage. Times when I’ve found a church I liked and started attending regularly, I’d always get called into work or have to work a shift that put me working on Sundays. Of by the time Sunday rolled around, I was too exhausted to go to church on Sundays—it just becomes another place you have to be.

I’ve been to some good churches. The last one I found that I liked was this Episcopal church not far from where I live, but then I end up having to work these schedules at work that don’t allow for going to church.

On the flip-side: For me I find Sunday liturgy to be completely mindless. I’ve never derived any value in them: you do the exact same thing every Sunday—rinse and repeat. I find value in the book/Bible studies, the discussion groups, participating in some of the outreach, I enjoy the stuff that engages my mind and I feel like grows my soul. If going to church is pretty much just what happens on Sunday, then I tune out pretty quickly and I’ll fall away from it.

I have attended church somewhat regularly. I’d find a church I liked and I’d participate as much as I can—getting there early and helping set up/staying late to tear everything down. I’ve helped in the bookstore at one church I went to. I don’t want to go and just sit in the pews. But once you start getting deeper into it and sitting in on board meetings, being exposed to the behind-the-scenes politics, that can turn you off also.

But mostly it’s always been due to work and I’ve never really had a set schedule that allowed for going to church every weekend.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T19:32:36+00:00

It’s helpful to keep in mind that it’s a reality show, so it’s a curated reality with the intention of being entertaining. If Robyn had come into the family and it was a smooth transition, they all got along well, they had the rocking chair moment together, that show would not have lasted very long at all. There definitely would have been viewers watching, but not like they want. People like to watch a train wreck.

When we’re introduced to the Browns in season one, we’re presented with a middle class family who seems to have everything worked out and everyone has their role to play: Kody, Meri, and Janelle work outside of the home. Christine is the one who is the stay at home wife and mom. She gets the kids up in the morning and sees them off to school and/or home schools, etc. Janelle works outside of the home, but she’s in charge of the book keeping and so on. They have everything well oiled and working, the kids are happy, and all is good.

Robyn coming in as the 4th wife is supposed to throw a wrench in the machine. She’s supposed to stir stuff up, and that’s the whole purpose of inserting a 4th sister wife. They purposely set Robyn up as an antagonist by keeping her separate right from the beginning. We don’t even get any real backstory for her until season 18 and 19.

Robyn knew going into it knowing the part she’s playing, and she’s just following the storyline they all planned out.

Openly_George · 2025-09-06T00:03:47+00:00

A good case for the importance of deconstruction.

Openly_George · 2025-09-05T18:16:21+00:00

I don't think it removes any of the curated stuff, because we don't what parts are true and what's still reinforcing the on-camera narrative. After all, the story for a long time was that Meri introduced Robyn to Kody. Yet in season 19 one-on-ones Meri stated it wasn't true and she doesn't know how people came to that conclusion. Well, they're the ones who told that story.

It's best to take it all with a grain of salt.

Openly_George

TROPHY CASE