Remind me again, please? What does the word "uniform" mean?

[InquisitiveScouter]

Oh, no...

Just got the spam Scout Shop email telling me about these new wonderful Scout socks!

https://www.scoutshop.org/mcgovern-outdoor-hiking-socks.html

We have a difficult enough time chasing the Uniform method and getting youth to adhere to the practice of wearing a uniform.  https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Scouts-BSA-Aims-and-Methods.pdf

Socks is the most often overlooked item, with "I don't know where they are." as the most common response.

My mantra has been, as long as it is official, they are fine...

Not sure how I will react when I see a Scout wearing these:

And yes, there are a few Scouts in our Troop who will wear them just to get attention, be funny, or be different...

Maybe the PLC will set a common sense rule for the unit?  A Scouter can hope...

Side note:  how much staff time, money on market research and procurement, advertising development, etc., do you think was spent on this?

Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

 

Edited Friday at 02:37 PM by InquisitiveScouter

[RememberSchiff]

I felt the same about Bolos.  I thought neckers were uniform... worldwide.

[Tron]

42 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Oh, no...

Just got the spam Scout Shop email telling me about these new wonderful Scout socks!

https://www.scoutshop.org/mcgovern-outdoor-hiking-socks.html

We have a difficult enough time chasing the Uniform method and getting youth to adhere to the practice of wearing a uniform.  https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Scouts-BSA-Aims-and-Methods.pdf

Socks is the most often overlooked item, with "I don't know where they are." as the most common response.

My mantra has been, as long as it is official, they are fine...

Not sure how I will react when I see a Scout wearing these:

And yes, there are a few Scouts in our Troop who will wear them just to get attention, be funny, or be different...

Maybe the PLC will set a common sense rule for the unit?  A Scouter can hope...

Side note:  how much staff time, money on market research and procurement, advertising development, etc., do you think was spent on this?

Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

 

I might wear those just for the heck of it. Uniforms and uniformity are important, "they" say all methods are equal but I personally think the uniform should be more equal than others because of the financial diversity in my area. That being said, because of the financial diversity in my area I am on the N+1 improvement road for uniforms at my unit; I'll worry about the socks after I get every scout into a properly fitting uniform shirt and then if I can ever get more than a handful of scouts into any type of green pants. 

19 minutes ago, RememberSchiff said:

I felt the same about Bolos.  I thought neckers were uniform... worldwide.

Didn't the bolos come out of Philmont? I once had an old timer tell me that the rule "back in the day" was that you could only wear a bolo if it was purchased at Philmont. Where I live, if I see someone with a bolo, with my personality, I typically ask them if they have ever even been West of the Mississippi, and then when they so no and don't get the whole out West vibe bolos give off I mock them to some degree and ask them something about when they are picking up their spurs. 

[RememberSchiff]

1 hour ago, Tron said:

...

Didn't the bolos come out of Philmont? I once had an old timer tell me that the rule "back in the day" was that you could only wear a bolo if it was purchased at Philmont. Where I live, if I see someone with a bolo, with my personality, I typically ask them if they have ever even been West of the Mississippi, and then when they so no and don't get the whole out West vibe bolos give off I mock them to some degree and ask them something about when they are picking up their spurs. 

Don't know. As I understand bolos came out of the Southwest;  Philmont is in the Southwest, so sounds possible.

Back in the day as I prepared for Philmont, I heard various alumni state one could only wear Philmont belts, bulls, arrowhead patches, neckers, etc. if one completed a Philmont Expedition.  It must be earned. Then my beloved Troop Scoutmaster who had never nor would  visit Philmont requested I purchase a Philmont belt & buckle for him.  

A dilemma to  test of Scouting values?  Where is it written?  Confident that I wasn't officially doing a wrong thing, I bought him the Philmont belt and buckle. 

[skeptic]

They would never ask if you bought something for someone not there.  I remember when I got my black bull for the red jacket I was told the tail went over the shoulder only if you climbed the Tooth.  Not an issue for me, but today, if I had not done it long ago, I would not even be allowed to do the climb.  They have cracked down on older or out of shape hikers just taking off while in a training class or just passing through, or at least so I am told.  I climbed the Toot on my day off from a training class in the seventies, but since did it both as part of a trek and also just for fun on another training visit.  That first trek, we spent half a day working on the Tooth helping a new alignment of the trail.  Hot and dusty and still had to hike into Base.  

 

[scoutldr]

Just because it has a logo on it, doesn't mean it's part of the official uniform.  SA now is marketing to the segment of the membership that is more attuned to "fashion" as well as functionality.  It's all about the Benjamins.

[Navybone]

They are socks.  To put this all into perspective -  they are socks and this is not the military.

When I was a scout in Mississippi in the early 80’s, we went to summer camp (Camp Tiak) The expectation was to wear the uniform every day.  Since I did not have the right socks (actually just missing the red tabs that were to be worn with the socks, I had to wear long pants. Not fun in 100 degree weather.  The emphasis in the troop was on uniforms (and inspections with grip chits) -  which was a main reason I left scouts - I hated it.

I am an ASM now, and my son recently completed all the requirements for Eagle.  And after 30 years in the military, my emphasis has never been on uniform other than 1) wear it appropriately, and 2) wear what you have.   

Perspective.  What is important in scouts?  Let’s make the main thing be the main thing and use common sense on implementing the methods.  My two cents. 

[InquisitiveScouter]

7 hours ago, Navybone said:

They are socks.  To put this all into perspective -  they are socks and this is not the military.

When I was a scout in Mississippi in the early 80’s, we went to summer camp (Camp Tiak) The expectation was to wear the uniform every day.  Since I did not have the right socks (actually just missing the red tabs that were to be worn with the socks, I had to wear long pants. Not fun in 100 degree weather.  The emphasis in the troop was on uniforms (and inspections with grip chits) -  which was a main reason I left scouts - I hated it.

I am an ASM now, and my son recently completed all the requirements for Eagle.  And after 30 years in the military, my emphasis has never been on uniform other than 1) wear it appropriately, and 2) wear what you have.   

Perspective.  What is important in scouts?  Let’s make the main thing be the main thing and use common sense on implementing the methods.  My two cents. 

https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/510784(19)_Scouts_Uniform_Inspection_Sheet_WEB.pdf

[Navybone]

I know that there is a uniform inspection guide.  In my role as a leader in the troop I support, we have never used this.  I offer hints to scouts on how to make their uniform look better, to meet the regulations and be more “uniform” with the rest of the troop. It is a method to meet the goals of scouting, but not the only method and not the purpose of scouting.  And as I said it was an impediment in its implementation that resulted in my quitting scouts.  

This was my second troop, the first being one were we camped, we learned, we ran, had fun, we were active and had high retention.  We wore the uniform but it was not about the uniform.  My family moved to Mississippi and it was uniform inspections (with some type of uniform inspection sheet), standing in ranks.  Nope, hard pass.  There was no pride and sense of belonging.  It was long pants (cotton olive green pants). 

 

 

 

[DuctTape]

When the methods are employed effectively, they result in the achievement of the Aims of scouting. These are the metrics by which we measure our success in implementing the methods.