Scouting!

[Che Guava]

A light topic today: Any posters here ever a part of the Scouts? Cubs? Beavers?

I just got back from a trip to Montana's flathead lake where I had the chance to do some great canoeing, and it made me think back to my days in Scouts Canada I starting the program in beavers (6-y-o) and went all the way to ventures (18) and didn't regret a minute of it. I've heard a lot of criticisms of scouting over the years, from "it's for losers" to "it's a paramilitary operation" all the way to their contentious views on technically excluding atheists and homosexuals (the latter wasn't an issue in Canda, but I hear it still is in the states). In spite of that, I learned much of my better survival, teamwork and life skills from Scouts Canada and you can be sure that my kids are going to be encouraged to join as well.

So, anyone here a part of Scouting? like or dislike?


(for those not familiar)

 

[Brighteye]

Ventures was one of the best things I ever did. Hard-core hiking, camping, ice-climbing, glacier crossing...
we did it all.
It was superb. We had a gay leader in Scouts who was kicked out because some parents complained. It made me very angry. He was a brilliant leader, knew his stuff, joked with us (including never being angry about the endless 'jokes' we made about his homosexuality) and was a good guy.
Some stupid parents spoiled it all and we ended up with a schoolteacher who took much of the fun out of the place. Thankfully I was almost finished by then.

 

[El_Machinae]

I was a scout for two years, and part of a survivalist-training group for three (it sounds like one of those 'rednecks in the woods with guns' groups, but it wasn't - it was more of a fun thing to do as a young teen).

I was a really big fan of 'natural living' when I was younger, and got out camping (with minimal supplies) as often as I could.

 

[Grisu]

never was part of the scouts as I never saw any point in it. furthermore, I disliked uniforms even as a kid

when we felt like it, we just went into the forest by ourselves without any organization

some of my friends are/were active scouters though, from what they tell, it was quite fun.

 

[downtown]

I got my Eagle Scout right before I turned 18. My years in my venture patrol were some of the most fun in all of teenagehood. I learned some great skills, and getting that eagle has opened a lot of doors for me.

 

[Leonel]

I used to be a cub scout! But I got bullied in it and just told my dad I didn't want to do it anymore.

 

[Masquerouge]

When I was an exchange student in Texas, my brothers there were into boy scouts, so I joined them. It was great fun: lots of outdoor activities, games, etc. I still have my shirt, with the "Troop 530" badge on it

 

[puglover]

I was a First Class scout once. Scouting was a real coming-of-age experience for me. I mean, how can you sleep with no tent in 20F weather and not mature in any way? My troop was nuts about camping, and had a campout at least every month. While it was great fun, I got tired in the middle of my second year and dropped out to pursue full-time writing.

 

[Leatherneck]

I was a Scout in the 60's.

 

[Masquerouge]

I mean, how can you sleep with no tent in 20F weather and not mature in any way?

Why would you do that? That's actually very dangerous...

 

[puglover]

Why would you do that? That's actually very dangerous...

We had sleeping bags of course, but no tent. We were forced to build an artificial shelter for wilderness survival.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Many, many moons ago, was involved with it.

 

[Whomp]

When my soap box derby car fell off the top of the refrigerator as a Cub Scout I was crushed when it broke apart. I simply couldn't go back.

 

[warpus]

excluding atheists?

 

[Smellincoffee]

I joined the Scouts for several months. Once a week, I'd go to a church and listen to lectures on dirt. The scoutmasters never got around to giving me the little merit tests, nor did they ever get around to getting me a uniform. They kept promising we'd camp out, but we never did. Eventually the friend I was in the scouts with left, and so did I. He was my best friend, and the only reason I joined the scouts was so that we could hang out together more. We didn't have any common classes that year. I was very much into camping out, but I didn't need the BSA for that. Myself and some of the other boys in the neighborhood would have big camp-outs in the woods behind our neighborhood. Only four or five tents, but we didn't have to worry about adult supervision, either, so we got to have a little more fun.

 

[Perfection]

I joined the scouts, it was okay.

Now I expressly avoid supporting the scouts do to thier intolerance of homosexuals and atheists

 

[Masquerouge]

I joined the scouts, it was okay.

Now I expressly avoid supporting the scouts do to thier intolerance of homosexuals and atheists

It's funny. I remember an US friend being horrified when I told him I was a boy-scout for a year, he said "but that's where all the fags are!"

As for the atheist thing, frankly, it is of no importance before you're, what, 15?

 

[Perfection]

As for the atheist thing, frankly, it is of no importance before you're, what, 15?

I turned atheist around 13. If I stuck with the scouts longer I probobly would've hit that mess.

And mind you when I was 13-15 I was a raving Curt-type atheist.

 

[Che Guava]

The atheism thing was more of a technicality, at least in Scouts Canada. They just wanted members to have a healthy interest in spirituality, it really made no difference what that was exactly. Still they get a lot of flack for it...

 

[Chukchi Husky]

I was, but left when I was around 10 because they concentrated only on football (soccer).