[Scoundrel]

Quote:

I once heard at scout camp, from a veteran who never went into combat, that the military was like boy scouts with bigger guns.

If you examine the history of the Boy Scouts, it's obvious that it was originally intended to be a kind of quasi-military organization. Many aspects of the Scouts were derived directly from the military: uniforms, marches, troops, patrols, survival skills, etc.

I get the sense that the early Boy Scouts were a good deal more regimented, and membership in the Scouts was a more serious undertaking & commitment than in more recent times. It was seen as preparation for adulthood, and helped to steer youths toward a life of service, military as well as otherwise.

Look through some old issues (1940s/50s and before) of Boys' Life magazine — you can find scans online. What an incredible concept of boyhood embodied in those pages, one which is seemingly totally gone in this age of single moms, childhood obesity, video game addiction, and rampant ADHD/autism.

Take note especially of the ads for rifles (the kind that fire actual bullets), knives, etc.

Boyhood was once something very different from what it is today. Come to think of it, is there even such a thing as "boyhood" anymore, or has everything become gender neutral?

[debeguiled]

(10-15-2017 02:55 PM)Kona Wrote:  

I've been in both, well cub scouts at least, and there aren't very many similarities.

Aloha!

Of the two, I have only been in the scouts. Because this is the internet, I am now an expert on the armed forces.

Mahalo!

[Vaun]

I made it to the level below Eagle Scout by the age of 14. I quit when I started playing in rock bands. Recently I was contemplating getting involved again in Scouting through fundraising and philanthropy. I thought I could have a real effect on the organization. I have now decided not to get involved again with the Boy Scouts.

[Vaun]

(10-12-2017 12:38 PM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

So what are the alternatives to the boy scouts then (if any)?

Parents spending time with their kids, not dumping them off with some "scout master".

[Laska]

(10-15-2017 03:14 PM)Scoundrel Wrote:  

Boyhood was once something very different from what it is today. Come to think of it, is there even such a thing as "boyhood" anymore, or has everything become gender neutral?

Too many video games, and a heavy dose of heavier porn are sapping the virility out of boys. The girls meanwhile either get fat and lazy, or chase a career that will eventually end in a great deal of organic catfood purchases. Well, there's also drugs, those are gender neutral. I wish kids could go back to playing like they did in the movie Sandlot.

[LeeEnfield303]

(10-15-2017 04:46 PM)Vaun Wrote:  

I made it to the level below Eagle Scout by the age of 14. I quit when I started playing in rock bands. Recently I was contemplating getting involved again in Scouting through fundraising and philanthropy. I thought I could have a real effect on the organization. I have now decided not to get involved again with the Boy Scouts.

Wise move.

[LeeEnfield303]

(10-14-2017 09:20 PM)Emancipator Wrote:  

BSA got rekt following the decision by the LDS Church to pull out. 20% of their membership were mormons

They are now scrambling, Girls Scouts has their own problem(s) with many members of faith ditching them due to their Planned Parenthood ideals. This move isn't going to help them, then again Girls Scouts has always been just a cookie making enterprise

Good. Hope this perverted version of scouts collapses, and they start over.

BSA will lose many more boys than they will ever gain in girls. A typically cowardly, shortsighted, suicidal decision by a bunch of cucks.

[Hypno]

[Hypno]

[MrLemon]

I was heavily involved in scouts and still work with a local troop here in So Cal. I consider scouting to be 98% pure gold. Sure a few problems but compared to the rest of the world....pfffft!

It's amazing how many single moms bring their boys to scout troops and beg, literally beg, for the scoutmasters to give the boys someplace to hang out with other men. Its very sweet. Also immigrant families love boy scouts, they see it as a way to counteract what they see (but usually don't verbalize, they are too polite) as the anti-male trends in the us.

accepting girls is stupid but we'll survive. There are already plenty of little sisters who scamper around the meetings. That's always been true. Now they'll be wearing uniforms but it won't change that much. The troop will still be "BOY" led. Some girls, egged on by harpy shithead moms, will no doubt try to force themselves into leadership roles but that will be infrequent since girls tend to be lazy, and they naturally prefer the boys lead anyway since girls tend to do that. The girl will take roles in fundraising and organization, which is where the moms tend to volunteer as well (dads are the scout masters, moms cook collect money and drive).

If troops become dominated by girls the boys will melt away and join other troops.

Remember always that it's a tiny minority of assholes who are pushing gender role changes. Most moms HATE that shit. They are happy with being moms in the traditional sense, in fact they crave it after a long day of being ballbusters in work.

[demolition]

(04-28-2018 01:57 PM)MrLemon Wrote:  

I was heavily involved in scouts and still work with a local troop here in So Cal. I consider scouting to be 98% pure gold. Sure a few problems but compared to the rest of the world....pfffft!

It's amazing how many single moms bring their boys to scout troops and beg, literally beg, for the scoutmasters to give the boys someplace to hang out with other men. Its very sweet. Also immigrant families love boy scouts, they see it as a way to counteract what they see (but usually don't verbalize, they are too polite) as the anti-male trends in the us.

accepting girls is stupid but we'll survive. There are already plenty of little sisters who scamper around the meetings. That's always been true. Now they'll be wearing uniforms but it won't change that much. The troop will still be "BOY" led. Some girls, egged on by harpy shithead moms, will no doubt try to force themselves into leadership roles but that will be infrequent since girls tend to be lazy, and they naturally prefer the boys lead anyway since girls tend to do that. The girl will take roles in fundraising and organization, which is where the moms tend to volunteer as well (dads are the scout masters, moms cook collect money and drive).

If troops become dominated by girls the boys will melt away and join other troops.

Remember always that it's a tiny minority of assholes who are pushing gender role changes. Most moms HATE that shit. They are happy with being moms in the traditional sense, in fact they crave it after a long day of being ballbusters in work.

Two sides to this issue:

1. We shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
2. The BSA brings value at the ground level. The national organization is largely replaceable and whatever policies they implement at that level are largely irrelevant to the local troops.

While #1 tempers my attitude, I think paying attention to #2 is very important. When you look at the societal decline over the past half-century or more, a lot of institutions were taken over at the top levels. Fish rots from the head, but it eventually rots the whole thing. BSA troops can and should break off and join scouting organizations (or don't have any one at all) that aren't shoving in progressive bullshit. The slope of decline might look gradual, but it's better to avoid it at all.

[ElFlaco]

(04-28-2018 01:57 PM)MrLemon Wrote:  

It's amazing how many single moms bring their boys to scout troops and beg, literally beg, for the scoutmasters to give the boys someplace to hang out with other men.

When I was in scouting, there were no dads who wanted to become scoutmasters. As a result, one of the mothers had to be our 'den leader'. That sucked. She was useless at getting us energized.

We never went camping or did anything cool. All I remember is reciting a stupid oath about being clean in mind and body -- and whittling, sanding and painting for the Boxcar Derby.

It could have been a much better experience.

[Hypno]

Coed overnight camping is not a good idea

[Tiger Man]

I haven't been around Scouting for a long time. However, I remember my days in the BSA. As I remember it, the experience is very Troop-dependent. I was in Troop A for about the first two years of my BSA time. It became a bit of a bitch Troop, as some of the leadership were infighting and things like that. My father eventually had enough and pulled me out of Troop A and put me in Troop B. It was night and day. Troop B was extremely militant. We had regular uniform inspections (which I failed the first few times). We focused on the merit badges related to shooting, archery, and knife work. And, the Troop was obsessed with very hardcore outdoor activities. All we did was screw off in to the woods and climb cliffs. We were gone three weekends out of four. So, I agree that maybe we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

That being said, when I was a little Cub Scout, we had a "Den Mother" for a few years. Give me a break. It seriously (We)blew. My brother (a few years younger) had a Scout Leader (man) and he had a way better Cub Scout experience.

So I would still consider putting my sons in Scouting, but I am going to search for a proper Den or Troop to put them in.

[Days of Broken Arrows]

This is unreal. A news story just broke today (5/2/2018) saying the Boy Scouts are dropping the word "Boy" from their name -- since they're welcoming girls now.

This is not a joke comment. Here is a link to a story from USA Today. But there are many more news reports on this.

Really, I'm at a loss for words. There's so much wrong with this that it's hard to know where to start. I'll let others take it from here. Seriously, I give up.

[questor70]

Invading male spaces and then destroying them, one at a time.

[Dragan]

As an Eagle Scout I'm considering sending back my Eagle award, the only thing stopping me at the moment is that I don't physically have it over here in serbia. The gay stuff a few years ago had me pissed off then. I've been thinking a lot about BSA issues recently, and it pre-dates the latest announcement. It was a very valuable experience for me, but now it's going to be watered down with SJW bullshit. I don't think anything I did pre-18 did more for me than BSA... Maybe marching band, but we I had already learned discipline and marching in BSA, not to mention survival skills.... I'm sure I'll make a more detailed post about this later, I had been looking to get back in to BSA in recent years volunteering, but after the gay announcement, I felt like things were headed in the wrong direction. Anyway, if I have kids they won't be in BSA or whatever it's called in the future. They just lost any support they were going to get from me, permanently.

Is there any organization men/ boys can join to become better men? Only thing left these days are frats and the Masons...

[Tiger Man]

Upon further consideration, I've changed my mind.

Further coverage of name change from Fox News

Quote:

After 108 years, the Boy Scouts program is set to drop the gender from its name and re-emerge as "Scouts BSA," a more "inclusive" group that will also soon welcome girls in its ranks.



Boy Scouts of America, the parent organization of the Boy Scouts program, made the announcement Wednesday. Though the decision to toss "Boy" aside was considered controversial by some, Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh said the new name came about after an "incredibly fun" deliberation.

"We wanted to land on something that evokes the past but also conveys the inclusive nature of the program going forward," he said. "We're trying to find the right way to say we're here for both young men and young women."

The name change is expected to take effect next February. Boy Scouts of America and Cub Scouts will keep their titles. Cub Scouts – the program for 7- to 10-year-olds – has already started to admit girls.

The 11- to 17-year-olds who join Scouts BSA will likely start referring to themselves as scouts without a gender modifier, Surbaugh said.

The program will have separate units for boys and girls, which Surbaugh said should alleviate concerns that girls joining the new program might be at a disadvantage in seeking leadership roles.


The Girl Scouts said their organization was blindsided by the move and are planning an aggressive campaign to ramp up recruitment numbers

"We're trying to find the right way to say we're here for both young men and young women."
- Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh

"Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development organization for girls," Sylvia Acevedo, the Girl Scouts' CEO, said. "We are, and will remain, the first choice for girls and parents who want to provide their girls opportunities to build new skills...and grow into happy, successful, civically engaged adults."

Boy Scout leaders have cited busy and diverse families as a reason to make the change. They said they hoped the switch would give parents more options. The Boy Scouts began offering co-ed programs in 1971. Leaders have said participation has been at 2.3 million – down from 2.6 million in 2013.

I have been looking over the "Scouts" website for the past 30 minutes and getting pretty angry. I am with Dragan on this one. I am going to be sending back all my Scouting awards along with a letter detailing my reason for doing so. I don't expect it will do much, but I hope there is a groundswell of guys doing that. One can only hope that the media might pick up on that (if for no other reason than to bash on these guys for being sexist or something).

I am also going to be contacting my former Scout leader. The guy was an old school Christian. He lived on a homestead farm with his wife (who was a homemaker) and their seven kids. Their kids were homeschooled and they made and grew their own food. That should give you an idea of the kind of people I am talking about. The thing is, this dude is a pillar of the community. He has won every civic award known to man, and I would bet he just quit the Scouts.

As to alternatives, I found this link to The Blaze. It lists a number of BSA alternatives. Fair warning: a lot of these groups are "inclusive".

Another thought occurred to me. Just as there are schisms and heresies and denominations and sects within almost all world religions, what would stop someone from starting a "Traditionalist Scouting" group. I assume BSA (or whatever it's called now) might sue, but I don't know that they would win, and the publicity might be worth it. There is a Baden Powell Group spinoff already, although it is very SJW. Just a thought that came to mind.

[Renzy]

(05-02-2018 09:34 AM)questor70 Wrote:  

Invading male spaces and then destroying them, one at a time.

And when it comes to invading male spaces, they seem to bat a thousand. When I was a kid, it was the Naval Academy. As an adult it was the Citadel and then VMI. They've managed to push their agenda into everything. Even the fucking Boy Scouts.

As much fun as it is to laugh at the "Looney Left", I feel like it's always them making the changes and dictating the new rules, and conservatives retreating one step back...

[Bluto]

I have been meaning to shred my Eagle Scout card. Now is about as good of a time as any.

[Bluto]

(10-15-2017 03:14 PM)Scoundrel Wrote:  

Quote:

I once heard at scout camp, from a veteran who never went into combat, that the military was like boy scouts with bigger guns.

If you examine the history of the Boy Scouts, it's obvious that it was originally intended to be a kind of quasi-military organization. Many aspects of the Scouts were derived directly from the military: uniforms, marches, troops, patrols, survival skills, etc.

I get the sense that the early Boy Scouts were a good deal more regimented, and membership in the Scouts was a more serious undertaking & commitment than in more recent times. It was seen as preparation for adulthood, and helped to steer youths toward a life of service, military as well as otherwise.

Look through some old issues (1940s/50s and before) of Boys' Life magazine — you can find scans online. What an incredible concept of boyhood embodied in those pages, one which is seemingly totally gone in this age of single moms, childhood obesity, video game addiction, and rampant ADHD/autism.

Take note especially of the ads for rifles (the kind that fire actual bullets), knives, etc.

Boyhood was once something very different from what it is today. Come to think of it, is there even such a thing as "boyhood" anymore, or has everything become gender neutral?

The rifles was something that I never saw, but I recall in some of the magazines that I got had survival(Rambo) knife ads as late as the 1990's. Likewise, they also advertised for Military Schools, as well as summer camps that were run like boot camps. What things have changed in a mere few decades.

[Bluto]

(10-15-2017 02:49 PM)Laska Wrote:  

(10-15-2017 04:38 AM)Kona Wrote:  

(10-14-2017 05:26 PM)Laska Wrote:  

tomahawks (thrown)

Cruise missiles would be cooler. Thats the patch you want.

Aloha!

I once heard at scout camp, from a veteran who never went into combat, that the military was like boy scouts with bigger guns. Edit: I don't know how to think of that.

Old Joke we used to say around the campfire:

What is the difference between the army and the Boy Scouts?

Boy Scouts don't have heavy artillery, and they have adult supervision. (Originally from Good Morning Vietnam where we heard it, Dad adlibbed the last part about supervision)

[stugatz]

Girl Scouts has always been far less well-organized than Boy Scouts, even though it's been, interestingly enough, around for almost as long (it was only founded two years after). If you don't want to join the Girl Scouts, BSA already has Venture, which girls can join. (It used to be all-boys, too, but as I grew up with it being for both sexes, I never had a problem.)

I understand that girls wouldn't be too into the Girl Scouts this day and age. So why ruin another organization THAT ALREADY HAS AN ALTERNATIVE FOR BOTH SEXES? Are you really that butthurt that the remaining 10 percent of you don't have the competing organization anymore? This is infuriating to me, especially because I was three merit badges away from Eagle.

I don't want to share a polity with these people anymore. The culture is decomposing because of them, and at some point someone has to stand up and say no to their shit.

[Donfitz007]

couldn't one in theory simply make a new group that's privately owned that basically do the same thing as boy scouts? m sure if the name is great and the marketing is good, thousands of fathers will try to get their son's in the program.

[RexImperator]

I believe there is one called Trail LIfe USA.