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Boy Scouts Announce They Will Accept Girls

nytimes.com

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Re: Boy Scouts Announce They Will Accept Girls

#11

Post by Waterluvian »

ntuch wrote: post #10

What if it turns out that there is a deep-seated psychological need present in many (NOT ALL) humans to participate in peer groups defined along lines of gender - and what if it turns out that if society denies them acceptable outlets for this need, that they fill the need by joining socially unacceptable groups (ie. gangs)? If we suspect that this psychological need is present, do we persist in denying acceptable ou…

So in fewer words you're asking, "what if by allowing girls into scouts, boy scouts will be driven to join gangs?"

Re: Boy Scouts Announce They Will Accept Girls

#13

Post by DoubleCribble »

I knew the BSA was on a mission to become more inclusive due to declining membership but I didn't see this one coming! I doubt it's a mortal blow for the GSUSA but it's probably going to hurt memberships, especially in the older age groups. Nothing compares to the danger & adventure offered at your typical BSA summer camp.

Re: Boy Scouts Announce They Will Accept Girls

#15

Post by tenaciousDaniel »

Waterluvian wrote: post #11
ntuch wrote: post #10

What if it turns out that there is a deep-seated psychological need present in many (NOT ALL) humans to participate in peer groups defined along lines of gender - and what if it turns out that if society denies them acceptable outlets for this need, that they fill the need by joining socially unacceptable groups (ie. gangs)? If we suspect that this psychological need is present, do we persist in denying acceptable ou…

So in fewer words you're asking, "what if by allowing girls into scouts, boy scouts will be driven to join gangs?"

Gangs may not be the best example, but your interpretation is a mangled version of what op actually said. Clearly we don't know the long term ramifications of these changes. And we're sprinting towards these changes at high speed and acting like we know everything we need to know about gender. We don't.

We don't know whether it's merely a social construction or something deeper. And if it turns out to be something deeper, then we run the risk of fucking up a generation of kids.

Re: Boy Scouts Announce They Will Accept Girls

#16

Post by pretendscholar »

Waterluvian wrote: post #11
ntuch wrote: post #10

What if it turns out that there is a deep-seated psychological need present in many (NOT ALL) humans to participate in peer groups defined along lines of gender - and what if it turns out that if society denies them acceptable outlets for this need, that they fill the need by joining socially unacceptable groups (ie. gangs)? If we suspect that this psychological need is present, do we persist in denying acceptable ou…

So in fewer words you're asking, "what if by allowing girls into scouts, boy scouts will be driven to join gangs?"

You should be charitable with the way you interpret what people say. That person probably meant "e.g. gangs." I find it frustrating how combative people are when discussing anything on the fringes of what is socially acceptable to say.

Re: Boy Scouts Announce They Will Accept Girls

#17

Post by cr0sh »

bigmanwalter wrote: post #7

Finally catching up with the rest of the world. As a child in Canada, I was a member of the local Scout troupe which had quite a few girls in it. Definitely made for a better, more balanced experience. We would make fun of the American troupes who weren't allowed to have any girls in them. Made no sense why not.

> As a child in Canada...Made no sense why not.

That's pretty much the answer right there.

Something you have to understand about the BSA is just how deeply enmeshed religion - specifically Christianity (with a heavy leaning toward Protestantism) - is within the organization.

One of the largest (if not the largest) chapters (?) of the BSA is run by the Mormon church (LDS), for instance.

This is a nice step forward, and certainly unexpected, but they have more yet to go. For instance, the Girl Scouts allow transgendered individuals to join; I guess we'll see if the BSA ever allows that.

Also - despite what another poster said earlier - the BSA is not friendly to atheists, whether they are children, parents of children, or as leaders. There are plenty of fairly recent incidents and announcements about that, just within the past couple of years, to attest to that stance.

Re: Boy Scouts Announce They Will Accept Girls

#18

Post by TheAdamAndChe »

Boy scouts in the past was more about camping and activities. It was about self-improvement and learning how to be men. Now that purpose seems to be weakening.

Men and women are different, both physically and psychologically[1]. Acting like those differences don't exist hurts everyone IMO. Sure, we should be accepting of aberrations from the norm, but that doesn't mean we should hurt the majority in the process.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_differences_in_humans

Re: Boy Scouts Announce They Will Accept Girls

#19

Post by norcimo5 »

MR4D wrote: post #3

This is sad. Not that they accept girls, but that the Girl Scouts apparently suck so much at understanding their audience. Fallout from this would probably result in either 1) the Girl Scouts becoming much better at satisfying their target audience or 2) the Girl Scouts essentially becoming an irrelevant organization. I hope the first, but the latter looks more likely. They’ve hidden behind cookie sales for years, an…

oooooor 3) The Girl Scouts accepting boys in their organization. Am I the only progressive optimist in this crowd? :p

Re: Boy Scouts Announce They Will Accept Girls

#20

Post by sciurus »

TheAdamAndChe wrote: post #18

Boy scouts in the past was more about camping and activities. It was about self-improvement and learning how to be men. Now that purpose seems to be weakening. Men and women are different, both physically and psychologically[1]. Acting like those differences don't exist hurts everyone IMO. Sure, we should be accepting of aberrations from the norm, but that doesn't mean we should hurt the majority in the process. [1]…

What is it that Boy Scouts teaches that you don't think girls should be taught?
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