I’ll ring in from the vantage point of someone who entered Cub Scouting in 1956, earned my Eagle Award and Vigil Honor along the way, and has served as counselor for various badges, Ast SM, District and Council Committeeperson, Youth and Adult Campstaff, and earned National Camp School certification in Project Cope.
The changes in our culture and society over the last half century have made their impact on Scouting. Major problems have been the increase in litigation and resulting insurance cost increases, lack of adult leaders, rise of political correctness, increasing belief that every child must succeed at every thing so that the program must be restructured to prevent hurt feelings, and, sadly, the changing nature of Scouting to reflect the program as a desire for numbers instead of content.
We can’t teach the old pioneering skills anymore because of environmental and legal concerns.
Scouting even had a period when the Eagle Award requirements were weakened to remove Swimming and Lifesaving Merit Badges from the requirements to allow more boys to earn the Eagle Award. Thankfully, this has been corrected. But the belief that failure will scar a child for life still remains.
Of course, I want to see boys learn and participate in Scouting. But I do not want to see rank or merit badge requirements altered because they are too hard. The requirements are meant to challenge the boys. A First Aid merit badge course that glosses over or omits the more difficult requirements is dangerous. A Lifesaving course that omits or weakens requirements is not only worthless as a learning program but also dangerous to the Scout.
Boy Scouting was not developed to be a program that made everyone feel equal and good about their selves. It was designed on a para-military design to teach skills, encourage personal growth, and develop a group of boys who were considered a cut above the pack, potential leaders. There are still numerous chances within Scouting to encourage a level of elitism among the Scouts. Despite the influx of today’s practices of teaching to the low end of the group as if it were the top, Scouting can still instill a drive for excellence, for learning, and for leadership.
Requirements for Flyfishing are, likely, poorly constructed and should have been written as two or more badges. However, they are not unobtainable.
Signalling, Cooking, Pioneering, Fishing, Hiking, Camping, Swimming, and Lifesaving have de-railed many boys from earning rank above 1st Class. The Eagle Award has traditonally been earned by about 10% of all youth entering Scouts. I’m not worried about Flyfishing creating an elitism among Scouts who earn it. Like all merit badges, it should foster some elitism.
aka Cap’n Yid.
Stev Lenon, 91B20’68-'69
When the dawn came up like thunder