Banned Skits

[ASM59 10]

Hello,

 

Last year at Summer Camp there was a Troop there that quickly became known among other campers as "The Perfect Scout Troop". They were quick to judge others and equally quick to "toot" their own horn. For example, at SPL meetings, their SPL was critical of other troops because His troop has walked by the same garbage on the trail for 2 days and he could not understand why all the other troops allow their scouts to walk the trails without picking up the garbage. See the hypocrisy, so did the other boys at camp. The adult leaders in this troop were equally arrogant.

 

Anyway, this troops attitude prompted a few of our more creative scouts to come up with a new skit; The Perfect Scout Troop. It would be like watching a Leave it to Beaver / Brady Bunch television show; Golly gee Mr. Scoutmaster sir I guess I should really be more careful when I open my knife, I suppose youll want to cut a corner off of my Totin Chip, let me get it for you.

 

We wouldnt let them try the skit out last year because we felt others around the camp would think they were making fun of the other troop, when in reality this troop simply inspired them to come up with the skit. This year, other adults again thought it best not to do the skit. The boys were very disappointed as they had fine tuned the skit all year.

 

ASM59

 

 

[Red Bird 10]

Many years ago, when I was a Staff Member at the finest Boy Scout Camp in the nation, I was lucky enough to serve with a number of budding thespians and hams.

 

If a song could be enhanced by live action, we did it. "Clementine", "Three Pirates" and "Patsy Orey Orey" were far more fun because of the group dressed in costumes and acting out the song. Some of this acting was not very PC (the pirates were drinking wine, taking gold and chasing the inn keeper's daughter) but it was harmful to no one.

 

As time went by, I became one of two or three guys that would play "the girl" no matter the skit or song. The guys that played "the girl" were, to a man, broad shouldered and hairy legged. We had a wardrobe that included wigs, various dresses and even a Girl Scout uniform. "The Girl" always go the big laugh for her "beauty".

 

The only time that it got disturbing was when a younger, skinny guy volunteered to be "the girl" because none of the regulars were available. He was just a bit too feminine and was not asked to play that role again.

 

Bottom line is this: No skit or song should be banned. As long as the Scouts know where the line is drawn, everything will be fine. We never crossed that line, though we of worked right at the edge of it.

[seabear 10]

Wow, Bring back memorably. "Barnacle Bill the Sailor", The "LumberJack", The Operation Skit, and so many more.Yes times are changing; while back scouts carried hatches,axe, sheath knifes, we ditch/trenched our tents, dug holes, and so much more like candles, matches, kerosene lamps,alcohol stoves. Sometimes it seens as if we are caught ,where what a scout can do out of uniform is more in the present day activities than the scouting program allows( jetski, para sailing, paint balls,etc...). Yet, in present times a boy can be expelled from school for pointing a finger as gun at another.

As Bob White stated in good taste, and there is no room for racial,ethnic or vulgarity and gender slurs in the programing of skits. Just remebering Sharah Sharah sitting on a Chev, while she sits as she shift

[OXCOPS 10]

A couple of years ago, I went to National Camp School for COPE Director certification. Well, we did a skit there that became banned afterwards. We set up a small, indoor obstacle course and selected 3-4 volunteers from the crowd. Once those volunteers were selected, we explained that COPE deals alot with trust and communication, as well as many other goals.

 

We then took the "volunteers" and placed them at the start of the event and blindfolded them. As they were blindfolded, the COPE group's leader explained that we would walk them through the course and they would have to listen to our commands. Such things like, "Step over the bar in front of you without touching it" or "Crawl on your belly under the bar ahead".

 

Well, as the COPE instructor is explaining this to the blindfolded participants, the rest of the COPE class ran out and removed ALL the obstacles, leaving only an empty room. Then, the leader will start running the participants through a course that is no longer there. The only people what don't know it's all gone are the blindfolded participants.

 

Harmless you say?

 

Well, we selected our participants out of the crowd well ahead of time. The ones we decided to use were 2 guys from the Regional Office, the NCS camp director and another high ranking volunteer.

 

It seems they lost their sense of humor along the way.