Boys won’t be invited into Girl Scouts because the systemic abuses the BSA carried out against children did not occur in Girl Scouts. You are blaming the girls for the faults of the organization while complaining that the organization no longer holds the interest of boys past fourth grade. Where is BSA, and your own, responsibility here? Or is it just those pesky girls? |
The families asked for it because they wanted a place for both of their kids so it was a homegrown request. In addition, they did so because they had so many lawsuits against them as a result of too many males going unchecked. Would you rather the program just die? Because that was it was about to do. You are comparing the old program against the new program but that wasn't the trajectory the scouts had to consider. My son is learning how to work harder at scouts and is learning better communication skills with the women. He views women as equals and actually has more enthusiasm for the work. Both men and women celebrate eagle scouts so now there are more people who hold it in high regard. They haven't changed the badges at all. I think it's been a positive change to make it more of a family experience. I think some people held scouts in high regard before. When I've talked to men my age though a lot of talk about it was that it was more for kids who weren't into sports. I don't think it had the macho look you think it did. |
Why don't you just say you think boys are inferior to girls and be done with it. You attack me, you attack a nat'l organization. But you're totally ignoring any point I making about why single-sex experiences can be critical paths for identity formation on the path to adulthood. |
who hurt you? |
It also still continues religious traditions. I'm not sorry all the sex abuse came out and I think adding girls has been a great addition to both keep and expand the program. The troops are still separate so for the most part my kid is only with boys. It's just some of the all troop activities where they are together. We disagree. |
Then maybe the nat'l organization shouldn't have bankrupted itself out settlements because it had no problem with pedo volunteers |
Why would I think boys are inferior to girls when the subsequent poster about BSA said how she felt the vibe was *better* with the girls? Obviously in the DCUM area there are boys who thrive and excel even when measured against girls, and, one assumes, those are the boys whose parents don’t blame the existence of the girls for their failures. It’s more accurate to say I think boys who are raised to blame their failures on the fact that there are girls who out-perform them are inferior, and those are the ones who will not achieve the higher standards expected of them in the future. I’m sure you’ll blame the girls foe that too. |
My guess is that a lot of kids don't do boy scouts past 4th grade because there are other options for them. I haven't seen any change in enrollment at our troop and my oldest child boy scouts before this change. The new classes are the same size or even larger since covid. Covid slowed down enrollment. |
BSA has slowed due to covid and less people into activities that have a religious connection. In addition there are now more conservative scout groups which some of the kids who would have done scouts now go to. But the national capital boy scout troops are well run and very popular. If you left before 5th grade you didn't even try them out. Cub scouts ends in 4th grade so to me all this says is that you gave up because of "the girls" without even trying it. |
My dad was a scout growing up in the 50's. Based on what he said about it, I signed up too. Unfortunately my experience was way different from his. He grew up in a predominantly Jewish area of a big city where most of the other boys were Jews too. I grew up in a small southern town where we met in a church and it felt like a Christian organization. I quit after 3 years...but at least I never got molested? |
Maybe you are getting your info from 90 Day Fiance? Every ex-pat I know is financially independent and speaks another language. Every once in awhile I run into a digital nomad type, but everyone else has $$$$. |
I'm upper-middle-class in the US, and filthy rich in India. |
Lol |
And I'm sure in your dad's town it felt like a Jewish organization. Not sure of your point. You probably felt that way in a small southern town anyway whether you were in boy scouts or not. Now it's mostly a non-denominational group except for a few troops that cater more religious. You can pick the troop you want to join. |
The anti-BSA types just can’t avoid the opportunity to engage in another BSA misrepresentation screed.
At the elementary school level, the Cub Scout groups called a “Den” (8 – 12 children) meet entirely separately as either all-girl or all-boy groups. The only time boy and girl Dens might each other is at larger monthly “Pack” meetings, but the boy and girl dens are pretty much unto themselves even then. For the junior high/younger high school ages, the Scout BSA groups called a “Troop” (15 – 50 children) meet entirely separate from each other and there is no interaction between boys and girls. So no, there is no real opportunity in the BSA for boys and girls to be compared to each other based on misplaced views of differing standards by gender. Girls, boys, trans kids and every other variety of child is welcome in the BSA. After having been a volunteer with the BSA for over 40 years, I have yet to come across a family who wants their boy to join Girl Scouts. The BSA can serve all of their needs -- and these families are not attracted to an organization that discriminates against their child. |