The Duggars and Celebrity Culture

I've never watched the Duggars on television or really even read an article about them, but like Jon & Kate, the Kardashians and a host of other reality show stars, they manage to work their way into our collective pop culture conscience. While in Target yesterday, I saw a story on People Magazine that said (in all caps) that the Duggars were Under Fire! and asked "How Many Kids are Too Many?"  So, the first question I was compelled to ask is why is it anyone's business?  From all accounts the Duggars don't seem to be relying on any form of public assistance to raise their children.  Nor do they seem to be an unfit job at raising the children they already have.  The second question I am compelled to ask is why are the Duggars even on our cultural radar?

The brilliant Chris Rojek explains the reason that we have so many, what I like to call "fauxlebrities" and he calls celetoids in our culture.  He says 1) Democratization has simultaneously expanded low and middle brow taste cultures and enlarged the pool of celebrities; 2) everyday life has been commodified so much that information about celebrities is always present; and 3) religion has declined and we now worship celebrity in a way that approximates religion.  

Which brings me back to my initial question about why we know about the Duggars in the first place? Afterall, they're just a family with 19 children.  Why does that warrant celebrity status being bestowed upon them?
The short (and honest) answer is that it doesn't.  But in a country where most people have two or three children, having 19 stands out (freakishly so) and as Americans we love nothing more than a spectacle.And as soon as we grow tired of the Duggars and their "act" of having 19 children, we'll be on to the next freakish act and the Duggars (and their 19 children) will be long forgotten.