Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
The problem with scouts is it tries to instill you with both a sense of survivalist mentality (which is a good mindset to have camping/hiking, not so much in civilization) and tries to instill you with a set of morals that look good on paper but get twisted by people to mean what they want
I've talked about this on length on twitter - everything the boy Scouts taught me is something I hold very dear including the fact that people with those morals can still be shitty
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
I always put on my resume that I'm an eagle scout. I'm proud of what I accomplished and I'm proud of the positive impact I had in my little shithole town growing up.
But I'm not proud of most of the folks I was with. I got bullied a lot in my own troop despite time and again being the top competitor in non-physical activities. The boy Scouts instills a sense of dog-eat-dog in some folks and the org at large actively encourages that
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
I'm so lucky to have the scoutmaster I did- I learned a lot about being gay and queer from him without really comprehending it until later but he was actively engaged in Sakura Con and invited me to go early on. He's basically genderqueer (feels like a woman a lot despite using he/him pronouns) and I learned so much from his experience and his mentorship
I don't know if I would have stuck it out if it weren't for him.
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
Don't trust people on the basis that they're eagle scouts - the only thing it tells you is that they're a hard worker (though make sure you ask if they were involved in other things cuz not all of them worked hard they just got pushed into doing only scout achievements)
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
@vahnj I was a cub scout for 2 years but got kicked out and later barred for being too queer (her two sons kept picking fights with me for not being "normal") and not believing in god
Fuck the BSoA and everything they stand for.
That said, just 'cause an organization is terrible doesn't mean they can't also provide valuable life lessons and legitimate and intentional help. I'm glad you were able to take positive things from your experience. ♥️
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
@mawr sounds about right, sorry your troop was garbage :(
Good ones are hella rare.
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
@vahnj Yeah, I got that impression.
Wish I could have joined the girl scouts, those folks are RAD AF. :D
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
@mawr I was kinda involved in girl scouts as a very young kid when my sister was in it and I can totally confirm this
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
@vahnj I rewrote this and it made less sense
her in the first paragraph was referring to the troop leader (pack leader?).
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
@mawr den mother. Cubs are usually led by women and vice versa for boy scouts. It's a weird
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
@vahnj That was it, yeah. Thanks for the refresher. XD
Boy Scouts, kinda politicky
I have lots of feelings about the boy Scouts separately as an after school activity and as an organization
The org is a horrific beast of capitalism and conservatism. They're bad people