Sister Wives

Anyone else addicted to this show?
I started watching it during it's first season, and the second season just begun a few weeks ago.

Really interesting glimpse into a lifestyle that not many of us are exposed to, or really even understand.

I was very surprised at how "normal" everyone seen based on my previous sterotype of what I thought a polygamist was.

I think it's a pretty good show.

I actually like this show, I didn't think I would but I do.

Definately a different lifestyle then I thought and you can tell it's sometimes hard on the women when he's with the others. I haveonly watched 3 episodes, I never heard tell of it last year.

Let's be upfront.

Polygamy is an invention by men to control women.

Even in the Mormon belief system, it's a system invented by men to control women and thus control more worlds in the afterlife.

I would not, under any circumstances, give my time (and thus my money) to any show glorifying it.

Assuming I watched any TV at all, that is.

Well, it used to be practically necessary (way way back many centuries ago), because of the higher male mortality rate, in order to populate the world and offer the weaker women the protection of a man around the place. But now I see no point in it. I also don't know why it's so fascinating that they get their own TV show. . .but I guess that's true of any reality TV! I mean, why do we think it's interesting to watch Mrs. Duggar tend her children, or Rick buying stuff off people at his pawn shop, or the Teutels argue and make chopper bikes? Kind of weird.

Firstly, the Mormons (Latter Day Saints) do not practice nor believe in polygamy. Any that do are offshoot sects (cults) that do practice polygamy.

As for having more than one wife, from a female point of view, I could certainly have used the help of another woman or two at my house since my husband did not help inside the house with cooking, vacuuming, etc. One wouldn't need to have a headache as often either.

If these women are content and not pressured into polygamy, I say live and let live. I wouldn't tune in to see the show because it just doesn't interest me but see no problem with others interested in watching.

I haven't seen the show, but I saw a documentary about the polygamist community where they live, very very interesting!
I really want to see the show, I'll try to watch it next time.

ETA fact check, Mormons do believe in polygamy they just don't practice it, they only believe in it in the afterlife. The community in the show is not mainstream Mormon, the Mormon church currently excommunicates anyone who practices polygamy. But in the 1800s they practiced it and later in Utah they had to abolish it due to persecution..I still think the mainstream Mormon religion is very sexist, due to the fact that women don't have the same spiritual power as men As far as polygamy I say live and let live also

I have mixed feelings on this... I haven't seen the show because I don't think that we have it on our satellite (we only have basic, with a few extra channels) but I'm pretty sure that my dad has watched it.

I watched and loved Big Love for all the seasons except the last, I would go over to my parents house and spend the night on Sundays and we'd have a big dinner and then watch the show. It was interesting and entertaining. I know that there is a huge difference because Big Love is fictional and Sister Wives is not, but I do think that Big Love kind of brought Polygamy back into the spotlight and maybe made it easier for the family on Sister Wives to expose their lifestyle to the rigors of a reality television show.

I think that reality shows like this, and Little People, Big World, etc are good in a sense that they show us how different types of people can lead relatively normal lives (during the first season or two, then they start bringing in the money from the show and it all changes, but that's a different subject).

Most of the time, all we hear about are the bad things about Polygamy - the cults, the young wives, murders, etc. It's like anything, if you only hear about the bad and aren't exposed to the "good" (I use that term loosely) then how are you going to learn about how things really are there?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I support polygamy or anything like that. I do believe that people have a right to live how they would like to - whether it is with 5 wives or something else, as long as all are informed on it and it isn't negatively affecting anyone else. The problem with most polygamists, that we know about, is the cult type situations that we hear about - children aren't give a choice and are married off young, women are misinformed, brainwashing, etc.

On another subject that's kind of on the same topic - I have a couple of really good friends that are into alternative lifestyles. A few of them are married, but also have girlfriends. Their wives know about it and seem to be alright with it, there are entire underground clubs and bars just for this particular type of lifestyle. They hold meet ups at local bars as well, usually under some other name and are pretty discrete about the whole thing. The men, and women, are mostly highly educated and smart people. It's unfortunate that they have to keep this part of themselves hidden because of the public perception on the lifestyle and polygamy. Maybe these shows will be able to better inform the general public. Only time will tell for sure.

I'd be interested in watching the show, maybe I can get Mike to download it for me.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Let's be upfront.

Polygamy is an invention by men to control women.

Even in the Mormon belief system, it's a system invented by men to control women and thus control more worlds in the afterlife.

I would not, under any circumstances, give my time (and thus my money) to any show glorifying it.

Assuming I watched any TV at all, that is.

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Agreed. I thought I read the first time this was on that this guy was taking chances on being prosecuted? How is he legally still doing reality tv?

Originally Posted by Yosemite

As for having more than one wife, from a female point of view, I could certainly have used the help of another woman or two at my house since my husband did not help inside the house with cooking, vacuuming, etc. One wouldn't need to have a headache as often either.

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I have to admit, you have a point, too!

Originally Posted by threecatowner

Agreed. I thought I read the first time this was on that this guy was taking chances on being prosecuted? How is he legally still doing reality tv?

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On what grounds would he be prosecuted? Polygamy? That wouldn't hold up in court, he isn't legally married to all of his wives, the marriages are sealing ceremonies only their sect acknowledges.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Let's be upfront.

Polygamy is an invention by men to control women.

Even in the Mormon belief system, it's a system invented by men to control women and thus control more worlds in the afterlife.

I would not, under any circumstances, give my time (and thus my money) to any show glorifying it.

Assuming I watched any TV at all, that is.

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I 100% agree with you. In addition, it fosters child abuse, particularly with teen boys who are often ostracized because there aren't enough young girls to foster the lifestyle of many wives with one man. This is not a natural way of life for humans.

I will not watch that program, nor will I in any way support that lifestyle.

Young teen girls are often pledged to older men, sometimes relatives even, with no consideration given to their choice, forced into "marriages" that they don't want, losing their virginity to some creepy old man. Then there are the teen boys that are abandoned to live outside the religion because there are not enough potential wives for them. These "lost boys" often become male prostitutes and drug addicts because they have no education, and no means to support themselves in a vocation. Primary education stops at the 8th grade in these cults, and there is a purpose in that it keeps the "faithful" dependent on the polygamist community, and it becomes very difficult to break away and live a normal life.

This is not a matter of "live and let live." This is an endorsement of sexual abuse and enslaving young people to a life not of their choosing.

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

I 100% agree with you. In addition, it fosters child abuse, particularly with teen boys who are often ostracized because there aren't enough young girls to foster the lifestyle of many wives with one man. This is not a natural way of life for humans.

I will not watch that program, nor will I in any way support that lifestyle.

Young teen girls are often pledged to older men, sometimes relatives even, with no consideration given to their choice, forced into "marriages" that they don't want, losing their virginity to some creepy old man. Then there are the teen boys that are abandoned to live outside the religion because there are not enough potential wives for them. These "lost boys" often become male prostitutes and drug addicts because they have no education, and no means to support themselves in a vocation. Primary education stops at the 8th grade in these cults, and there is a purpose in that it keeps the "faithful" dependent on the polygamist community, and it becomes very difficult to break away and live a normal life.

This is not a matter of "live and let live." This is an endorsement of sexual abuse and enslaving young people to a life not of their choosing.

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Then I guess the show is only a small glimpse into that lifestyle. That is what I had always heard about that lifestyle as well - but none of that is present on the show - nor would I expect it to be. From what I've heard (again, only on the show) this family is OK with their children NOT entering the polyagmist lifestyle. So I'm wondering if maybe they aren't quite as extreme as some of the other polyagmists? I do feel for the children though who's normally secretive lifestyle was exposed for the sake of TV.

In terms of the prosecuting, they are starting to talk a bit about that in the recent episodes. But as someone said earlier, he isn't legally married to all 4 of the women, only his first wife.

All in all, it's just entertainment to me. Maybe part of me is looking at it like Big Love, as though it's fiction because the lifestyle, and the way the people are on the show in general is so totally far off from how I live my life, in the area of the country in which I live it.

I actually find it quite interesting, though I haven't really seen much of it. I have read Elissa Wall's book "Stolen Innocence" along with another fiction novel called "The Chosen One", and I find that what I've seen on the show varies quite drastically from what I read in the books. It kind of makes me wonder if the show isn't hiding quite a bit of things as far as what is 'reality' in their lives... that, or this is just an entirely different situation not based on religion. I haven't seen enough of the show to know for sure.

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

I 100% agree with you. In addition, it fosters child abuse, particularly with teen boys who are often ostracized because there aren't enough young girls to foster the lifestyle of many wives with one man. This is not a natural way of life for humans.

I will not watch that program, nor will I in any way support that lifestyle.

Young teen girls are often pledged to older men, sometimes relatives even, with no consideration given to their choice, forced into "marriages" that they don't want, losing their virginity to some creepy old man. Then there are the teen boys that are abandoned to live outside the religion because there are not enough potential wives for them. These "lost boys" often become male prostitutes and drug addicts because they have no education, and no means to support themselves in a vocation. Primary education stops at the 8th grade in these cults, and there is a purpose in that it keeps the "faithful" dependent on the polygamist community, and it becomes very difficult to break away and live a normal life.

This is not a matter of "live and let live." This is an endorsement of sexual abuse and enslaving young people to a life not of their choosing.

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Any religion or livestyle can be taken to the extreme....

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

I 100% agree with you. In addition, it fosters child abuse, particularly with teen boys who are often ostracized because there aren't enough young girls to foster the lifestyle of many wives with one man. This is not a natural way of life for humans.

I will not watch that program, nor will I in any way support that lifestyle.

Young teen girls are often pledged to older men, sometimes relatives even, with no consideration given to their choice, forced into "marriages" that they don't want, losing their virginity to some creepy old man. Then there are the teen boys that are abandoned to live outside the religion because there are not enough potential wives for them. These "lost boys" often become male prostitutes and drug addicts because they have no education, and no means to support themselves in a vocation. Primary education stops at the 8th grade in these cults, and there is a purpose in that it keeps the "faithful" dependent on the polygamist community, and it becomes very difficult to break away and live a normal life.

This is not a matter of "live and let live." This is an endorsement of sexual abuse and enslaving young people to a life not of their choosing.

Click to expand...

The characters in the show don't live on a compound, they are not forced into marriages, they wear normal clothes, they are unlike the typical "mormon" polygamist cults that exist ..
They are really just normal people who have chosen plural marriage. That is far different from compound life where abuse happens, and I think there is nothing wrong with what the people in the show are doing, because they are all consenting adults. In the compounds, that's another matter.

I've watched in a few times but there always seems something else that I watch at the same time. I don't believe in polygamy although these people seem to make it work. To share a husband with other women just doesn't appeal to me but live and let live I say.

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

In addition, it fosters child abuse...

I will not watch that program, nor will I in any way support that lifestyle.
...and it becomes very difficult to break away and live a normal life.

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This in a nutshell.

Originally Posted by orangeishcat

I have read Elissa Wall's book "Stolen Innocence" along with another fiction novel called "The Chosen One", and I find that what I've seen on the show varies quite drastically from what I read in the books. It kind of makes me wonder... I haven't seen enough of the show to know for sure.

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People, producers, marketing teams, and camera crews can put on and edit "good shows" for TV, money, and ratings. Doesn't mean it is accurate.

Originally Posted by ut0pia

The characters in the show don't live on a compound, they are not forced into marriages, they wear normal clothes, they are unlike the typical "mormon" polygamist cults that exist ..
They are really just normal people who have chosen plural marriage. That is far different from compound life where abuse happens, and I think there is nothing wrong with what the people in the show are doing, because they are all consenting adults. In the compounds, that's another matter.

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I agree there is huge difference between the the two. These are consenting adults.

i LOVE this show. although its kinda weird how much it shadows the fake story of Big Love on HBO...the similarities are creepy!

and i dont just mean that they are polygamists. personalities, jobs, rankings, strictness in the teachings..everything! super duper odd.