The Bates family are close friends of the world-famouse breeders the Duggars. They are also challenging the Duggar family for the Womb Productivity Crown and now they have a reality show on TLC. The Bates family appeared on 246 Kids and Counting a few times and they also had a special which aired a few months back. It must have gotten good ratings because they now have a spinoff called “The United Bates of America” which airs on Mondays on TLC.
I am fascinated by this family because there is something really creepy about them. The wife has the sort of vacuous cheerfulness that has to be pharmaceutically induced. They are aggressively positive at all times and they have a way of making the Duggars appear sophisticated. At one point, Kelly wanted to be a career woman, but God changed her heart by stuffing her with babies regularly. Now she spends her time gestating and staring adoringly at her husband when he speaks. It is worth watching the show just to watch her gaze at her lord and master. Skip to about 1:46 in the video below and you’ll see a perfect example of the adoring gaze.
The more I watch these people, the more I am convinced that the mother has been brainwashed in some way. She is a womb champion like Michelle Duggar. Gil and Kelly are part of the Quiverfull movement that is producing an army of Christian soldiers. I believe Michelle is ahead about one child. They have 19 children. The last one had some problems breathing on his own at first, but is reportedly doing well now. The family follows all the basic super-evangelical mega-family rules:
• Have as many children as possible
• Homeschool those kids so the secular humanists won’t get to them
• Back political candidates like Rick Santorum
• Women in skirts and men in ties and short sleeves
• Big hair and homemade dresses are required
The Bates family sings a lot. There are loads of videos on YouTube of the family singing gospel songs with a distinct bluegrass style. In this way, they have an advantage over both the Duggar and the Kardashian family as they have a marketable skill. They may well be able to achieve reality television stardom at the highest levels.
Duggar fans have been rooting for a match between a Bates and Duggar offspring. That would either result in the most prolific evangelical family on earth or the couple would move to L.A. and become swingers. Rumors have circulated about John David Duggar and Erin Bates, but so far it has come to nothing. Still, many fans keep hope alive because Erin Bates has an absolutely fantastic head of hair.
