In which the Islander is brought before the chief of the savages!

I'm not normally one for reality TV, in fact in the past I have been known to, oh I don't know, despise it. That being said, I am fascinated (in a morbid sense) by the TLC show "17 and Counting" (or "18 and Counting," who knows how many it is now). The Duggars are just your average American family; a God fearing pair of people, half-way in love with one another, decide to start a family. Normally, families tend to begin and end construction within a few years, sometimes 10 years at the most, if you have an "oops baby." But not them cute, adorable Duggars, they decided to go for the gold. They now have 18 children (yes that is the same womb, no replacements or test tube babies) and ACTUALLY WANT to have more!!! THEY WANT MORE. Wrap your head around that for a moment.... let it sink in... maybe swirl it around a bit and get a whif... ok, now resist the urge to cut your eyes out because that won't get rid of the horrifying mental image that's been burned into your brain. With 18, one of those kids is going to slip through the cracks and do something crazy later in life, like go to college or something like that. A particular episode I saw recently involved the announcement that their oldest son has gotten engaged to a charming little lady whom he has never even kissed! Now that's devotion to an idea which part of me really envies. To be so committed to something like that either bespeaks of incredible discipline or horrifying zealotry (guess which one I think it is.) Now don't think they aren't getting their jollys because they aren't kissing or making full body contact, they have what the Islandette and myself call hand-sex. It is hand holding and rubbing so constant and intense that your almost embarrassed to be watching it... like old people grinding. Now the question I want answered is this: Do people watch this show because they are stupefied by these crazy people or are people watching this because they admire the Duggars? My initial thought/hope is that it's mostly the first with a smattering of the later. Call me an optimist but I'd like to think that most of this country is honestly horrified that two people think that they can give 18 children the tools they need to succeed in this world. I may be off on this but I think the bar has probably been set rather low.