Since the dawn of stores like Sam's Club and Costco, Americans have become obsessed with buying in bulk. A 30 lb t-bone (grotesque) and four dozen watermelon seem reasonable at the time of purchase but after several weeks, just the thought of a melon and steak sandwich makes us want to heave.
While wholesale purchases have made it easier for us to host holiday parties and cheese tastings, bulk-buying has seemingly revolutionized our need for birth control. Turn on TLC and you are swarmed with families numbering well into double-digits. How do you feed/clothe/bathe/afford that many children? you ask. We can only assume that the modern convenience of wholesale has made feeding a family of 21 (and counting) a lot easier.
Our reaction to cultural phenoms like "19 and Counting" and "Octomom" vary from fascinated to mortified. Is having so many children "fulfilling a religious duty" or is it contributing to world problems such as starvation and overpopulation? What is the quality of parenting received by a child in such a huge family? Are the parents kid-hungry, sex-fiend loonies or blessed and nurturing caretakers?
With the ability to field their own football team (defense and offense) are mass births grotesque?
-Ali Blum
Ali,
ReplyDeleteThe Quiverfull people are definitely grotesque - having babies to build "God's Army" - or at least I think so.