I think, the principal difference that existed between the two families was the manner in which they found happiness. Vicki and her family are loud and spontaneous, and their approach to life seems very care-free. The Abbott family seemed to find their contentment in more subtle ways, perhaps from spiritual routine. I don't think we could argue that either family has more love or contentment than the other, as that was clearly abundant in both.
I think FOX's decision to portray things as they did wasn't so malevolent, as it was simply the most obvious narrative. It's popular entertainment. There has to be some kind of story.
The fact that Vicki had a more aggressive nature and was forming a narrative in her own mind to explain what she saw as "crazy" behavior probably made it easier for the editors to establish that story. The fact that they could then play it off as a kind of redemption for Luke must have been irresistable to them.
In the end, I think any thinking person could see the slant the show was putting on, and would realize there's a lot they weren't seeing.
Anyway, let's not forget what the old adage: there's no such thing as bad publicity.

theres 168 hours in a week-the show was 2 hours, minus commercials-and yet some poeple think they 'know' the real Abbotts from that amount of footage-sad how shallow some people are-I'd watch the whole 168 hours myself-the good, the bad, the ugly, then make a judgement...

That sounds great in theory, but the bottom line is that people don't WANT to know the truth - they are having MUCH more fun without it and don't care to be illuminated.

Just today on AOL I was accused of being Leslie Abbott, then it was hinted that I was Luke, then someone said it was obvious that I had actually written this entire website and all the articles! And I'm just another "nobody" with no connection whatsoever to the Abbotts. All of this because I defended the family and shared my own personal thoughts on parenting, etc.

So I don't blame Luke for just saying "they lied" and leaving it at that. I think those of us who see things from the Abbotts' side have all we need to know, and those who want to gripe about the Abbotts' lifestyle really have NO interest whatsoever in seeing things from any other perspective. Let them have their pathetic "fun", and next Monday they'll move on to griping about the next family Fox sets up to be the "freaks" of the week.

Susan

dhardy123, about the "lies", you're absolutely right. I was thinking the same thing . . . "look at this guy, he can't stop whining!" I wrote that right after I saw the show. Just wanted to get my gut reactions down. At some point I'll condense my thoughts more. For now, though, I've put up what I call the "Parade of Lies", which gives a lot of specific examples of this, if you're interested.

Susan's right, too . . . some people don't care about "reality" at all! It's just about entertainment. They don't want to hear anything else, lest it spoil their joy, laughing at these characters on their television. Not that I blame them, mind you -- people are just people.

Hey Luke,

Weird question. Where do you plan to go with the car? You gonna get a job and bring in some cash so Carl can take it and make sure you don't spread your wings any farther?

Just for the record, I didn't find anything wrong with the article on lies, and I don't think it made you look like you or the family is in denial.

well, far as I can figure out, part one finished 53rd, part 2 43rd for their respective weeks-not bad for Fox-ABC is suing them btw, for stealing the idea for the show from their own 'Wife Swap'...

(JustAMuse here)

Susan wrote:

That sounds great in theory, but the bottom line is that people don't WANT to know the truth - they are having MUCH more fun without it and don't care to be illuminated.

So true! Just today, on the Fox board, a woman actually said that to me. I could not believe it. I was trying to get people to chill and stop acting like a mob, and she told me to "shut up". Then, told me that I had no right interfering with their entertainment, and they do not care about being reasonable, etc.

LOL I'm called an Abbott Groupie over there,

Groupies sleep with rocks stars don't they? Luek is legal but I'd go to jail for touching Kyle. Plus I'm married and live too far away to be a groupie. Darn! lol

OK, I've posted a new and improved version of the Parade of Lies. This one I'm rather proud of, I must say, if for no other reason than it's formatted so nicely (all through CSS, baby!) It's at (where else) http://www.playingbyear.com/ts/

Luke

P.S. - Such a fine line between someone who likes to chat and has a lot of free time and a stalker, judging by the emails I've gotten. Hmm...

Oh, and I'll be your groupie, Frizzy!

Luke, I just read your updated page... very good. I noticed that you asked for help to stop this from happening to other families.

My advice: get a lawyer. Get a high profile lawyer that could get face time on the cable news talk shows (except FOX news of course) and sue them for damages. Expose them nationally. Even if you signed a contract that gave T/S the right to edit the footage any way they wished, that shouldn't give them the right to do so maliciously. If you were to show a jury the scenes shown by T/S and then the source footage in context, do you think the jury would agree that T/S deliberately distorted reality in such a way to cause harm to your family?

I'm sorry, but my lawyer has requested that I offer no comment.

"We agreed to do the show only upon their continuous assurance that this 'reality' show would be a truthful, albeit condensed, reflection of who we are."

Sounds like fraud to me. Not all law suits are about money. Some are about setting the record straight.

If the Abbott family feels they have been harmed i.e. exploited and slandered, what harm would come from consulting a lawyer?

dairyberry808:

paying the lovely lawyer's fees

It's called "pro bono". The lawyer gets paid only if he wins the case.
The courts are there to protect ones rights and provide justice. If one is wronged, the best recourse is the court system. It's the only thing T/S and FOX will respect. If you want national exposure to give your side of the story, a law suit is the only thing the media will respect. You have to admit, it makes for a great expose on a news magazine show.

I've been 'pro bono' for years-and i was very glad that Cher finally admitted what an important influence he was on her career, when she spoke at his funeral.

U2's in the rock & roll hall of fame now-they can get away with stuff like that...

I just realized i remember how to say breakfast & lunch 20 years after high school...why would I retain that? Guess if i'm ever hungry in France it'll come in handy...

An episode of 'Wife Swap' being filmed was cancelled when one of the fathers was arrested for punching his daughter in the face. Well, it's 'reality' isn't it? Take the sad and ugly along with the good. Guess there was no way to edit this to their advantage...