tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23363296.post1330917542300993194..comments2023-11-02T09:08:09.242-07:00Comments on <i>Daddy Dialectic</i>: Wife Swap!Jeremy Adam Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11733669114207985920noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23363296.post-33386919586634344522010-04-26T14:49:36.631-07:002010-04-26T14:49:36.631-07:00My husband and I love to watch WifeSwap, and this ...My husband and I love to watch WifeSwap, and this is the one episode that always sticks with me...mainly because of the children from the more conservative family. I understand that all of us are in our own lives and what works for one family, might not work for another. However, I became increasingly frustrated by the father of that family. I truly felt he was imposing a level of brainwashing. The only reason I say that is he controlled his children with fear. Fear is a powerful tool that can be used to control others. Fear of going "against the family," fear of the devil, fear of whatever. However, fear is the absence of love. Why teach these children to be afraid of viewpoints and perspectives other than their own? Teach them to embrace and learn from others. Teach them to love themselves for who they are and who they are meant to be (whatever that may be!), not who you think they are supposed to be. However, I believe we are all here to learn and I have no doubt these children planned to have this father and mother so that they could learn specific lessons. However, I believe in empowering children to be everything they want to be. I truly believe we can do anything we want. What we need to question is when those around us are controlling us with fear. I truly try not to pass judgment on that father, however, when it comes to negatively controlling the mindsets of children, it really rubs me the wrong way. Especially when the youngest daughter, Columbia, finally began to see things more openly. You could see the father began to panic. He was losing control and had to get it back. How? With fear. Those poor children. My heart goes out to them. I send them love, and my prayer for them is that they gain strength through these experiences. I also pray that they listen to what is inside of them. If they want to be a stay-at-home mom, by all means, do it. But...please...do not do this because you think "this is what your supposed to do." What you are supposed to do is be true ALWAYS to who you are. That is what we are here to learn. Your gut will never lead you astray.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23363296.post-30363514789457357102008-12-05T08:27:00.000-08:002008-12-05T08:27:00.000-08:00I found the show interesting because as a mainline...I found the show interesting because as a mainline ordained minister, in a denomination that would be considered liberal by the conservative family, it shocked me how arrogant the doctor of theology was. In the first place he corrected her Greek, and I looked it up during the break, because it sounded funny to me. He was wrong in both pronunciation and definition. His statement on the Wisdom literature I doubt would be supported by any mainline scholar, and flies in the face of numerous sections in that literature that are anti-syncretistic. The only purpose it served was to end an argument by adding a new level to the text that I would say is alien to the author. He loved to drop his degree, with such pride, and even looked down upon the woman, and said he knew she could not come up to his level he would have to go down to hers. And when challenged, as opposed to all the PhD's I know who like a good question he went into his bedroom in the fetal position crying. The languages he claimed to speak, NO ONE SPEAKS, not even a PhD at Hopkins in semetic languages speaks some of the ones he listed. (A few are read by a large number of scholars, but some only have maybe two or three people in the world who would claim profecency.) If he is so accomplished why no publishing, why no teaching even part time? I doubt his doctorate was in semetic languages, scripture or even theology, more like a DMin. (Basically a terminal seminary degree with two years more on classes discussing how you feel and how to minister to people. Like CPE.) Oh and if you wish to say but I heard him reading another language. (You can do that in the first term of a semester of Greek. I saw one scholar get a guy able to read Greek text within 2 hours, and he had never seen it before. DID HE TRANSLATE THE TEXT.) If he knew Greek so well why did he correct her on a simple word, when he was wrong? (I have four degrees in theology and I don't curl up in a fetal position when someone asks me a question.)<BR/><BR/>Oh and I do think the evangelical family is odd, and the idea that the man has work and woman stay at home is mainly a cultural one, and has little reference to us in the first world. (If those daughters don't date how will they marry.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23363296.post-28807914285622950732008-07-25T12:28:00.000-07:002008-07-25T12:28:00.000-07:00This stay-at-home dad Randall in Colorado makes me...This stay-at-home dad Randall in Colorado makes me feel like a total loser. Twelve languages? A mystic and a poet? What am <I>I</I> doing during <I>my</I> son's naps? Time to ramp it up!chicago pophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17055796523227869734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23363296.post-4212782268320720632008-07-24T19:53:00.000-07:002008-07-24T19:53:00.000-07:00What is a "coon's age"? Ninety years for every hum...What is a "coon's age"? Ninety years for every human year?<BR/><BR/>That's amusing that Spurlock's people talked to your people. I think your optimism is well-founded--hearts have changed. I run across stats all the time that indicate a lot of progress--this morning I saw one (from the General Social Survey) that showed the number of people who think gays and lesbians shouldn't be allowed to teach at the university level declining dramatically since the early 70s. Of course, it's frightening to think that there's still hardcore homophobes out there who think GLBT folks (did I get all the letters in that acronym? seems like new ones are always being added) should be fired. The good news is that those people are now outnumbered.Jeremy Adam Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11733669114207985920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23363296.post-82811474591774751602008-07-22T13:44:00.000-07:002008-07-22T13:44:00.000-07:00HI! First comment here, I think, in a coon's age....HI! First comment here, I think, in a coon's age. Our second kid is <I>just</I> becoming old enough for me to be bold and return to my pre-2nd kid to do list, which included active participation at this fine venue. (!)<BR/><BR/>I haven't seen the episode, and am quite curious, since I spoke for some time with the Spurlock rep who was scouting the queer families in which to consider placing the guest. They wanted someone from outside the Bay Area, essentially. Or at least our profile didn't fit. I wasn't all that convinced I would be up to it anyway, but had been recommended to the scout and was willing to entertain a conversation.<BR/><BR/>I'm sorry to hear of the outcome, though. Kind of pokes a pin-hole (hopefully not much more than a pin-hole) in my delicate little balloon of optimism around the possibilities we have for changing one anothers' hearts on this issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com