Had to erase this post because it wasn't in this thread, but it was before I put this rule into effect so I thought it only fair to re-post it: (from gunitejohnboy)

Though I am Christian, I must say that you have broadened my views on how society views different lifestyles. One thing that I can't help but wonder is how your family can survive without privacy. For instance, where does the parents private life work with Kyle and Luke sharing a room. Is there a "Kids don't come to bed yet" rule or what? Sorry Luke and Kyle for instilling that visual.

Well, folks (all you CenterTao old timers) looks like happy times are here again!

As to the rest of you, well, flame away, I guess! As for me, I'm staying out of it.

My cousin Frank did it. He became Francine back in '76. Then he joined that cult. I think his name is Mother Shabubu now.

OK so I am not sure what your belief system is as far as God goes, but I didn't think it was Christian. So I was just curious why your mom was singing Amazing Grace on the show. Is she a christian?

Thanks, Luke. I'll try again.

Looks like it's back to not working again. Actually, now it would appear that I'm not even getting those nice "mail could not be delivered" messages! Argh! -Luke

Sounds familiar to me; never did understand it, still don't, but I don't understand lots of stuff I accept!

Please feel free to delete all these email-related posts.

Alas somebody from Singapore beat me to posting while I was happily reading the many threads about TS.

Yes your episode was just shown in Singapore. Having just returned from Santa Barbara where I lived for half a year, and knowing many people from Santa Cruz, I am absolutely envious of those I know who could thread barefoot everywhere. Many of my friends lead lifestyles like yours, yoga, tai-chi and would cherish at any opportunities to commune with nature and feel the earth beneath their feet. I was very upset by the portrayed intolerance of "the different". Being Chinese, I am always admiring of any non-chinese friends who makes the effort to try, just as I struggle at feigning fluent spanish. lol right of course im just a crazy tree hugging hippie

I was really glad that in doing a search for more information on TS after watching the show, I found this forum. It made me so relieve to read the page written by Luke about the parade of lies. I just could not believe that somebody who would be repelled by the redwoods could be absolutely right in her assessment of a lifestyle she is not familiar with. Even if that was a false portrayal... *shrugs* I am just glad and reassured by this forum.

Just reading that makes it clear that the boys are not "brainwashed" and "controlled". *sigh* TV is truly evil.

so much thoughts running through my head but I think I'm happy knowing that I don't really need to say them. All of you have enough supporters and those who know the truth. It's just terrible this show is making around the world at a very slow rate and not all viewers are going to be chancing upon this website. There are just too many close minded people in this world who will always look at something different as necessarily bad.

Cutebub wrote...they couldnt FORCE you into saying that you had no televisions, you guys
did it yourselves.

Yes No one was forced to say anything. They cut out the real answer that was "Yes" and dubbed in "No". Could you call it forcing behind the scenes?

Are you in reality TV cutebob?

I agree with Carl. It's definately an enriching expereience and bring sparks to boring life. LOL~~~

But well, if i'm the editor of the show i will also Cut, Switch, Paste. Coz' this will make our show MUCH MUCH more exciting as compared to everyone living in peace, harmony and joy. If i'm the editor, i'll probably add some mean stuff inside too.

Kinda wicked but oh well, i want the ratings and not the feelings.

Lynn Cornish:

... will ever come a time when ratings come with arousing feelings of harmony,...

Seeing as we are simply apes, albeit with an high degree of self consciousness, I view our fascination with disaster drama as a manifestation of the 'alarm instinct' so many social animal have (maybe all?). For example, picture a group of chimps harmoniously foraging and eating. No arousal would be evident. No group interest would be stimulated. Every chimp is carrying on with life mundanely. One chimp spots a tiger in the distance and calls out... "Hey!" A great commotion ensues, the whole tribe of chimps is aroused with feelings of excitement. Wow! That's news!

Traffic slows, TV's are turned on, Newspapers sell out, the internet is abuzz. Opps, I forgot, we're talking about chimps... no, no, that's right we're actually talking about another great ape - us. Honestly, we expect too much from ourselves, as though we are capable of being other than our original nature. I suspect that much of our anxiety and discontent arises from such fanciful ideals and expectations. These, I speculate, are the result of our extreme self consciousness ops:

Hi Leslie. I can relate to how you felt after the show aired...especially people coming up to you in the street. That lack of privacy would drive me psychotic. Happy to hear you are healing.

And now Carl: Isn't it our nature to go towards pleasure and away from pain? How does that fit in with your ape scenario? Do we want to feel pleasure and watch others feel pain? I don't! (I can't watch even the promos for "Fear Factor". I think people do go both ways...remember early TV shows where long lost relatives were reunited? We all cried. "Schindler's List"? And Queen for a Day? Even make-overs are hard to turn off.

So, while I'm not disagreeing that we can't turn away from a train wreck, we are attracted to other, more positive, entertainment. Maybe it takes less effort for network executives to manipulate us to feel the fear-based emotions and that's why so much of it is out there.

What is wisdom if not making the choice of increasing life-promoting, non-destructive behaviors? If the general population were wiser, would shows like "Trading Spouses" get the ratings? But we had that discussion already.

My serve, eh? I'll just shoot from the hip here, seeing as how this is the 'Tao Lounge'. (Maybe I've had one too many 'CenterTao Cocktails' as well...)

Lynn Cornish:

(1)...Isn't it our nature to go towards pleasure and away from pain? How does that fit in with your ape scenario? Do we want to feel pleasure and watch others feel pain?...

(2) What is wisdom if not making the choice of increasing life-promoting, non-destructive behaviors?

(1) Because pleasure is so important to us, we are stimulated and fascinated by all aspects of pleasure. Either getting it, or being denied it. Seeing others get it or being denied it. The avoidance of pain is also the attraction to pleasure. Seeing others worse off than us make us feel better off... lucky.. but also pity for them. This, and our social instinct, is what lies behind gossip - all forms of gossip, from chit chat over the fence to the Evening News, fiction and non-fiction stories and probably even this message board. It is all the same... remember, mysterious sameness

The reason the world is like it is, is because that is how we all need to have it. Our displeasure with some aspects of it just reflects our own personal needs and tastes. Nothing wrong with that. Though, we do tend to get self righteous about what we need, and poo poo what others need. Nothing wrong with that either. We're all just being the animal that we are. And, there's nothing wrong with that either. What is wrong anyway? Right and wrong produce each other, so I suppose you'd have to say 'right' is 'wrong'. Remember, the whole world recognizes the ____ as the ____, yet this is only the ____.

(2) Wisdom is not about choices, it is about seeing the 'bio' illusion that pulls our strings. When you see the 'bio' illusion for what it is, you loose interest in the 'drama'. If you don't emotionally feel it is true (faith and belief), how can you take it seriously? Oh, 'bio' illusion is my term for how our instincts 'hookwink' us. We evolved to see distinctions that are not there, and to make mountains out of those mole hills that we see,.. that are not there.

Lynn Cornish:

I choose not to ....
I choose to be ...
I choose to ...

Do these choices you speak of stem from:

(1) a driving need you feel, as any animal of similar experience and circumstances would, or

(2) the uniquely human power of free choice?

I really don't watch trading spouses, because I think Fox probably manipulates people. But I found your family to be very interesting, and I really liked your family. You seemed very close knit. I was very impressed with you and your brother Kyle, and I wish I had a father like yours who cares about me so much. Your mom seemed so sweet, and I liked how well she interacted with the Lowe family. I know you think you were portrayed as brainwashed kids, but I liked how well your family works together.

Jason

OK I know I shouldn't ask, but it is just bugging me to death. I just watched the episodes again, and really I've wondered since the first time. So, sorry if I offend anyone by asking..... Are you having sex in the same room as your children??? Logic would lead me to believe this is what is going on, but I just got to hear it from the horses mouth. So again, I know this is personal......and let me apologize again, but I had to ask.

I have watched the Trading Spouses episode twice and wanted to look for the "real" story online. That is how I came here.

First, regardless of the truth of the episode, it certainly was captivating and certainly the best of the ones I have seen. Like other shows, I realized that the editing probably made the show vary quite a bit from reality.

The Abbott family looked very well adjusted but certainly not "conventional" based upon many peoples standards. That does not make the family weird, just different.

In America we have the tendancy of kicking kids out of the house while other cultures revere family and often have generations living under the same roof.

I have seen firsthand how producers can and do edit to make a point. Years ago there was a major blizzard in Alaska. A network news crew had a camera set up inside a supermarket and I watched the live news feed as it happened. It would be edited later. As each person came into the store, they stomped snow off their shoes. When asked "How bad is it out there?", almost everyone said "Oh it's bad, but you should have been here last year".

Finally, one guy came in and said "This is the worst! I have never seen anything like this before". Turns out he had just moved from the lower 48 and thus had missed the previous years storm. When the news feed that night was shown, there he was coming in the door and saying "This is the the worst!" For him it was. For the TV Network news it made the point that it was really bad and at least one person said it was horrible.

It is unfortunate that this episode was edited as heavily as it appears it had been. I think of the two families, yours was not treated as well as the other family. It made interesting watching and certainly brought about a dialog that would not have happened otherwise. Hopefully it will also allow more people to experience your music too. I'm glad that you have the abilty to set the record straight too. Good for you!

Lynn Cornish:

Do these choices you speak of stem from: (1) or (2)?

I would have to go with (3) pure awareness.

Ok, but do we share that pure awareness with all creation... or is this awareness a special 'higher form' that is unique to humans, and perhaps whales, etc?

I like these nice short and sweet exchanges. Sometimes I just go on and on.

but do we share that pure awareness with all creation

Yes, that's the one. I was being a little glib, a quality I retreat to when at a loss for words.

"To know but not to know that you know is best" but I settle for "I don't know and I think I know is not so good." But, I must know I don't know or I couldn't have written that sentence.

Words suck.

well actually it should read "Goodnight John Boy" an infamous line in the old television show, "The Waltons". Whether this be good or bad, People who watched the show tell me on a daily bases that I look like John Boy walton. I used to hate hearing that but eventually I embraced it with a certain sence of humour. so much so that as a joke for a halloween party last year, all I did was put a mole on my face. What was bitter sweet was that everyone got the joke without saying a word...even strangers. What I think is odd is that the more I embrace it, the less I look like him. To apease your current "kick", I FEAR I will always resemble John Boy, and I NEED to grow a goatee or perhaps a bushy white beard like yours. But then everyone will just say I look like you.

I loved the Waltons. I loved Earl Hamner's voice narrating at the beginning. My family even said good night to each other like they did in the show...corny...but we are a corny, close family. The DVD set is on my Christmas list. Goodnight all!

I was in an on-line discussion of how BMI is shaking down local jams for copyright fees and the Abbott's book of public domain songs was listed as a good alternative.

http://www.banjohangout.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=40290&whichpage=4

Great! I just ordered it! Thanks!

I was listening to the sound bites thinking the vocals sounded like that family on the TV show where they trade moms that we saw. (actually, we caught the bluegrass while channel surfing snd stopped cold ) We thought it was a hoot.

So I buy this song book and look into the authors, see the family pic and BOOM ! The TV show family.

So I started doing a little research and WOW did you get shafted, Abbotts. I'm sorry for that. You're good peeps! Cant ask for any more than close family ties. Bless you all.

Frank & Rhonda
5 string picker & Harp blower