chaoman45

I just thought of something.

If Sustainability is gonna become an either/or badge with E Sci, how will this affect the Panda Bear Award?

Be careful when you say "most." It's common, but not necessarily a universal opinion.

I have met Scouts in school who I didn't know were Scouts. When I found out, a lot of them replied that they didn't want to make a big deal out of it or to keep their personal lives out of school. Primary school, it's not a huge issue. I've seen girls wearing Cub Scout uniforms for some reason. Middle school is the time where they go through all these changes, so it IS a big deal to some. By high school, people don't really worry or care much anymore.

As long as there is a pervasive "Scouts is for the socially awkward" perception, then it will be common.

I don't remember where, but I heard some companies are now removing Eagle rank as consideration for job hiring. Pretty sad. Oh well... at least in this case it's a win-win.

qwazse - I'm ASM. The CC and I have taken Wood Badge, though I think he did only the 20th Century one. Another troop split is actually a suspicion. Who knows. The SM can be hard to read, only because he prefers to not start or contribute to confrontations. I once did something I knew he really did not like. Never said a word about it until someone else did. That was a couple years ago, but there is a pattern of behaviour.

Each side has basically determined the other side "has been a great help, BUT..." As in, they contribute a lot, yet cause a lot of problems, too, if that makes sense. Nothing really about G2SS.

E92 - It's sad. My friend and another are Eagle Scouts. I'm an Eagle Scout. We aren't getting along very well, I feel. Then again, even Scouting's founders had huge eruptive fights about administration of a programme.

Sparing the details, I'll just say some recent incidences are now starting to boil over. Two sides, two different adult leadership ideologies, etc. Somehow, a lot of blame goes to our CC, who is known for "rubbing people the wrong way." I know he does. I'll admit to it, too. But a committee member who I consider a friend resigned in protest. Some of the volunteers won't help at activities anymore due to the divisive nature of the situation.

I don't hate any of the people who are protesting, not even dislike. We just have different perspectives of how a troop should run, the extent of which to include adults, et al. And it's apparently reached borderline ragequit. Can't/won't give specifics, because all I need to know is how you would diffuse a **** storm. And how do you do it with people that may strongly disagree with each other.

>Scout goes and listens to lecture

>Counselor, not Scout, demonstrates knowledge

>Scout gets badge anyway for showing up

This is why I hate these things.

What I tend to like about "open" forums is that they remain uncensored, even if it gets a bit rough in a thread. I haven't the seniority some other members here have, so I cannot adequately speak about whether or not the mod squad is right. Sounds like I missed something big; lol, who links other members to masturbation on a Scout forum?

These forums are useful for addressing serious issues, as well as giving advice. Hell, there are suspicions that the old SE in my council cooked the books also, so it's interesting to read input. Similarly, Scouters at the unit level have to deal with National's calls, even if we do not agree with them. Just look at the "popcorn and BSA policy" thread. I've never had this happen to me, but at least I can figure out what to do IF it happens.

If it's a land line, you could always just have a parent on a second phone. Silly, but true.

Uh, because it's funny?

For years, our troop and SM demanded there be a book for signing to advance. No book, no advancement, which could also mean no book = no SM Conference. Enter the Information Age. We have Troopmaster to monitor these things and can pull up what a Scout has in terms of advancement as long as we have internet. A while back, I would record Scout advancement on paper and not in the book until I was corrected. "No, you have to fill it in the book if they want ________." Is this a proper way to record advancement - book only, rather than relying on Troopmaster or a spreadsheet?

Our troop is about 30. Problem is the older generation is going into high school, hence they are not as active. Others have family, church or other commitments, so they cannot attend campouts. Our four patrols, including the new Scouts, had a tally of 4/9, 4/4, 1/9, 3/10 this last campout. Yes, I know the ideal size is 6-8, but that's a lesser issue now. And yes, we had to combine patrols.

One last thought - nicknames are often meant to be a sign of affection - frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if some parents didn't think that a 22 year old ASM giving their kids nicknames wasn't just a little but creepy.

Why is it creepy for me if a 50+ year old guy can do it without it being creepy?

I want the patrols, which pretty much are just names on paper right now, to start forming into more cohesive units. Our attendance, to put it nicely, has sucked this last year, so we're lucky to have half our Scouts attend a single campout. Resultantly, we combine patrols so the numbers are bigger and they can purchase more food (patrol standard is x amount of dollars per Scout in a patrol). This inhibits the patrol method, so basically calling it a patrol method troop is a joke and the SPL is like one super PL, having to deal with Scouts and never delegating.

I have suggested reworking the patrols so that they can choose their own patrols, which has its ups and downs. How can we strengthen a barely existent patrol method?

Someone in my troop brought this up as an issue and do not use these two terms as mutually exclusive words. As in, the individual says nicknames ARE a form of namecalling and hence a form of bullying or a source of a future problem. I use nicknames a lot of the time, like "Bacon" (name for someone who loves bacon so much I could see him eating it every meal), "No Pants" (kid would wear gym shorts every day even if it is snowing outside), and etc etc. My policy has been and always will be if the nickname is deemed offensive to a parent or kid, I stop. The problem, and question, is if the kids who receive these nicknames from a 22 YO ASM do NOT find these offensive at all and like the names, are nicknames on the same plane as namecalling?

Personally, I still think it's an overreaction to a non-issue if the kids like the names and no malicious intent is behind them, but hey who am I.(This message has been edited by chaoman45)

For those unfamiliar, it's a bot. They post spam and somehow managed to create an account. The more people post in bot threads, the higher their "ratings" get and as a result will post more spam or invite more bots. Best thing to do is ignore them, report them, and watch them get trashed.

A lot of issues made our troop split. They were mostly adult issues, although we had problems with the kids, too. Mainly disagreements about how to do administrative tasks in the troop. We went from over 40 down to the mid-20s. We also lost many Scouts because they had siblings or friends in the split troop and we couldn't recruit from our usual sources. Within three years, we were down to about 7 active. Fortunately, time went on and many forgot why the split happened or even knows it existed. We have 33 now.

The problem is a new batch of overprotective adults and I can imagine another split or exodus soon, sadly. The SM is trying to keep things under control, but it's hard when you go against the world, eh?

I use eBay for items not available in Scout shops. For example, I have an Air Scout XL hat and belt, 1950s leader jacket, etc. Usually Scout uniforms are at a fair price, but Venturing uniforms from 98-08 are really hard to find.

By the way, if anybody has the OLD Venturing uniform they don't want anymore, I will buy from you!(This message has been edited by chaoman45)

I'm gonna go on a hunch and say the "totally bogus" comment was directed to the guy who claims to issue push-ups and whatnot. JUST A GUESS.

And nobody was fighting. =/

1. That can vary because boys elect their leaders. They will not always elect the BEST or most competent leader, though. This idea can see some problems.

2. Good idea. Also, it would help to enforce Kudu's Rule of 300.

3. Dunno if "making" them do anything will solve much, but it's worth a shot. So far, #2 is the first step, but definitely not the cure.

I wear pants out of preference. Eventually, you get used to being hot.

>I see you have your own stereotype issues to deal with.

No, I don't.

>Could it be that influences the behavior of other leaders towards you?

No. Plus, even if it was, it's not relevant to OP's problem.(This message has been edited by chaoman45)

BDPT00 - I've taken the specific training, Wood Badge (gots me some beads, too), and other various trainings like Hazardous Weather. Why?

Eagle92 - I never had a leadership position and did not really "get it" until three years in. Maybe that's just true of most adults. Eh... at least I'm learning early I suppose.

1998-2008 RIP good Venturing uniform

I wasn't aware of any new Venture uniforms. I WAS aware of a new microfibre Boy Scout shirt to replace the nylon ones.

I'm an ASM and 22. Doesn't really qualify for "seasoned Scouter," but I'm posting anyway.

Brotip: they see more as "one of us" than "one of them." In other words, they more likely associate you with youth than an old adult. You're too young to fit the stereotypical image of an old grouchy guy with coffee and a sleeping disorder. I speak from experience - it's a double-edged sword.

>Food is horrible

You ever eaten at a school cafeteria? Just as bad. Also there really isn't a problem with daddy longlegs. Better them than rattlesnakes.