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Saturday, April 27, 2013

VIDEO National Geographic: Polygamy USA


On May 7th, the National Geographic channel premieres a new reality show called simply Polygamy USA.

nationalgeographic.com
This is not your cuddly, warm fuzzies polygamous family living large behind a gate in a Las Vegas cul-de-sac. This is the no nonsense, in your face polygamous community of Centennial Park AZ, just down the road from Colorado City/Hildale. where the wives live in one house and share a kitchen with their sisterwives. And the men work, fancy that.

Frankly, I think this group is not all that different from Warren Jeff's FLDS; I've always thought of Centennial Park as the Australia of the FLDS. Isn't it populated by the men who, for whatever reason, left or were drummed out of the FLDS and formed their own group? And like Colorado City/Hildale, there is absolutely no diversity in its population, but something tells me the viewer will not get a "Why some of my best friends are..." or "I've always had the highest respect for the..." excuse. You can tell by the man featured in the video that he is thinking "No rappers or long haired surfer dudes gonna mess with my Daughters of Zion!" And what's the deal with the boot?

Anyway, the series starts on May 7th. To get better acquainted with these 'folks', here are two short videos, and a companion background piece on Centennial Park.

I don't think the Brownhead fans are going to like this series.

This link will take you to the National Geographic's website where you can view the videos: Polygamy USA


About Centennial Park

How This Community Differs From Others

By Patrick J. Kiger


Centennial Park, a tiny community of less than 1,500 people residents nestled on the edge of Colorado City in Mohave County, Ariz., isn’t a place that stands out in most ways. The median household income of around $45,000 is a little below the statewide average but still respectable. The typical Centennial Park inhabitant is 38 years old, commutes to a white-collar job in a neighboring town, and lives in a household with children.

But there is one striking difference between Centennial Park and most of the rest of America. Almost all of its inhabitants are members of a breakaway Mormon sect that still practices polygamy, or plural marriage, in which one man generally has simultaneous relationships with multiple wives.

nationalgeographic.com
The word polygamy carries with it ominous connotations. For many, it may conjure up images of primitive tribes or ancient kings, or of lust-crazed cultists hiding out in fenced-in rural compounds with harems of teenage girls forced to marry against their will. But based upon various journalistic accounts, those conceptions seem to bear little resemblance to the staid, clean-cut lifestyle followed by the residents of Centennial Park.

"I'll just come out and tell you, I feel very blessed--this lifestyle is wonderful," one of Centennial Park’s residents, a businessman with three wives, told TV reporter Lisa Ling in 2007. "We bring these women into the home and they are treated incredibly. They have every convenience and every single thing that can be provided for them. So it's a very mutual relationship."

Richard’s wives, Ling discovered, turned out to be in agreement. “"It's our choice. We wanted to," explained one, who noted that nothing prevented them from leaving if they became unhappy. And the three were so comfortable sharing a husband that they had become close friends. So close, in fact, that if Richard ever died, they “probably” would simply search for a new husband for the entire trio.

They aren’t alone in their enthusiasm for plural marriage. Even though marrying more than one woman is technically illegal, researchers at Brigham Young University have estimated that between 30,000 and 50,000 Americans live a polygamist lifestyle, according to a 2010 Public Radio International story.

The polygamists in the Centennial Park community are a separate group from FLDS. They broke away from the main polygamist community in the 1980s after a leadership dispute, and resettled on land outside of Colorado City. For the past several decades, the two factions have lived side-by-side but pretty much avoided contact, according to a 2012 thesis by Southern Utah University graduate student Michael K. Ault, who spent extensive time interviewing families in the Centennial Park group.

nationalgeographic.com
Unlike the secretive FLDS, the Centennial Park group has chosen to interact with the outside world, appearing on TV programs and giving media interviews in an effort to improve polygamy’s unsavory reputation. A website maintained by an advocacy group in the community says that it is against the coercive practices—such as underage girls being forced to marry older men—that got FLDS leader Jeffs into trouble. Instead, Centennial Park says that its aim is “to achieve a political and social environment within which both polygamous and non-polygamous cultures may comfortably fit into an integrated society.”


You can read the complete article here:

About Centennial Park




78 comments:

  1. Something tells me this is going to unravel quickly

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    1. I hope so. I hope this shows the bad side of polygamy.

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    2. Just from the videos it definitely will show the creepy scary side of polygamy. But the men seem sincere and knowledgeable of their beliefs. I'm interested to see if the creepy scary side of CP continues throughout the series and if the men can ever appear to be "approachable ". Now that I think about it I understand why the creepy scary...they don't want any outsiders showing up!

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  2. i don't know about everybody else, but this guy terrifies me. as soon as he said that thing about people minding their own damn business, i wanted to hide behind the sofa.
    he's probably a reasonable person - i hope - but he just frightens me.

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    1. Right?! Come film my family, BUT, mind your own business.

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    2. I am going to love watching this series. Seems from what I have seen and read so far, that this is the real deal. I may not be interested in that kind of lifystyle, but it will be very interesting to watch. Not the "fluff" stuff that the Browns show us.

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    3. Good point, Keep Sweet.
      And it is true for all of the "reality" shows....!

      We'll sign up, let you film us and our families, *happily* cash the checks, willingly climb aboard the celebrity Ferris Wheel and then bitch and moan about the people who view us as being invaders of our privacy.

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    4. I think this series will be shown documentary style...from the looks of it particularly the way the cameraman was careful NOT to show the huge mansions (hopefully this will change when the series premieres) so the viewer can watch it at face value...without having to wonder how much the participants are being paid.

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    5. First and LastWifeApril 28, 2013 at 3:01 PM

      So far I've watched the Amish: Out of Order series & a few episodes of Meet the Hutterites on NatGeo and they're both shown documentary style too. I really liked the Amish show with Mose because it seemed like a "what you see is what you get" type series. Not like Breaking Amish on TLC that WAS scripted & dishonest. Completely different shows about members of the same community! It was a little slow and seemed boring at some points but interesting nonetheless. But to me that's more of the "real" reality that a lot of networks don't go for. Because you don't feel like its scripted or that the scenarios are contrived. So I have hope that this show will be as honest as the community wants to be and not so "reality". However, because of that it'll probably be boring to some viewers.

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    6. I agree with you Firs and Last Wife. I love Mose. We see the struggles of truly attempting to come out of the Amish World. I think that TLC is no longer really The Learning Channel. It should be the TWLC: The Weird Life Channel. Somewhat like a circus side show.

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  3. lol, I just now seen the commercial for this. And was gonna tell you guys about it.

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    1. Oh my, I just watched the video and that dude was so intense. Did you see how he threw the boot? Wow.
      He makes Kody look like Mickey Mouse.
      I think this show is going to require some blog posts for sure!

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    2. I actually liked the way he told the guys that the Daughters of Zion deserved better than that concerning the young man's hair. I am not to big on any certain hair style it just made me think that he takes his role as a husband seriously. I still don't think I could ever live polygamy though.

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  5. Centennial Park started when the FLDS transitioned to "one man rule" after Leroy Johnson died and Rulon Jeffs (father of Warren Jeff's the favored son of his 4th wife) consolidated power and eliminated the council (in When Men Become Gods, the Jeffs allowed the UEP council to die off-when an elderly member died, they weren't replaced). This resulted in the Jeffs family heading the cult, as well as being in control of $100 million, without anyone to oppose them.

    What I would like to know if whether the documentary will address that there was a breakaway from Centennial Park over leadership quarrels-the group is known as the Third Ward (CP is The Second Ward).

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  6. It will be nice to have new plygs to discuss. I am a bit tired of the Browns because I think they have not shown us the promised "good" side of polygamy that was promised. I really do not see any good side to polygamy. I think this new show may highlight some of that as well.
    I have just had my cable cut off because I never watched it. I will get my updates from here but if anyone knows where I can see the show online I would appreciate it.

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    1. kristy smith, You make a good point too!

      For many of us, SW initially was interesting because it came on the heels of the fictionalized Big Love, and it was promoted to be the REAL deal on Plyg life.
      However, it wasn't and isn't the real deal, and now it is just a contrived soap opera about four women and the dysfunctional, egocentric fool with whom they chose to have kids. They still decline to speak in clear, detailed sentences about the "lifestyle."

      All their SW drama, beginning with the 4th wife addition and the moving to LV (along with the contrived "why") and the surrogate BS and the McMansion circus and the rest of it all...all of it is and was less about the ins and outs of Plyglife as much as it was about beefing up the drama for ratings.
      At this point, I bet any one of us could look around our lives and families, or neighborhoods and workplaces, and find a Meri/Janelle/Christine/Sobbin person with a similar MO.
      None of them are that interesting or unique.

      Perhaps this new show will be less about the producer/writers' desire to "create" drama. It would be a welcome change to see more about what is real.

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    2. If the Brown family doesn't get a fifth wife, I don't see them being on television much longer. This might be there last season which makes me sad only because I love this blog!
      Back to the point though, they have failed at showing the good side of polygamy to the public, all we have seen is a group of miserable, petty, frustrated wives and children and a clueless husband/absentee father.
      Big Love was a much superior show in many ways. Bill reminded me more of Papa Darger than Kody though. I think Niki is my all time favorite character from any show.

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    3. I think Meei tries to be the Nikki of the Browns

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    4. Its been said a few times (in the Darger's book and blog) that Big Love was loosely based on the Darger family. Not just Joe and his wives but also his mother. Pretty interesting. Of course I didn't know that until after Big Love went off the air. But looking back I too can make the correlation between Papa Darger and Bill Hendrickson.

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    5. @First and LastWife, ahhh, so Bill Hendrickson was based off Papa Darger. That makes a lot of sense. Even though it would be less chaotic and dramatic, I wish that TLC had decided to follow the Darger family instead of the Brown family. The Darger's would totally hide any major issues they have, but they seem more typical of a plyg family than Kody and crew. Watching the Brown family is kind of like watching a train wreck in action at times.

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  7. First and LastWifeApril 28, 2013 at 1:17 PM

    Wow! I'm definitely curious now, so of course I'll be watching at least the first episode!

    As for it showing the creepy & scary side of polygamy...I actually caught the Lisa Ling polygamy special on "Our America w/ Lisa Ling" on the OWN channel and it most definitely wasn't no Sister Wives! It felt so dark, isolated and yes, creepy! There was a segment of a family where one of the wives knew she was going to marry her husband while in elementary/middle school when her husband was her teacher! And he was already old enough to be her grandfather! As creepy as it is, they were portrayed to have a little more freedom. One wife seperated from her husband and took the kids because she couldn't get along with a sister wife. Although I believed she returned.

    On another note about Centennial Park...I also believe this is the sect that the oldest Darger daughter married into. On the "My Three Wives" special I'm pretty sure the new husband was from Centennial and that was why they were originally not invited to the wedding. Because the Dargers were independents.

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    1. Run, Plyglets, Run!April 28, 2013 at 4:15 PM

      I believe you're right about the Darger connection. And I recall Joe saying that the group kept very much to themselves. I got the feeling they were afraid Amanda (I think that's her name) would disappear into the strict community.

      They give me the Stepford Wives creepies.

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    2. The Darger family definitely did not seem pleased to have their daughter marrying into that family. It will be interesting to see what happens to her. Her husband seemed super creepy, and wasn't one of the brothers making fun of him or something?f They must be really bad if Papa Darger looked so worried.

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    3. First and LastWifeApril 28, 2013 at 9:20 PM

      @ Run, Plyglets, Run! I think you're right that her name is Amanda. And I got that exact same feeling that they weren't comfortable with their daughter running off with a sect and not another independent. I would be scared too! But I guess there isn't much you can do when you raise your kids that way. The whole thing was creepy as was her husband.

      @Anonymous 8:21, I agree with you 100% about her husband being creepy. He seemed very conditioned and almost robotic. I'm not a fan of Joe but at least he can act normal when he wants too. He acted like even HE couldn't relate too much to his new son-in-law. And yes, he was getting made fun of by the brothers. By a few of them actually. Of course they played it off as them just ragging on the new family member. But what bothered me was his constant talk about how he WILL have more wives and probably soon. I know that's what they do, but it felt like he was in rush to get as many as possible. I don't know. Just bothered me.

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    4. Since the independents get some of their women from the various polygamist groups (Joe included) it's no surprise when it works in the other direction.Bringing up kids to believe in polygamy carries a lot of risk for their futures

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  8. I wish somebody would approach one of these shows/documentaries with the issue of race. Ask Kody or any of this bunch whether somebody of a different race (i.e. African American) would be welcome additions into their community -- and push them on the matter. These polygamous sects are racist. Remember, the main stream LDS church didn't start to allow African Americans into their priesthood/leadership positions until the late 1970's. Most of these fundamentalist groups still don't subscribe to these "change," much like their belief on maintaining polygamy.

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    1. Ask Kody or any of this bunch whether somebody of a different race (i.e. African American) would be welcome additions into their community

      I think that was reason number #1 for Kody moving into that gated cul-de-sac - their own little secluded colony. I don't care what they say, all I have to do is see their actions to know any African American need not apply to be a "friend" of the adult Browns.

      Remember, the main stream LDS church didn't start to allow African Americans into their priesthood/leadership positions until the late 1970's. Most of these fundamentalist groups still don't subscribe to these "change," much like their belief on maintaining polygamy.

      Thank you for pointing this out. The Browns never discuss this, the Dargers try to sidestep this. There's a reason why you don't (and never will) see an African American member of the AUB or any other mormon polygamist sects. Now, the way I understand it, Joseph Smith did accept black men into LDS leadership, but Brigham Young changed that 'policy' when he became leader. And yes, in 1978 that changed. But most of the Brown fans tend to forget that polygamists don't accept those changes.

      BUT...

      The US Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. So, as long as they do not actively advocate racial war or extermination outside their group, they should be left alone. Mormon polygamists should not be compelled to allow African Americans into their religious groups.

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    2. "The Browns never discuss this, the Dargers try to sidestep this."

      I could be wrong but to my recollection it seems that in every so-called unedited Q&A we have seen aired with the Browns, the race question has never come up.
      Careful pre-screening of questions??

      Since they are going for yet another season, I for one would like to see this question at least asked. If viewers are expected to be attentive to all their minutia, real or scripted, and acknowledge them as the TV face of polygamy, they should at least be willing to comment on specific rules and regs of their beliefs.

      I do remember during one of the Q&A sessions when the gay question was asked.
      Also remember that the answer was a thinly veiled attempt to politely dodge being specific.

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    3. I agree with you, CJ. I don't believe that the Browns for one minute regard African-Americans as their equals, and especially not the Dargers. As stated, they broke away from mainstream LDS b/c they did not agree with their stance on polygamy. I'm sure there are other tenets they also did not agree with the LDS changing (i.e., race issues), but of course I'm still just speculating.

      Now that it has been mentioned, who wants to bet we see a show with their African-American friends coming over for dinner?

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    4. I noticed that on Maddie's twitter she has some pictures of her with some African American girls. That makes me happy because it means she is thinking for herself and has a chance of getting out. Now, if one of the Brown children came home with someone of a different color as a boyfriend or girlfriend, I wonder how that would go over?

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    5. who wants to bet we see a show with their African-American friends coming over for dinner?

      Let's ponder this...

      Wait, I see it all now. Instead of Christine celebrating Joseph Smith's birthday, or Hanukkah again, Kody decrees Christine must celebrate Kwanzaa this time. And they invite a few of their African American "friends" (found by the producers at a Las Vegas casting office) to celebrate with them! It's Happy Kwanzaa on Sister Wives!

      Yeah, when dashikis fly...(but remember you read it hear first if they do)

      Now, if one of the Brown children came home with someone of a different color as a boyfriend or girlfriend, I wonder how that would go over?

      I can just imagine Kody's stone face just staring at the poor teen who DARED to bring the devil into their McMansion. I think Christine would be assigned the task to give the "they're not quite our kind, dear" speech.

      On a serious note, when I was 10 I went over to a friend's house. We played for a while, but then her mother came over and told me I had to leave right away. Before I could get all my stuff, my friend's father came home and said to his wife loud enough for me to hear "What is SHE doing here?" That was 1965 folks, as an African-American child on a military base in military housing. I couldn't get out of that house fast enough and I never went back. I remember my mom saying my friend's father was upset that my dad was a higher rank. Made no difference to me, I never spoke to the girl again.

      Being that Kody and his Kodettes (particularly Christine) are basically throwbacks to the 1960s, I say good luck but I can't see the adults being accepting of a boyfriend or girlfriend who isn't white and at least Mormon.





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    6. "Being that Kody and his Kodettes **(particularly Christine)** are basically throwbacks to the 1960s, I say good luck but I can't see the adults being accepting of a boyfriend or girlfriend who isn't white and at least Mormon."

      I agree with you. In the area of inclusion/exclusion, they live in a time-freeze long past what is relevant or acceptable in the "real" world.

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    7. What a surprise, CJ - I didn't picture you African-American. For some reason I thought you looked like Robyn...

      (Really I did - took me a while to recognize the thumbnail.)

      Gordon Setter

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    8. Dear CJ, I am so sorry for that awful experience when you were 10yrs. While I was reading your post it threw me back to when I was a kid and the kids in my neighborhood called me anti-Semitic names. not fun!

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    9. While I was reading your post it threw me back to when I was a kid and the kids in my neighborhood called me anti-Semitic names. not fun!

      Absolutely not fun, But that was the America we grew up in, so I don't have a lot of patience with people like the Browns who prefer to complain and run away to the bright lights of Las Vegas instead of staying put and fighting for their 'rights'. And then we find out, yeah, their actions WERE for the show after all.

      For some reason I thought you looked like Robyn...

      I like to think of myself more like a indigent Oprah Winfrey - we are the same height, weight, and age (she's a couple of months older, lol!!). Alas, she's got a helluva lot more money and STEDMAN!!

      The picture of Robyn I used was when she was crying how this wasn't the America she grew up in, or something like that.

      Anyway, when the CP man in the pictures (Arthur Hammon) said that People should mind their own business, those words (and his looks) just reminded me of the "type" who spoke against the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

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  9. There is a picture of the film crew on the site. They look like they are part of the community. Two women are wearing long skirts. So Im guessing we are going to get a inside veiw of the inside, rather than a outside view.

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    1. I think the film crew is just showing respect. When Dawn Porter filmed her documentary on CP she also dressed conservatively.

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    2. Okay who wants to be the next bachelorette for that group of hunks?

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    3. The teenage girls of Centennial Park are too busy dreaming marriage with their teachers or the hunks fathers.

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  10. If SW would just be honest. Instead of Meri and Janelle sitting on the couch with body language that reeked of hate, saying that Meri just had a stronger voice and was taught to speak her mind and she had not yet tempered that voice. Instead they give these mixed messages that we are growing and are better people instead of, when he married Robyn, it cut into my time and soon I was not seeing him but once in a blue moon. Or, why did she get the big honey moon when we were struggling to put food on the table. I just for once, one of them would be honest and tell those of us who still watch the damn show the way it really is instead of the way they want it to be.

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    1. Good point! Just tell the truth. I bet they would sleep so much better at night! They should say what you said and also go ahead and admit that they are a little put off that they all worked so hard for their marriage in those early years and went without, and all of a sudden Robyn comes along and gets in on all kinds of perks without working for any of it. They earned theirs. She inherited hers. Big difference.

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    2. I so badly want one of the wives to crack one day or escape the cult! I have a glimmer of hope that Janelle will leave or more likely find a way to stay in Vegas when they lose their homes, but doubt she will ever really come out and say the truth. I can see Christine getting fed up with Kody, but I bet she would just be re-assigned to another plyg husband where she can again be the newest, hottest wife. I think the wife most likely to leave and tell the world the truth through tv interviews and a book is Robyn. She has the least time invested and won't always be Kody's new play toy. Meri will always be Kody's number one, and hen the day comes that Robyn is no longer favored, I don't see her taking it well. Who knows what we could find out?
      It is obvious that things are not great in the Brown world, but we aren't getting the full truth. Out of their 20 or so kids, we are going to hear some things in the future from at least one of them.

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  11. The photo's are scary enough....

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  12. National Geographic also did the series American Colony: Meet the Hutterites at the colony in Montana. Many people loved the show and hoped there would be a second season. However leaders of the colony are now demanding an apology from the National Geographic Society and a pledge that they never again broadcast a television show they say misrepresented their way of life and damaged their reputation. Here is a link

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/hutterites-want-apology-natgeo-television-show-201854965.html

    It will be interesting to see how the Centennial Park polygamists are portrayed.

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    1. Sometimes the truth hurts...just saying

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    2. National Geographic articles on polygamy have always adopted a sympathetic tone,so this program is likely to be the same.

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    3. I dont call it a sympathetic tone, it's more of an unbiased tone in my opinion. I watched the 2 videos. It seemed to show the contradictions of the Hammon man like when he said people should mind their own business yet he is being featured in a documentary. Also, those missionary boys of his remind of that goon squad Flora Jessop talked about that patrols Colorado City streets terrorizing outsiders.

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  13. I only saw the two posted clips, and this show is already more interesting and provocative than Sister Wives. I will continue to watch in hopes that Nat Geo shows an honest portrayal of the polygamist lifestyle and not the spit-shined propaganda that the Brown family tries to sell each season.

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  14. What's with throwing the boot? Is that "male bonding plyg style?" Too bad the young guys were to scared to tar and feather that old twit!

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    1. Reminded me of some of the crazy dads I saw in the neighborhood in the early 70's. You wonder if they believe in strict corporal punishment...I'm guessing yes. That man totally gave me the creeps.

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  15. I would love it if we could pull all of our money together on here and make a " Reality Show" about a woman and her four husbands.

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    1. That would be really awesome. There are some people in India who are women and when they marry they must marry all the brothers. I can't exactly remember where they are from but it has to do with preserving the family land so that it always stays in the same family instead of being divided out into nothing. It was interesting. The men there seemed not to mind it. It was interesting.

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    2. kristy s - I saw something about this too, but I thought it was Nepal or Tibet. Arable land is rare and having one woman married to brothers prevents overpopulation. This is what I remember at least.

      Gordon Setter

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    3. I saw something about this too, but I thought it was Nepal or Tibet. Arable land is rare and having one woman married to brothers prevents overpopulation

      Maybe it was this article from The Atlantic?

      When Taking Multiple Husbands Makes Sense

      Polyandry is a lot more common than people think, and if I remember my college anthropology class, it was more likely to be practiced in matriarchal societies. Brothers sharing one wife is called fraternal polyandry.

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  16. Meri's tweets are ominous ....she is mad at kody for something and its sounding worse...

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    1. Last year Kody did the same thing tweeting and retweeting quotes. It's a game they play so don't read too much into it. It's like reading those framed inspirational posters.

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    2. I agree with Anon 1:11....there is something seriously wrong between Meri and the other wives and Kody. Her tweets are extremely depressing and mean spirited. Kody has never done this to the same degree. Meri is screaming out in agony and anger in her tweets. Something is very very wong.

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    3. I think something's wrong too, but I also wonder if Meri reads this blog and is messing with us! She's always tweeted stuff like that (ex: don't judge me!), but it has gotten to be pathetic!

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  17. The two clips showing the new show Polygamy USA was far more interesting then last season of sisterwives. If it keeps true to the reality of the lifestyle I would watch. Sisterwives is too boring now and I'm sick of the crying ( Robyn ) and B****ing ( Meri ). Time for something new and I think this might be it.

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  18. I have never seen any of these documentaries on polygamy that address the issue of the excess males in the community. It's simple arithmetic; you have one man claiming several women, you're going to have men without mates.

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    1. May i suggest "Sons of Perdition" to you in re:to enlightening the public to this particular problematic element to polygamy.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Perdition_(film)

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  19. The young family featured in the previws/clips/ article were also featured in LIsa Lings OWN America. We had the videos posted on this site. The website also shows that yet another family from that very same documentary, the one with a wife that left, will also be featured.

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  20. There was also an episode of Our America on the Oprah Winfrey Network that was about polygamy in Centennial Park. As far as I can tell it's not available online but they interviewed the same man that appears in the second clip, Isaiah, and his wives.

    There are clips of it on Youtube, though:

    http://youtu.be/6tNouIAL-Kg

    http://youtu.be/B6SRNyISIP8

    http://youtu.be/0RGxMnshxsk

    http://youtu.be/EBdUpzfmY2A

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  21. Thanks for posting the links. I enjoyed watching them.

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  22. Good videos! The women who are 'making it work' I wonder how much of that is because it seems better than being a single mom. :-/

    I just finished Irene Spencer's book and it was a read and a half. It's all given me a lot to think about. I really don't think it IS any big picnic for the men. How do you buy a birthday present or even food and clothes for 50 kids?

    Still - when all is said and done I still think that if you are going to have 19 kids it is more rational to have 3 or 4 moms spread the work and bladder damage. JMO, of course....

    Personally I would make a case AGAINST having that many kids in one family, but... I know that is crazy talk... :-)

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  23. I saw something on the NatGeo website about this show--I was wondering how I had missed it. I'm glad I didn't!

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  24. Just watched the first broadcast tonight. Part of it was a repeat of the videos listed above, but some of it was new (to me). I find it interesting that they stressed throughout the program that it is the unmarried women who choose which man God has led her to choose - even if he might have other wives and be much older than her. In order to keep up the plural marriages, it would seem that many more of the females must choose to stay in the lifestyle than the males. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough wives to go around.

    I find the leader of the young mens missionary group to be quite creepy, and not very nice. HIs oldest son, who has *not* chosen to join the missionary group, is dating an outsider girl who wants nothing to do with the plural marriage stuff. Sounds like he doesn't want it either, though he still goes to help his father with physical labor chores. The son stated that he and his father don't have much of a bond, because the father was always too busy with the missionary group, and didn't have time for the son.

    Next week's episode is supposed to include a dance, where the young women will get a chance to check out the men, and see if God leads any of them to want one for her husband. Quite a different view from what we've seen on SW & Big Love. Should be interesting.

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  25. I watched the show and although it was definitely interesting, those people really rubbed me the wrong way. Much more so than Kody and his wives. Those Centennial Park people really creep me out! I did notice that Isaiah, the 30yr old with 2 wives, spoke very similarly to Robyn! He had her same weird accent and strange word choice!

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  26. They've found a great way to get free labor for their community. And a great way to keep the young men from earning a good living that would allow them to support a wife. Leaves more women for the older men. It's very telling that the son of the missionary leader isn't part of the missionary group.

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  27. I think the young guy with only two wives has "moved on up." Last time we saw them they lived in a much smaller house. The wives also look older but more "sophisticated." Thus far from what we have seen, they are the healthiest of all three families and even more so than the Dargers and Browns.

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  28. Baylor, where did you see them last? I am bummed if I missed out on another polygamy special :(

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    1. On an episode of Our America on the Oprah Winfrey Network.They are still on Youtube.

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    2. Thanks! I will check it out!

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  29. I watched the show today, and that older man, Arthur, creeps me out. He reminds me of Roman from Big Love, and he's very strident. How sad was it when the son said that he wasn't close with his father because Arthur was always so busy with the mission boys? Isaiah's first wife, Marlene I think?, resembled Meri a little and I couldn't help but wonder if the two were related. I'm pretty sure all the polygamists are in some way related, but I wonder how closely? I have to say that if I was single, I think I would be "lead" to marry that hottie-hot-hot Hyrum. Overall, I liked the show, and I'll be watching the dance episode next week.

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  30. I also watched the Centennial show and I enjoyed it. It was dry, and more of a documentary style as I was expecting, tho it held my interest throughout.

    The older gentleman, Arthur, certainly comes across as an intense and even scary guy, though his conviction to his beliefs and lifestyle are unquestionable.

    Another interesting observation was the fact that not all Centennial residents adhere to the strict dress code. The younger plural family was dressed in the more contemporary style.

    Hopefully future episodes will elaborate on the spousal selection concept. As I understood it, the women are "guided" towards who they will marry, and that person could be a virtual stranger?

    Those are just a few observations I had that I thought I'd share with the group. Curious to hear what everyone else thought.

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  31. I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I can't believe how old Arthur's wives looked. I really thought they were the younger children's grandmothers. The fact that pregnancy/childbirth takes one heck of a toll on a woman and the stress of the lifestyle they live was plainly written all over those women's faces. The part where Isaiah's wives were talking/half joking about what kind of wife he should marry next came across as "collecting", and a little racist/closed minded to me. I know I'm probably just being too pc or sensitive about it, but the way they were talking all through that dinner just skeeved me out and made me not like them very much. Truthfully, I didn't like anyone I saw on the show (Hyrum is great eye candy though!), but I did think it was incredibly interesting, which I liked immensely, and am going to play a version of the Where's Waldo game and look for the Darger daughter who married the Ralphie lookalike in the future episodes.

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