2010 Merit Badges for Boy Scouts

[Whomp]

The Scouts have introduced 13 new merit pins this year for a wide range of topics: Disability Awareness, Family Travel, Good Manners, Hiking, Hockey, Horseback Riding, Kickball, Nutrition, Pet Care, Photography, Reading and Writing, Skateboarding, and Video Games.

You can earn a Scout merit badge in carpentry, citizenship, and basketry. And now, you can earn Scout belt loops or pins for jamming the buttons on your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 controller wicked hard. That's right folks: Beginning this month, the Boy Scouts of America will offer awards in video game prowess to Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts.

According to the Boy Scouts of America site, Scouts can complete three relatively minor tasks, and earn a gaming belt loop, or complete five more strenuous tasks, and earn an "academic pin." For those interested in the academic pin, options include playing a video game with family members in a family tournament or teaching an "adult or a friend how to play a video game."

But don't worry. The Scouts haven't forgotten about thrift. Here's one of the more intensive tasks on the list: "Choose a game you might like to purchase. Compare the price for this game at three different stores. Decide which store has the best deal. In your decision, be sure to consider things like the store return policy and manufacturer’s warranty."

Needless to say, news of the Boy Scouts gaming badge has been met with much amusement across the Web.

"Back in my day, we had to walk nine miles to get to school every morning, and nine miles to get back home – uphill both ways," writes Mark Sharkey of GameSpy. "And we didn't have these fancy Videogame Belt Loops or Pins in the Cub Scouts. If we were lucky, we'd get sent into bear country alone for a week with no food or water. And if we made it out in one piece, the troop leader would ask us why we weren't man enough to earn the Eaten Alive badge."

I guess canoeing, bugling and pioneering aren't so popular anymore.
As some of you would say...epic fail or pwned?

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation...rica-offers-pins-loops-for-video-game-prowess

 

[Earthling]

Homosexuality counted as a Disability?

 

[JollyRoger]

Next thing you know, they will get badges for eating brownies.

 

[PeteAtoms]

This doesn't surprise me. It's similar to my problem with the way 8 year olds can somehow earn black belts in karate. Is there any point to being a boy scout these days?

 

[remake20]

Sweet. Getting badges for video games and Hockey.

 

[_random_]

This doesn't surprise me. It's similar to my problem with the way 8 year olds can somehow earn black belts in karate. Is there any point to being a boy scout these days?

Well, most colleges haven't caught up with the internet in how useless a title "Eagle Scout" is.

 

[JtheJackal]

now they are ruining video games by teaching kids to be responsible with them!

 

[remake20]

As a mod you can change polls. Put one down (I forgot to vote for that one) for internet debate.

 

[Whomp]

Sorry. You're stuck with Family Travel, Hockey, Kickball. Pet Care and, of course, Video Games.

 

[bhsup]

The one that galls me the most is good manners. That should go hand in hand with just BEING a scout. You shouldn't be rewarded for behaving like you're supposed to behave.

 

[Whomp]

The one that galls me the most is good manners. That should go hand in hand with just BEING a scout. You shouldn't be rewarded for behaving like you're supposed to behave.

Right? It should at least go back to a 1911 original or something. It's good to see kickball making a comeback though...

 

[Takhisis]

I'd like to see how the combination of 'Good Manners' + 'Pet Care' + 'Video Games' works.

 

[JollyRoger]

Right? It should at least go back to a 1911 original or something. It's good to see kickball making a comeback though...

Hopefully its the kickball we all remember from our youth.

 

[azzaman333]

If that's what it takes to get them interested, sure, why the hell not.

 

[Birdjaguar]

These new badges smack of a "desperateness" to be relevant.

 

[woody60707]

YAY! An organization that that takes millions of dollars from the US government (by way of access to governmental resources and other tax-funded support) to practice it's homophobic bigoted views on gays and atheist, and all the news media cares about is a video merit badge???

 

[Perfection]

Good Manners.

 

[storealex]

Boy Scouts need to go Bear Grylls!

 

[Elrohir]

Thread title is misleading! These aren't merit badges, they're belt loops. They're given out to Cub Scouts -- kids aged about 7-12 -- practically for participating in random activities. (I know from personal experience; yes, I was not only a Boy Scout, but a cute little Cub Scout as well )

/end outrage at misinformation

 

[Perfection]

Boy Scouts need to go Bear Grylls!

Fake stupid documentaries?