Five Myths About Boy Scouts

While many of us think or like to think that we know all about Boy Scouts and Scouting, the hard truth is that a lot of Boy Scouts meet in the basement and camp in the woods, unseen and unheard of by the general public

1/ Boy Scouts spend all their time helping little old ladies across the road.

Not really true. While a good Boy Scout is charged with doing a good turn each day waiting for the opportunity to help a little old lady who wants to cross the road can be a waste of time. For sometime now there has been a world wide shortage of little old ladies wanting to cross busy highways. Most "Good Turns" are as a rule done close to home and parents are the people who benefit from these good deeds.

2/ When not helping little old ladies to cross the road Boy Scouts are busy starting fires by rubbing two sticks together.

Again not really true. While some adults who have way too much time on their hands will master the art of fire by friction and will once they have mastered it be sure to bore the pants off the many of us who really never even tried. The truth is that most camp fires are started with the "Flick of a Bic."

3/Boy Scouts look very much like the fresh faced young innocent Lads seen in Norman Rockwell paintings.

While this might sometimes be true.

However sitting next to a Boy Scout who has been out hiking for four or five days is something that should be avoided at all costs. While he very well might be young and innocent the smell can be anything but fresh.

4/Boy Scouts are the same all over the world.

Not true. While a lot of people like to think that the Boy Scouts of America is what Boy Scouting is all about and it all started here in the good old U.S.A. The truth is that it started in that small little country across the pond and is now in over 200 other countries many of which allow girls to join. Who knows maybe one day the BSA will become Scouts of America?

5/Scoutmasters and Cub-masters get paid for what they do.

While many put in more time scouting than they do working they don't get paid.

Most do it just because they enjoy working with and for young kids and they hope that what they do will make a difference. They now deep down that maybe they can't change the world but they can change the world that one young Lad grows up in.

Please feel free to add any other myths.

Ea.(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

6. Being the leader of a pack/troop/crew/post only takes one hour a week of your time.

Kinda true but it is an hour per scout

Boy Scouts are militaristic war-mongers.

Boy Scouts are a fundamentalist christian organization

National Council is trying to take "outing" out of Scouting.

BSA hates atheists, agnostics, and Gays.

Anyone should be able to join BSA, even if they do not want to work within its rules and traditions.

Boy Scouts are all "sissies" and other negative labels indicating weak and lame.

Sounds like BSA needs a knot book

http://www.scouts.org.uk/cms.php?pageid=134

Boys Scouts know all there is to know about first-aid

Boy Scouts can handle any emergency

Boy Scouts never get lost

Boomer,

The ones you posted SHOULD be true, although not to the extreme.

A boy scout should know basic first aid.

A boy scout should be able to handle most emergencies.

A boy scout should be able to navigate in the woods.

I think there's some material in this thread for a scoutmaster minute.