Scoutmaster Minutes
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LATEST POSTS
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By BetterWithCheddar · Posted
Once again, I think youth sports are the winner of SA's recent action. They manage to stay squeaky clean while Scouting has been stuck in the mud since before COVID. The two aren't perfect substitutes (as this thread has established), but they still compete for a finite pool of time, energy, and money. My son is just barely hanging on to Cub Scouts. Sometimes I wonder if he's doing it just to humor me. Most of his favorite den mates dip in and out for youth sports (as does he, occasionally). The few regulars are mainly "indoor kids." They've tried team sports. It wasn't for them. Now they're in Cub Scouts because they like being part of a team, but the stakes are much lower. I'd like my son to stick with Scouting, but I'm running low on energy. One thing this thread hasn't acknowledged is that sometimes parents just want to see their kid win. I'll surmise it's especially true for fathers and their sons. There's just something primal about seeing your genes rise to the top. Even my wife, who is pretty well-grounded and considers herself above the fray, takes satisfaction in knowing that her son is better than so-and-so's son. This feeling probably drives spending more than most care to admit. With all of the membership changes of the past decade (of which I'm largely supportive), pretty much anyone can become an Eagle Scout if they attend enough merit badge seminars on the weekend. Membership is 1/3 of what it was at the turn of the century, yet the number of new Eagle Scouts per year has remained fairly consistent. For those parents who value excellence in youth programming (and those too sheepish to admit it), it's become more difficult to point to the Eagle Scout award as a mark of superiority. I'm not implying that Scouting is bad (still a huge advocate) or that it needs to change (it's still pretty good), but it's not meeting the needs of some high-achieving families. -
By BetterWithCheddar · Posted
Yeah, this is really bad (if true). If you're going to solicit large donations for an endowment, there's a professional and moral obligation to ensure they're protected to the fullest extent. Beyond the endowments, there has probably been a working-class family in every council who gifted their own modest estate in order to have a new health lodge or shooting sports range built at their favorite camp. And now that camp is gone. I'm just glad they're no longer here to see their life's work squandered. -
By BetterWithCheddar · Posted
The knee was already bent with the membership changes and Citizenship in Society merit badge. Now it's being hyperextended the other way. In between it filed for bankruptcy. Let's face it, we're really limping along here. -
By BetterWithCheddar · Posted
This was my biggest issue. It catered to one side and felt very reactionary. I'm not thrilled about the roll-back either for the same reasons. The damage is done. There are no winners. -
Why doesn't anybody compare all of these issues with the Scout Oath and Law. There is a lot wrong with DEI and in my opinion it has no place in Scouting. Perhaps Scouting America should have three apecific groups: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Boy/ Girl Scouts and Identity Scouts. Maybe that would satisfy everyone. That way there would be specific group of Scouts for everyone. DEI stands for division, end of scouting and incompatibility. Scouting has rejected its values and is falling apart just like our government and many other institutions that have given in to public opinion. I wonder why so many people get upset when I make a conservative statement?
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