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S.C.O.U.T.S.
Hey, Boy Scouts of America, did you really think knuckling under to the Social Left was going to enhance your viability as an organization? You’re losing membership, and the Girl Scouts (a left-wing cookie distributing organization aligned with Planned Parenthood) are warning you not to poach any girls to make up for the boys who looked at your transgender initiative and banning water gun fights and said, “Not for me.”
“I formally request that your organization stay focused on serving the 90 percent of American boys not currently participating in Boy Scouts … and not consider expanding to recruit girls,” wrote GSUSA President Kathy Hopinkah Hannan in a letter sent this week to the president of the Boy Scouts of America, Randall Stephenson.
Top leaders of the two youth organizations, both struggling to stem membership declines, conferred this month about possibilities for coordination. But Hopinkah Hannan, in her letter, said she came away from that discussion feeling the Boy Scouts had already committed to an expansion of coed programs that would damage the Girl Scouts.
The Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts should just merge and become the Socially Conscious Organizations United to Transform Society (SCOUTS) and indoctrinate the youth that boys suck and girls are wonderful; which will put them in line with current public education and children’s TV programming messaging.
They might have to stop selling cookies though. I mean, how socially conscious can you be and still encourage childhood obesity? Instead, we can all look forward to young S.C.O.U.T.S. ambushing us outside Kroger selling “Gluten-Free Kale and Free Trade Quinoa Bars.”
Meanwhile, Trail Life USA — an organization that embraces all that “toxic masculinity” stuff like shooting, water gun fights, horsing around, courage, rugged individualism — has come along to fill the void created when the Boy Scouts abandoned those things.
Published in Culture
Having been a Brownie, then a Girl Scout, I am saddened and disgusted with what the organization has become. (That many years ago, we went from Brownie to Girl Scout – no Cadets.) Was even a counselor at two different Girl Scout camps where we sang Grace before meals, tried to pass along the fundamentals of Scouting – God, Family, and Country, and had rollicking good time hiking, swimming, boating, and teaching camp craft skills. The same disappointment and disgust applies to the Boy Scouts these days. What hath these progs wrought. Tho it good to learn of Trail Life, USA.
Years later I headed an Explorer Scout (co-ed) science and engineering post of 60-65 high school juniors and seniors drawn from 5 area high schools. Marvelous experience. In fact, a year or so before I started, we had the Explorer of the Year from the entire country come from our Post. Was going to relay my years with that Post here, but decided it might make an interesting Member piece.
My son will not be a Scout. There are plenty of other organizations out there and if all else fails, he and I will just go camping and fishing and target shooting on our own.
Is Trail Life as lame as American Heritage Girls?
I am a former Girl Scout (who participated from Brownies, Juniors to Cadets and loved it!) I am also a former cub scout leader and a former Daisy, Brownie and Junior Girl Scout leader. My son is an Eagle Scout out of his troop sponsored by the Baptist church. My daughter got her Bronze Award and then quit, GS with my blessing. I detest what GSUSA has become (a social justice organization which a NYC HQ which licenses cookie flavors to Big Food (Thin Mint creamer anyone?) with a few (and declining) actual membership troops. GS has changed the program so frequently in the last 15 years, you can’t even tell what the purpose is anymore. Badges – nope. Self Esteem Journeys – yep. The GS in my area consolidated and promptly closed our two local GS camp grounds (under-utilization they said). My daughter looked at getting back into GS to do her Gold Award, but even she couldn’t stomach the social justice propaganda requirements necessary before you actually got to the service project for the community. Meanwhile, my son went to Japan for World Jamboree, has 60+ nights camping, has held numerous leadership positions and has stand up friends from Scouts he can count on. Girls would be so lucky to participate in such a real youth organization. There is a world of difference between the national organizations and also the local incarnation of each. (Locally our GS are very disorganized at the council level, BSA is the bomb!) I wish Girl Scouts would hurry up and close shop completely and quit sucking the air out of the room. Good Riddance!
-DP
Local units vary. My daughter was in Girl Scouts and a long ago friend of mine was the troop leader (forgive me if I use the wrong terminology) and they just have fun together. They go camping and are planning this year to go to U of Texas to get demonstrations on blowing things up from a professor there and they have a blast.
Last year my wife listened to all the anti-GS propaganda and moved her to the American Heritage Girl Doll club. They hardly did anything, certainly never went camping and were more interested in praying than in anything else.
We’re going back to Girl Scouts this year. I think the American Heritage Girl Doll group is probably as good in many ways, it just depends on the personality of the person leading the girls. That’s the entire key to the whole game.
While it might be fun to snipe at the Scouts, they are needed now more than ever.
I was a leader for a number of years, moving up through the ranks with my son.
When the youth move from Cubs to Scouts at age 10 (The Canadian system is different from the American’s) we would start them off by teaching them how to light a Naphtha stove (The green Coleman stove with the red fuel bottle in the front – the one your grandfather used). It is a moderately difficult skill that the youth figure out quickly.
What never failed to surprise me was where they ran into difficulty. Lighting the match. That’s right – the majority of 10 year of the youth had never lit a match before. And I don’t exactly live in the inner city – my town is entirely surrounded by agricultural land.
The underlying purpose of Scouts was independence. Our method was always “controlled failure” – allow the youth to proceed, and perhaps fail, only intervening when something bad was about to happen. From the best to the worst, they learned skills that they could proudly call their own and they gained confidence that, in some cases, truly changed their lives for the better.
On top of that, they learn civics, respect and spirituality.
The Boy Scouts are a movement that demonstrate conservative ideals in a way that no other youth organization does.
And this is such a pity, although it will probably be true in my own family – not continuing with BSA, that is. I’m an Eagle Scout, and so is my son. But there’s a real question of whether there will be a third generation, because of all this stuff.
But @menns hit some really important nails on the head, and @robertmcreynolds brought up some things that, in spite of the age of this thread, I feel compelled to address.
First, BSA is not a paramilitary organization, nor is it intended to be. While units vary greatly, and some leaders lead like it is, it isn’t. True, Lord Baden-Powell first gained fame as a scout for the British Army in India. He wrote a book on military – type scouting, for fellow scouts, and was astonished to discover, when he returned to England, that his book was a hit among young boys. That led to him writing a new version of his book, just for them: “Scouting for Boys.” He didn’t intend to start an organization. He did recognize the value to young men in learning the skills of self – reliance, resourcefulness and leadership inherent in his chosen profession. The important thing to understand is why those boys loved what he had written. It was the adventure, the challenges, the teamwork – the fun.
(Continued)
Similarly, it’s goals do not include making young people into campers, backpackers and other lovers of the outdoors. They are merely tools, things boys like, that keeps them coming back, and most importantly, they are excellent vehicles to instill those characteristics that lead people toward being mature, responsible adults. Want to know what Scouting is really about? Look at the Scout Oath and Law. There isn’t a word about the outdoors, or military service. Scouting did, indeed, instill in me a love for the outdoors. I’ve been to places, and seen things that most people will never see, except possibly a poor substitute in a Galen Rowell calendar. And the hands-on skills I learned have proven important in many areas of my life. But the skills and qualities I was really being taught far outweigh all those things – teamwork, the ability to lead and to follow, resourcefulness, independence, loyalty, courtesy… Just check out the Scout Law.
It is absolutely true that Scouting prepares a person for military service – but no more – or less – so than every other aspect of life. So why not the military service? I knew a high school history teacher who served as a scoutmaster, and was among the most dedicated volunteers I ever met. The reason? He credited his survival in the Bataan Death March to the skills, physical and mental that he gained from Scouting.
So @robertmcreynolds, I completely understand you having reservations about your son joining Boy Scouts. Just also understand that he has much more to learn than just the camping, etc.
I’ve heard rumors that in the good ole days the troops baked the cookies.
My first reaction was that this would be frightening. But then I realized that it would probably be better. Kids learning to make rather than just hustle.