Post by: Fly320s on October 21, 2006, 10:02:10 AM
There is a new Boyscout merit patch to be earned by boyscouts... Respect Copyrights. The scouts learn how to identify copyrighted material and what can be done with them.
Post by: Perd Hapley on October 21, 2006, 10:25:45 AM
Post by: mfree on October 21, 2006, 02:29:15 PM
Post by: lupinus on October 21, 2006, 02:55:45 PM
It was a joke when I was with them in the early and mid 90's.
The weekly meeting? It was mroe about going over a few things, talking as a group, and mostly leading up to the end of meeting game of football.
We took the occasional camping trip, I was a boy scout for ver a year (not counting the time through tiger and cub scouts which I was from the time I was five) and never once held a rifle.
I don't know how it is everywhere, but the modern boyscouts aren't much to speak of for teaching skills.
Post by: Azrael256 on October 21, 2006, 03:20:22 PM
Quote
The weekly meeting? It was mroe about going over a few things, talking as a group, and mostly leading up to the end of meeting game of football.
Yeah, well, if your dad never showed up to the meetings like all the dads in my troop (including my own) to give the boys the benefit of wisdom and experience at a crucial time in their lives, then you were basically on a football team with no helmets. Been there. Parents hear "boy scouts" and assume that boys sit around a campfire litstening to ancient stories of heroism told by a wise elk. It has not occured to them that "boy scouts" is about preparing boys for manhood, so maybe the meeting hall should be full of men with no greater concern in their lives than the development of their sons. Wouldn't that be a novel thing!'Course, it's hard enough to find a father and his son living in the same house except on every third Tuesday and alternate Sundays, so Scouting is pretty much a lost cause.
I'll bet your troop had problems on campouts, too. Moms had to drive and stay in camp, right? Sorry ladies, this is a man thing. Mom's involvement ended with cub scouts. Women shouldn't be around to cook meals and keep the camp tidy. If they are, the boys will never learn that cooking and cleaning are just as manly as chopping wood and hunting. Women in the troop was something that always irritated me.
If you want a good experience for your son these days, you pretty much have to join an AMM group.
Post by: lupinus on October 22, 2006, 07:13:44 AM
While my dad was never in the picture there were plenty of grown men around. Agian, we never seemed to learn to much.
Actualy on camp outs there weren't many problems or women. I think the problem was more lack of just doing things you expect boy scouts to do.
Then agian this was also NJ...so that might explain a bit.
Post by: 280plus on October 22, 2006, 12:36:23 PM
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on October 22, 2006, 12:49:39 PM
Quote from: 280plus
Yup, not enough dads and too many moms in the boy scouts these days.
You sexist pig!!
Post by: 280plus on October 22, 2006, 12:57:12 PM
It's true though, nothing against moms wanting to participtae but if I let the moms run the show when I was in charge all we'd ever do is sit around a campfire after a gourmet meal and make s'mores.
Mom, "Why do they have to go on a hike? My little Johnny doesn't LIKE to hike."
Me, "Then your little Johnny can stay home this month."
280plus = evil Committee Chairman. (insert sinister laughing here)
Post by: 280plus on October 22, 2006, 12:58:37 PM
Post by: Monkeyleg on October 22, 2006, 01:06:39 PM
Fistful, I got all sorts of merit badges, but never made it past Tenderfoot because I couldn't tie knots. Still can't to this day. My wife even laughs at the way I tie shoes.
Post by: 280plus on October 22, 2006, 01:32:26 PM
MY mom had a kaniption when I came home from summer camp and she found out I spent two weeks shooting GUNS! I'm so proud.
Post by: Guest on October 22, 2006, 03:04:19 PM
Post by: 280plus on October 22, 2006, 03:26:55 PM
I'm sure none of "my" moms would have had guns to lend. I didn't say ALL moms were bad, just the wimpy ones.
Post by: Chris on October 23, 2006, 05:24:31 AM
Sriously, the Cub Scout pack is a lot more relxed, less militaristic than I recall my Scouting experience being. But they are teaching the same principles, which seem to be sorely lacking in today's world. Concepts like real honor. the idea of keeping one's word, no matter what. of telling the truth, damn the consequences. Not weaseling one's way out of a problem by blaming someone else. I found it refreshing in this world of political correctness to see these values being taught. Shockingly enough, even the pair of "challenged" (handicapped) boys are expected to participate in the same activites, and darned if they don't do pretty well at them.Don't pronounce the body dead yet. there's still hope.
Post by: 280plus on October 23, 2006, 05:41:33 AM
Post by: HankB on October 23, 2006, 07:21:33 AM
The local (urban Chicago) troop basically did NOTHING of interest - no camping, no woods lore, no "hands on" knife sharpening, fire building, or anything else of interest . . . they were starting into the toy car racing thing then, and that just didn't fit my preconceptions of what scouting was all about.