Re: Wearing Uniforms and Sending Messages
Amick Robert (amick@SPOT.COLORADO.EDU)
Mon, 20 May 1996 14:02:47 -0600
On Sun, 19 May 1996, Bruce E. Cobern wrote:
>
> I don't believe that we need to, or should, lower our standards in this
> area. I have yet to find a Scout who was truly interested in the program
> who has dropped out because we insist that he wear a uniform. Our policy
> is that the Scout must be in uniform when he passes through the front door
> of the meeting place IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. This policy is PRIMARILY
> disseminated to our PLC and other Junior Leaders, with much less emphasis
> place on it with the younger Scouts, even though, I believe, they are aware
> of it.
Bruce, with all due respect to your position, I think you may have omitted
the primary point of the post. We are not "lowering our standards" in
any sense. What we are trying to do is to appreciate the position that
older Scouts are faced with, which is their being very uncomfortable with
being "required" to wear their Scout uniform while en route to/from Scout
meetings/events. So long as they are in uniform, and on time for the
meeting, it is really none of our business whether they wear it from/to home.
I submit, therefore, that requiring a Scout to wear a uniform from home
to a meeting is not appropriate if the Scout chooses not to do so.
I must reiterate that the youth of today, compared to of us who grew up
"a while back," by virtue of the current societal norms
are far more subject to "harrasment" by people they do not even know
(much less their "friends" as you say), when they are seen alone in a public
setting with a Scout uniform such as riding on public transportation or
walking to a meeting.
While it would be desirable to have the Scouts take the positions you
have mentioned about "justifying" why they are wearing the uniform, in
reality,(and if you ask the Scouts they will very likely affirm this
position) it is not so "textbook simple" in real situations. If a Scout
chooses to wear a uniform to a meeting, great. But for adult leaders to
compel him to do so, which in turn results in his being faced with taunts
and harrassment unnecessarily, is wrong. Not all Scouts have the "tools" to
respond to such confrontations and some would simply rather withdraw than
be faced with such situations; and I know personally of cases where this
has happened. What a waste.
It is very difficult for most Scouts, especially teens, to be thrust into
such confrontational situations. I know from personal experience, where
leaders have "mandated" unreasonable policies such as this and others,
Scouts have dropped the program rather than continue to be hassled by
their peers or be "compelled" to do something they are not comfortable
with. If a policy is questionable, perhaps it should be examined
carefully for the impact it has rather than blindly enforcing it.
Too often, especially in the case of older Scouts, we as leaders
forget that the teens are really young adults and deserve to be treated
as colleagues, not as children. I often wonder if the adults who are so
willing to issue "dictates" that may cause the youth a great deal of
difficulty, were placed in opposite roles, how they would like it or feel
about it. I think that if more of us tried to appreciate the pressures
and problems that todays teens experience, we would be far less insistent
that they "comply" with some of our standards and dictates, especially,
if in reality, the "standards" don't have some solid rationale for
their existence.
All the Scouts I know are not "ashamed" of being in the program. If they
were, they would not be there. So that is not the issue at all. But
they should not be subjected to the peer pressure and harrassment that in
reality they are subjected to, just so some leader can assert an
unrealistic position about something he really has no right
or rational justification for doing in the first place!
> When the taunters start to realize that there is
> more to Scouting than helping little old ladies across the street we might
> begin to see the image change.
The taunters could care less and anything the Scout may do or say will
probably only exacerbate the situation. So why put them at risk in the
first place? The Scout should not be expected to "justify" his existence in
the program under those circumstances. Reality is not always pleasant,
but it is still reality.
As adults we can and often do wear uniforms in other
venues before and after meetings, but we generally are not subjected to
disparaging comments or taunts, simply because we are not in the same
environments as the Scouts may be. And even if we are taunted,
we are probably in a much better position to respond effectively, or avoid a
confrontation than a Scout might be. I enjoy wearing a uniform
in public settings because it often stimulates other adults and youth
to say "Oh I was in Scouting, or I am an Eagle Scout,
etc.," so there are opportunities and advantages for adults that may not
be present for Scouts.
Wearing a uniform in public is not necessarily always the best way for
Scouts to share the Scouting Story, unfortunately. When you have large
Scouting events such as jamborees, where huge numbers of Scouts are
together in public settings or on tours, such as in Washington D.C., it
is far different than the environment of a single Scout on a bus or
walking down a sidewalk to a meeting. Group tours and events are certainly
an appropriate venue for many Scouts to enhance the "uniformed"
Scouting image to the public; and because there generally is
is "safety in numbers," the probability of being taunted by others is far
less than in the "one-on-one" scenario discussed above.
Similarly, actions always speak louder than words or images. If the
Scout is participating in Scouting activities and
events, and enjoying/learning from the experience, he will likely share
his enthusiasm with friends and they in turn may also seek membership.
The uniform is not the "essence" of Scouting, but merely an "emblem" in a
greater way-of-life movement. The "product" is the combined experiential
and ideal learning scenario which hopefully brings a youth into full
adult citizenship with many "tools" needed to succeed in life.
> As with many other things in Scouting, this is an area where, when there
> appears to be a problem, I recommend making the standards TOUGHER, rather
> than easier. The boys will almost certainly rise to the challenge. It's
> sort of like the theme line from "Field of Dreams," "If you build it, they
> will come."
With all due respect, and as much as we would all like it to be
otherwise, for some situations such as the issue discussed above, reality
and the times don't always support that position.
We need to focus our attention on those aspects that we can
effectively change and avoid wasting time and resources on those that we
cannot or should not in the first place.
Bob Amick, Explorer Advisor, High Adventure Explorer Post 72, Boulder, CO
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
