I knew it was coming, but I still hate to see this become reality…
Wokeness has finally succeeded in destroying a formerly great organization. After 114 years, the Boy Scouts of America is changing its name to Scouting America.
“The organization steeped in tradition has made seismic changes after decades of turmoil, from finally allowing gay youth to welcoming girls throughout its ranks,” reports the Associated Press. “With an eye on increasing flagging membership numbers, the Irving, Texas-based organization announced the name change Tuesday at its annual meeting in Florida.”
Full article, HERE.
Norman Rockwell was a supporter of Scouting, doing somewhere around 65 paintings about Scouting over the years that were featured in the Scouting magazines.
My father died when I was nine, and Scouting provided good male role models for me during my childhood. In addition, it taught me self-sufficiency, leadership, involvement in the community.
I made it all the way to Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow, and through the Explorer program.
One of the things I remember most is the pride the leaders took in the USA and how they lead by example. I think this was because most of our leaders were veterans of WWII, and had some pretty strong feelings about ‘what’ and ‘how’ we should learn.
Sadly, like many other organizations, Scouting has had its troubles, many brought on by lawsuits and leading to the bankruptcy of the original organization.
At least I’ll always have my good memories…sigh
I was never a scout but to reply all I can say is memories is all we have of “The Way It Was.” Sounds like the title for my book I have been trying to put together.
I wasn’t a Scout either, but I do have an electronic copy of the 1911 Boy Scout manual which details many projects any young kid can learn and practice with. If a parent or trusted adult can supply time, Scouting can live on, at least partially.
Taking a kid camping and/or fishing really helps both adult and kid bond and have a good time at the same time. Just make sure the 1st couple of trips are made in decent conditions – don’t want to scare anyone off.
So, the scouts will now officially be abbreviated as SA..
And they wear brown shirts…
And they have a vaguely paramilitary structure…
Uh-oh.
Khaki, not brown.
I was a Scout as well. I loved my time in it.
In less than 10 years we will be seeing court cases alleging sexual abuse again.
Hey Old NFO,
I am bummed out, the scouts are trying to appease critics that will not be appeased, and will not be happy until the organization that they consider an “Patriarchal organization” turns to dust so they can piss on the ashes, and if they had any non binairy offspring they would not be in the scouts.
I’m an Eagle Scout, also, and I’m greatly saddened.
The Scouts were a fine, paramilitary organization, where I learned about leadership and responsibility, and also learned to shoot, to make and use bows and arrows, to swim, to manage a canoe, to do knots and lashings, to improvise camping, hiking and cooking gear, to cook over a fire, to camp in bad weather, and many other useful things!
The “new” Scouts won’t be as “macho,” nor will leadership, honor, and responsibility be the big lessons for the kids. It’s tragic what’s been stolen from young men.
I joined as a cub in 1972. Eagle scout, OA, etc.
Still active as an adult. I have served as a Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Chapter Adviser, etc.
The youth I see in the program, both the young men and young ladies, are as engaged as those of my youth.
For now, I think it comes down to the leadership in the local groups whether it’s still going to be good or not.
I never was a scout, but all 4 of my sons were. All four got their Eagle rank and were OA. The also did Philmont tice each, Canoe Base once each, and Seabase one each. Luckily, they finished under the old rules.
I was an assistant Scoutmaster, Scoutmaster and committee member for over 22 years I enjoyed almost every minute of it.
Some LDS congregations, and some of the Reformed (Dutch Calvinist) churches have had separate scouting groups for some time now, for various reasons. The ones I’m familiar with are basically Boy Scouts without the modern politics. I wonder if someone will take the old Baden-Powell books, start a boys outdoor and service program, and provide the beginnings of a replacement. Granted, it won’t have the resources like Philmont or the international scope, but there might be a greater demand than the Powers-That-Be imagine.
My friend is an Eagle as is his son. His daughter, a Venturer.
He’s also a scoutmaster.
I teased him about the name change today.
He said “I’m old and I’m not changing.”
I was Eagle Scout with Order of the Arrow. In my honor, my father proudly bought a brick for the Nashville, TN organizational office. My disappointment with the modern Scouting movements has lead me to plan an excursion to said office next time I’m in the area, and remove the block from their patio.
I recall fondly my time as first a Webelos and then a Boy Scout. Time and circumstance developed my field craft that stayed with me through a career in the Army, and all to my advantage.
Questions on adult leadership in the Boy Scouts are a reflection of our society in general with the college campuses and Washington, DC serving as sad exemplars. Scouting America indeed.
Boy Scout summer camp prepared me well for USAF Basic Training.
All- Thank you! TXRed- I wasn’t aware of that, hope it works for them! And yes, Philmont was special! And where I learned to HATE spiders… sigh…
My Son was a scout all through HS, he’s now 21
Our troop… did not adhere to all the national guidelines and standards declared. We met all through the KungFlu. The individual groups are good people trying to do good things, and should be given your support. The national organization, the political entity, is converged, woke, and impossible to save at this point.
Just like everything else in our world today it seems… the bigger it gets the worse it becomes. Local, local, local baby.
I was a Wood Badged Adult leader as my sons were coming up through scouts and found it to be a totally corrupt organization. The guys who run the council would close the scout camps and use them for private hunting preserves. Some of our scout ranches have oil and natural gas production going on and nobody seems to know where the money goes. There are other independent organizations cropping up to replace BSA that stick to the original values.
I was a Cub for one year, then found other activities and groups to join. As a parent I have lead four boys through Cub Scouts as a Den Leader and Cubmaster to their Arrow of Light and into Scouting. Three boys are still striving for their Eagle and now I am the Asst Scoutmaster. I have had to contend with the Council/National edicts and changes the whole twelve years I have been involved (has really been twelve already?). As Joe Blow said, “Local, local, local baby.” We work hard to keep our local unit as close to the original as possible. So hard to roll with each new “enlightened” change big scouting imposes on us. Don’t talk to me about dues that have gone up ~650% in the last ten years….
I went down the Cadet route (Jnr ROTC) but still.
“With an eye on increasing flagging membership numbers” — unh hunh, now watch the scouting movement explode with new rainbow vitality.
Outrageous.
All- Thanks for your comments, and yes, things have changed, NOT for the better, IMHO.