"The New F Word" is a sort of hybrid between "TSFU Presents" and "Binge or Bust?", where Ash and co-host Fallon Morey watch and discuss the Amazon Prime docuseries, "Shiny Happy People", about the Duggar family, their TLC show "16, 17, etc. Kids and Counting", the charismatic leader that they follow, Bill Gothard (a Fundamentalist Christian, aka "Fundie", minster), Christian Fundamentalism and topics identified in the series that they felt needed further exploring.

This week Ash summarizes the first episode of Shiny Happy People, "Meet the Duggars". In this episode, "the shiny facade of America's favorite giant family, and the ministry that guided their conservative values, is shattered, revealing a troubling reality underneath." - Amazon Prime

Fallon then tells Ash about "freak shows", and how, when and why they started. She also expands on Sociology Professor and Author Danielle Lindeman's idea that, "TLC is the home of many of today’s 'modern day freak show' programs". And the gals discuss why the network is so problematic... aside from the Duggars and their shows.

For the full context, make sure to listen to the first two episodes of the series first:
The New F Word- Ep. 1: Christian Fundamentalist Influencers with Lindsey Williams
The New F Word- Ep. 2: The C, N, F and E Words with Katherine Spearing


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-Audio editing by Ophelia Stone.
-Sources:

• https://the-artifice.com/the-modern-freak-show/
• https://variety.com/2012/tv/news/is-reality-tv-the-modern-day-equivalent-of-the-sideshow-act-9092/amp/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programs_broadcast_by_TLC
• https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/01/the-profound-lack-of-empathy-in-my-husbands-not-gay/384414/
• https://www.thelist.com/176765/the-untold-truth-of-kids-by-the-dozen/
• What happened to educational television: The story of the Learning Channel https://hackeducation.com/2015/05/30/the-learning-channel
• https://deadline.com/2014/07/tlc-unveils-new-brand-campaign-and-tagline-808180/
• https://ew.com/article/2014/10/21/tlc-reality-show-answered-prayers/
• History of TLC, From Learning Channel to Honey Boo Boo (businessinsider.com)
• The Story Of The Real Tom Thumb Is More Disturbing Than We Thought (msn.com)