The best word I can think of to describe the way Kate rationalizes her behavior and justifies her actions is TWISTED!! Unless you have dealt with someone like this, it's really hard to understand or even imagine that someone could actually "believe" the things they say or try to "sell" to someone else.
The truth is twisted just enough to satisfy the other person--or so she thinks. She has gotten very good at coming up with "valid" reasons for her choices. To the outside person, what she says sometimes sounds logical, but knowing the rest of the story, some will see that things just aren't adding up.
One example is the reason she is continuing the show, even though they have admitted that there are adverse affects on the children. She said it is their platform to be able to speak in churches and minister to others. Really? I guess that might sound like a valid reason to some. But when you put the whole story together, I find that hard to believe.
The churches pay for all of their travel expenses. Some also give them a flat fee to come speak, and of course, take up the love offering too. Other churches don't pay a fee, and they only get the love offering and an all expense paid "vacation" without their kids. She has also gotten a taste of how much money they can make if they speak at events where they can sell tickets. It will be very interesting to see how long it will take for the majority of the speaking engagements to require a fee or tickets.
They have already cancelled some of the churches, and I've heard that they are looking into speaking at "secular" venues because they can make "3 times" the money if they sell tickets, as compared to just receiving a love offering. I read an account from someone who saw them when they were in the Detroit area recently. It sounded more like a question and answer session, but I guess that's because they weren't at a church. I'm not sure how answering questions really justifies leaving your children for the weekend (now it won't even be with a family member), and continuing to do a show, if the sole purpose of the show was to allow them to minister to others. Seems to me that it all comes down to money. Why do they refer to their speaking engagements as their "business" (outside the network), instead of their "ministry", if it wasn't about making money?
When do the kids come into play with her plan? She's taken away the people who were their regular caregivers. She continues to do the show, knowing the adverse affects it's having on the kids. She's traveling frequently for speaking engagements and leaving the kids. When will the kids be the priority? She wouldn't have a show without them. I think she's forgetting that THEY are the reason she has all of these opportunities. This brings me to another area I'd like to address, but I'll save that for another post.
I notice I've been using "she" alot, and that's just because Kate is the mastermind behind this "business" and Jon's just along for the ride. I'm sure he's enjoying all of the finer things just as much as she is, so I don't see any reason he would want to step in and try to talk Kate into doing what's best for the children. They have a goal--"to never work again"--oh, wait, I forgot--their goal is to minister to others.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
In the Beginning...
The most dangerous untruths are truths moderately distorted. ~Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
I hadn't been following anything that had to do with the show until about 2 months ago. I knew Jon and Kate were traveling to churches for speaking engagements, but I had no idea what they were talking about. Honestly, my first thought was, "I can't imagine that the people who invited them to speak at the church actually watch the show".
As I was reading some of the different discussion boards, I stumbled across posts from people who had heard them. I read accounts from these people stating that love offerings were being taken and they were selling pictures. Some were saying that Jon and Kate said there were no college funds for the kids, which I knew wasn't true. I also read that the story they were telling told about the time when the sextuplets were babies and they were basically destitute---thankful for paper towels showing up on their doorstep and finding money in a couch to pay bills. Again, I haven't heard any of their talks, and I don't know if they are telling something different more recently, but this is what I read. I got the impression that they weren't letting the audience know that things had changed. They weren't telling them the whole truth. Honestly, I wasn't that surprised because I had a similar experience with them almost four years earlier.
When the sextuplets were about 6 months old, an email written by Kate was going around asking for financial help. They were telling a tale of having absolutely no money, and not knowing how they were going to survive. I received the email, and it had very detailed information about how to contact the utilities and mortgage company to pay their bills. There was also a fund set up through their church. There was a huge outpouring of generosity from their community. Family and friends stepped up and gave money, offered time, tried to help in every way imaginable.
Disbelief set in a few months later. We found out (by their own admission) that all along, they had a rather large sum of money in their savings account. Let's just say it was more than I made in a year working full time when I came out of nursing school. They had been giving everyone this story of being financially destitute, when all along, a very wealthy family member was supporting them, and they were sitting on a large sum of money. When they were questioned, their response was along the lines that they shouldn't have to use their own money to support their family. It was society's obligation. "We have 8 kids!!"
I actually hadn't even thought about any of that until I heard the story they were telling at the churches. The story wasn't even entirely true; I know that from my own experience. I tried to understand why they would tell such a story and lead people to believe that was still the way they were living. Had they run that story over in their minds so much that they began to believe it? I also knew there were college funds set up for the kids. Were they lying about that too?
To top it all off, I knew that part of their contract with the network included being paid for every "appearance". Let's just say for about 3-4 "appearances", they could make as much as the average person makes in a year. Did they let anyone at the churches know that? So I picture kind, generous people, sitting in a church, listening to tales of financial hardship, led to believe it's still this way, offering plates being passed and people (who really can't afford it) digging deep into their pockets, giving money to a family who probably makes well more than twice as much money as they do-- for just the show. I'm not even including the freebies and all of the money they get from product endorsements and appearances. I find that disturbing!
Why mislead good people? Speak at the churches, collect your money from the network, promote your show, but don't be dishonest. Don't tell people your kids don't have a college fund, and don't continue to tell tales of being financially destitute. I can hear it now, "Who am I to say no?" It's my opinion that it's their obligation to tell the truth and stop collecting love offerings.
I hadn't been following anything that had to do with the show until about 2 months ago. I knew Jon and Kate were traveling to churches for speaking engagements, but I had no idea what they were talking about. Honestly, my first thought was, "I can't imagine that the people who invited them to speak at the church actually watch the show".
As I was reading some of the different discussion boards, I stumbled across posts from people who had heard them. I read accounts from these people stating that love offerings were being taken and they were selling pictures. Some were saying that Jon and Kate said there were no college funds for the kids, which I knew wasn't true. I also read that the story they were telling told about the time when the sextuplets were babies and they were basically destitute---thankful for paper towels showing up on their doorstep and finding money in a couch to pay bills. Again, I haven't heard any of their talks, and I don't know if they are telling something different more recently, but this is what I read. I got the impression that they weren't letting the audience know that things had changed. They weren't telling them the whole truth. Honestly, I wasn't that surprised because I had a similar experience with them almost four years earlier.
When the sextuplets were about 6 months old, an email written by Kate was going around asking for financial help. They were telling a tale of having absolutely no money, and not knowing how they were going to survive. I received the email, and it had very detailed information about how to contact the utilities and mortgage company to pay their bills. There was also a fund set up through their church. There was a huge outpouring of generosity from their community. Family and friends stepped up and gave money, offered time, tried to help in every way imaginable.
Disbelief set in a few months later. We found out (by their own admission) that all along, they had a rather large sum of money in their savings account. Let's just say it was more than I made in a year working full time when I came out of nursing school. They had been giving everyone this story of being financially destitute, when all along, a very wealthy family member was supporting them, and they were sitting on a large sum of money. When they were questioned, their response was along the lines that they shouldn't have to use their own money to support their family. It was society's obligation. "We have 8 kids!!"
I actually hadn't even thought about any of that until I heard the story they were telling at the churches. The story wasn't even entirely true; I know that from my own experience. I tried to understand why they would tell such a story and lead people to believe that was still the way they were living. Had they run that story over in their minds so much that they began to believe it? I also knew there were college funds set up for the kids. Were they lying about that too?
To top it all off, I knew that part of their contract with the network included being paid for every "appearance". Let's just say for about 3-4 "appearances", they could make as much as the average person makes in a year. Did they let anyone at the churches know that? So I picture kind, generous people, sitting in a church, listening to tales of financial hardship, led to believe it's still this way, offering plates being passed and people (who really can't afford it) digging deep into their pockets, giving money to a family who probably makes well more than twice as much money as they do-- for just the show. I'm not even including the freebies and all of the money they get from product endorsements and appearances. I find that disturbing!
Why mislead good people? Speak at the churches, collect your money from the network, promote your show, but don't be dishonest. Don't tell people your kids don't have a college fund, and don't continue to tell tales of being financially destitute. I can hear it now, "Who am I to say no?" It's my opinion that it's their obligation to tell the truth and stop collecting love offerings.
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