Citizenship in Society MB Discontinued

[BetterWithCheddar]

15 hours ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

I have no problem with having the Merit Badge.  I did have a few issues when this all started:

1.  It was a knee-jerk reaction to the George Floyd episode.  Without having all the facts about what happened, BSA glommed onto the hysteria that developed in our country.  And, in doing so, I think BSA diminished the standing of Scouting in the eyes of most. 

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.

[theschles]

Our Scouts lose by not going through the requirements of the Citizenship in Society merit badge.  Let's go through a few of them (quoting from https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-society/ )

 

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1. Before beginning work on other requirements for this merit badge, research the following terms and explain to your counselor how you feel they relate to the Scout Oath and Scout Law: identities, diversity, equality, equity, inclusion, discrimination, ethical leadership, and upstander.

This exercise requires Scouts to learn the denotations of each of these terms so to become a better human being:

• Identities (this is not just pronouns; it also has to do with religious and ethnic identities as well)
• Diversity
• Equality vs Equity (they are DIFFERENT)
• Inclusion
• Discrimination
• Ethical leadership (a fish rots from the head down, as does an organization and a government)
• Upstander (we don't have enough of people doing this)

Image source: https://www.diffen.com/difference/Equality-vs-Equity

 

 

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4. Repeat the Scout Oath and Scout Law for your counselor. Choose TWO of the following scenarios and discuss what you could do as a Scout to demonstrate leadership and your understanding of what it means to help others who may seem different from you:

• (a) Scenario 1: While at camp, a youth accidentally spills food on another camper. The camper who gets spilled on gets angry and says something that is offensive to people with disabilities; their friends laugh. What could/should you do?
• (b) Scenario 2: Your friend confides in you that some students in school are making insulting comments about one of their identities, and that those same students created a fake social media account to impersonate your friend online and post messages. What could/should you do?
• (c) Scenario 3: A new student in your class was born in another country (or has a parent who was born in another country). Your friends make rude comments to the student about their speech or clothes and tell the student to "go back home where you came from." What could/should you do?

I'm not sure of anywhere else in the Scouting program makes Scouts think about these particular scenarios. 

I grew up with classmates making fun of disabilities with jokes like "What do you call a man with no arms and no legs who floats in the water? Answer: Bob".

Our current President ridicules women ("Quiet piggy!", "grab them by the p*ssy", "she had blood coming out of...whatever", "we're going to have to bring the women's team",...need I go on? ).

That "go back home where you came from" statement...gee, why does that sound familiar?

These scenarios force a Scout to mentally prepare for situations where they WILL come up in the future, making it easier to do the right thing and stand up for whomever is being attacked.

 

 

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5. Document and discuss:

• (a) Ideas on what you personally can do to create a welcoming environment in your Scouting unit.
• (b) An experience you had in which you went out of your way to include another Scout(s) and what you did to make them feel included and welcomed.
• (c) Things you can do to help ensure all Scouts in your unit are given an opportunity to be heard and included in decision-making and planning.

 

We ask Scouts during Boards of Review what they'd like to change about the Troop.  A few times now a Scout has mentioned that older Scouts are not always being welcoming to the younger Scouts. 

 

Requiring Scouts to THINK about welcoming in newcomers -- and making sure all Scouts feel they can be full participants -- is very important for the cohesion of the Troop.

 

 

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6. With your parent or guardian's approval, connect with another Scout or youth your own age who has an identity that's different from yours. (This means a trait, belief, or characteristic different from you.)

Or to quote Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird:
 

Quote

First of all, if you learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.

 

This is why I feel Scouting America's executive leadership has sold out to the current Presidential leadership.  By removing the Citizenship in Society merit badge -- and not transplanting these requirements into other merit badges, the Scouting America executive leadership has effectively stated that the requirements of the merit badge HAVE NO MERIT.

And that's just wrong.

[InquisitiveScouter]

4 hours ago, theschles said:

Our Scouts lose by not going through the requirements of the Citizenship in Society merit badge.

No, they do not.  They "lose" out on a great opportunity because most leaders neither understand nor abide by the Scout Oath and Law.  In a previous discussion here, a leader, who is supposed to have a lot of time dealing with Scouting, made some of the same errant statements you have made, and showed a deep unfamiliarity with the basic values and the texts we are supposed to be teaching Scouts from.

4 hours ago, theschles said:

Let's go through a few of them (quoting from https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-society/ )

Let's not... the badge is gone.  Please focus instead on the exact values, texts, and verbiage mentioned in the thread above, in the Scout Oath and Law, and their explanations in the Scout Handbook, to help the Scouts in your unit understand what they are pledging at each and every meeting (or should be).  You have many many opportunities to do this through their rank advancements...

4 hours ago, theschles said:

I'm not sure of anywhere else in the Scouting program makes Scouts think about these particular scenarios. 

You comment indicates you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the Scout Oath and Law, the rank requirements, and many other merit badges available which cover topics like these.  (granted, many of those merit badges are not required for advancement)

As an adult leader, you have hundreds (almost?) of opportunities throughout a Scout's "career" to address these types of issues.  Yet, you abdicate your responsibility to model and develop character and citizenship to a (now defunct) merit badge which many Scouts waited until they were far along in the program to earn???

A few references:

Rank requirements:

Requirements 1a & 1b: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Scout-Rank.pdf  and specifically, requirement 6b.  With links here: https://www.scouting.org/training/youth/scouts-bsa/  (required again at Star rank)

Requirements 7b & 9:  https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Tenderfoot-Rank.pdf

Requirements 8e, 9a, 9b, & 10: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Second-Class-v2.pdf

Requirements 9a, 9d, & 11:  https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/First-Class.pdf

Requirements 2 & 6b  https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Star-Rank.pdf

Requirement 2: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Life-Rank.pdf

See page 21, Requirement 2: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/3321625-Scouts-BSA-Requirements.pdf  (oddly enough, no direct link to Eagle requirements, but they are there in the Requirements Book)

Requirement 1: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Eagle-Palms.pdf

----------------------------

Eagle required Merit Badges:

Family Life, 6b2: https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/family-life/

Citizenship in the Community:  1, 3b, 5 & 8:  https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-the-community/

Citizenship in the Nation: 4b:  https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-the-nation/

Citizenship in the World: 1, 2, and some of 7: https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-the-world/

Communication: 1b & c, & 5:  https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/communication/

-------------------------------------------------------------

And sprinkled into some of these electives:

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/disabilities-awareness/

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/american-cultures/

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/cybersecurity/

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/crime-prevention/

 

And, using your logic, I will rephrase your statement:

4 hours ago, theschles said:

This is why I feel Scouting America's executive leadership has sold out to the current Presidential leadership.  By removing the Citizenship in Society merit badge -- and not transplanting these requirements into other merit badges, the Scouting America executive leadership has effectively stated that the requirements of the merit badge HAVE NO MERIT.

And that's just wrong.

"This is why I feel Scouting America's executive leadership has sold out to the current DEI Movement.  By adding Citizenship in Society merit badge -- and not highlighting that these ideas are fundamental to the Scout Oath and Law, and deeply inherent in our program, the Scouting America leadership has effectively stated that our existing program and the requirements we have painstakingly developed HAVE NO MERIT.

And that's just wrong."

If BSA was serious about this, way back then, instead of trying to spring into the fray of virtue signaling, they would have made this a requirement for joining, or for earning Scout rank.

 

Edited 47 minutes ago by InquisitiveScouter

[skeptic]

19 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

No, they do not.  They "lose" out on a great opportunity because most leaders neither understand nor abide by the Scout Oath and Law.  In a previous discussion here, a leader, who is supposed to have a lot of time dealing with Scouting, made some of the same errant statements you have made, and showed a deep unfamiliarity with the basic values and the texts we are supposed to be teaching Scouts from.

Let's not... the badge is gone.  Please focus instead on the exact values, texts, and verbiage mentioned in the thread above, in the Scout Oath and Law, and their explanations in the Scout Handbook, to help the Scouts in your unit understand what they are pledging at each and every meeting (or should be).  You have many many opportunities to do this through their rank advancements...

You comment indicates you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the Scout Oath and Law, the rank requirements, and many other merit badges available which cover topics like these.  (granted, many of those merit badges are not required for advancement)

As an adult leader, you have hundreds (almost?) of opportunities throughout a Scout's "career" to address these types of issues.  Yet, you abdicates your responsibility to model and develop character and citizenship to a (now defunct) merit badge which many Scouts wait until they are far along in the program to earn???

A few references:

Rank requirements:

Requirements 1a & 1b: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Scout-Rank.pdf  and specifically, requirement 6b.  With links here: https://www.scouting.org/training/youth/scouts-bsa/  (required again at Star rank)

Requirements 7b & 9:  https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Tenderfoot-Rank.pdf

Requirements 8e, 9a, 9b, & 10: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Second-Class-v2.pdf

Requirements 9a, 9d, & 11:  https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/First-Class.pdf

Requirements 2 & 6b  https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Star-Rank.pdf

Requirement 2: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Life-Rank.pdf

See page 21, Requirement 2: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/3321625-Scouts-BSA-Requirements.pdf  (oddly enough, no direct link to Eagle requirements, but they are there in the Requirements Book)

Requirement 1: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Eagle-Palms.pdf

----------------------------

Eagle required Merit Badges:

Family Life, 6b2: https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/family-life/

Citizenship in the Community:  1, 3b, 5 & 8:  https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-the-community/

Citizenship in the Nation: 4b:  https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-the-nation/

Citizenship in the World: 1, 2, and some of 7: https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/citizenship-in-the-world/

Communication: 1b & c, & 5:  https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/communication/

-------------------------------------------------------------

And sprinkled into some of these electives:

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/disabilities-awareness/

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/american-cultures/

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/cybersecurity/

https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/crime-prevention/

 

And, using your logic, I will rephrase your statement:

"This is why I feel Scouting America's executive leadership has sold out to the current DEI Movement.  By adding Citizenship in Society merit badge -- and not highlighting that these ideas are fundamental to the Scout Oath and Law, and deeply inherent in our program, the Scouting America leadership has effectively stated that our existing program and the requirements we have painstakingly developed HAVE NO MERIT.

And that's just wrong."

If BSA was serious about this, way back then, instead of trying to spring into the fray of virtue signaling, they would have made this a requirement for joining, or for earning Scout rank.

 

One of my local Scouters posed a good point to consider.  BSA went to court to avoid militarism in the early days and pushed many early groups out, absorbing them or just letting them dry up, so to speak.  But, the cooperation of the Government and military with Scouting has been a mainstay of the program ver the years, and not just at Jamborees.  Support for many early Sea Scout groups was directly related to naval bases and the Coast Guard.  But it was mostly symbiotic in that the Scouts got contact and excitement, and the military groups got opportunities to work with larger groups in organization and staging, and so on.  Indirectly, the selling of War Bonds was part of this as well.  Of course, most interactions were peripheral much of the time.  Tours and on-base campsites were often available at larger installations.  Our troop, for years, camped annually at Edwards and also went to Air Shows there on those camping weekends.  All went away with 9-11.  A concern has been noted that we need to seriously consider what a merit badge for Military Service might entail, but it is a bit dicey on the surace, and I would not want to see something that could put pressure in some manner to join.  

[skeptic]

47 minutes ago, skeptic said:

One of my local Scouters posed a good point to consider.  BSA went to court to avoid militarism in the early days and pushed many early groups out, absorbing them or just letting them dry up, so to speak.  But, the cooperation of the Government and military with Scouting has been a mainstay of the program ver the years, and not just at Jamborees.  Support for many early Sea Scout groups was directly related to naval bases and the Coast Guard.  But it was mostly symbiotic in that the Scouts got contact and excitement, and the military groups got opportunities to work with larger groups in organization and staging, and so on.  Indirectly, the selling of War Bonds was part of this as well.  Of course, most interactions were peripheral much of the time.  Tours and on-base campsites were often available at larger installations.  Our troop, for years, camped annually at Edwards and also went to Air Shows there on those camping weekends.  All went away with 9-11.  A concern has been noted that we need to seriously consider what a merit badge for Military Service might entail, but it is a bit dicey on the surface, and I would not want to see something that could put pressure in some manner to join.  

My wasting tech skills are showing.  Oh well.  I continue to find it odd that the discussions on the MB going away basically are rehashing the gripes when it was put in place.  I said at the time that I thought it was simply unneeded if we were using the simple concept of Scout Spirit as part of their reviews, and also as leaders doing our best as well.  IF the rank review, the thing called the SM Conference touches the review of Spirit, then it is a regular review of how well the Scout, and frankly, many adults understand the concepts.  But I am old, and still considered Woke by a few, whatever that actually means

Edited 25 minutes ago by skeptic
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