Forums → WEPR → The Boy Scouts of America

actualy the B.S.A is all over the world. oh yeah im in the B.S.A im a life scout just did my eagle project.

Necromancer wrote:

regretfully taking away a small level of liberty

What are the reasons for the Boy Scouts of America not allowing homosexuals to participate?

My view of the BSA is that they are a conservative paramilitary organization - they prepare young boys to be indoctrinated in the ways of a patriarchal, authoritarian, macho society while having some campfire fun. This is the perfect precursor to military life. As an institution that reproduces dominant norms and serves to produce human beings to fit into a homogeneous social structure it wouldn't serve their interests to allow homosexuals in - this would help foster a mindset among members that homosexuality, or even meaningful differences among people in general, is acceptable.

If society and life are portrayed as simple, linear environments that can be navigated with blind confidence and basic survival skills then obedient, predictable behaviour will result. Other portrayals will result in other behaviours. That's the theory of it, anyways. They want to promote a traditionalist view of society and the means need to reflect the ends.

That's the theory of it, anyways

If society and life are portrayed as simple, linear environments that can be navigated with blind confidence and basic survival skills then obedient, predictable behaviour will result.

Yes, definitely not representative of my views :P

I think that their theory is also flawed because their approach tends to produce psychologically troubled individuals. There is no true satisfaction that can come from a life of excessive fear (of differences) and pride (of one's manliness)... and when the pride isn't sufficient, which it never is, the fear becomes greater to compensate, macho-man will fear the judgments of others and react against the antithesis of what he wants to be (homosexuals, metrosexuals, pinkos, softies, whatever) all the more harshly in order to protect and promote his own idealistic self-image.

The BSA is a sh*t factory... at least, its on the line of production. But like every other institution it exists to be used or to use you, depending on the people that make it operate and the attitude that a kid takes towards it. University is a sh*t factory too, at least it can be, but I think I'm taking advantage of it fairly effectively.

But for the sake of discussion, what are "the [false] beliefs regarding sexuality that such policy is predicated upon"? Aside from the belief that homosexuality lies outside the norm.

Another question: how would the introduction/integration of homosexuals into the BSA affect it, and society at large?

University is a sh*t factory too, at least it can be, but I think I'm taking advantage of it fairly effectively.

What are "the [false] beliefs regarding sexuality that such policy is predicated upon"?

Another question: how would the introduction/integration of homosexuals into the BSA affect it, and society at large?

Universities can serve different purposes, of course. The Chicago School of Economics is bound to produce different people than the Sociology Department at Berkeley, but I think it's generally safe to say that universities serve to prepare people for higher-level work and for life in the upper-class. Sororities and fraternities are a case in point. Of course, universities can be sites of incredible democracy at times, and how any person emerges from any institution is bound to be, in largest part, a result of their own choices and attitudes.

The university I'm attending right now is RUC - Roskilde Universitet Center, on the outskirts of a small city outside of Copenhagen. Back in Canada I studied at a small university, Université Bishop's, a predominantly English-speaking university in an English-speaking part of Quebec, a French-speaking province. (Je ne parle pas francais. Un peu, bien sure, mais un petit petit peu, et mon accent est merde) I study politics with a minor in sociology and I take history courses whenever I get the chance, but while I've been in Denmark my studies have been focused on the EU, IR and Development, so I've really been missing the sociology and history aspects of my studies while I've been getting sick of all this other stuff.

I'm very happy to have the opportunity to learn and to study and to meet other people with similar attitudes but I'm also very conscious of the various forces that try to shape me as I go through the system. I'm learning how to speak like an intellectual, write like an academic, be courteous like a European (which is weird for me, as I come from Vancouver Island and we're kinda backwoodsy stoners out there) and even how to think like a politician. I try to take what I want and leave the rest but it's an uphill struggle. I don't think that this university here in Denmark is a sh*t factory by any means, it's very progressive, emphasizing group work and flexibility in research coupled with a low studentrofessor ratio and a friendly atmosphere in which you can always get tutelage from professionals. Bishop's is also known for having smaller class sizes, etc, but it's nothing compared to Roskilde and I won't be returning there next year because I can't tolerate the overall factory stench of the place.

There's good people and good opportunities wherever you go, and we always have the power to choose, build and perceive our own experiences positively, but in my opinion... some institutions are just sh*t factories.

Where do you go to school, and why?

Boyscouts are gay...homosexuals and all that...

Okay, fair enough.

First off, I attend the University of Melbourne in Australia. I'm in the latter portions of a medical degree (B.Med., B.Surg., B.Med.Sc.), which has several implications on what I said earlier:

In general, the Medical faculty in most universities around Australia, (at least the ones in the elite "Group of Eight&quot tend to exist separately from the rest of the university because their course is 'set'. That is to say we cannot select electives and subjects that would have us studying in other faculties, so Med school ends up quite parochial.

That's why I won't say uni's a sh*tbox...because I can't pass judgment on something I don't know much about. All I'm familiar with is the Medical faculty and to that end I've been very impressed with the standard of education and the dedication that the Faculty staff put into fostering student education. So that part at least doesn't appear to be a sh*tbox

The whole frat thing...yeah, that's a sh*tbox though.

Ah, med school! Well, I do know that med school is fairly separate from the rest of a university but I don't know what it's like on the inside. I imagine they keep your head in the books most of the time, except for when they let you out for some binge drinking, so maybe there's not as much indoctrination as you would get in, say, a business school. Also, I don't know what Australia is like, but I have family in New Zealand so my visiting this part of the world is an inevitability I look forward to.

Why did you choose med school? What are you training to be? How open-minded would you say your peers are?

Let's see...(also very offtopic, heh)

I imagine they keep your head in the books most of the time

so maybe there's not as much indoctrination

Why did you choose med school?

What are you training to be?

How open-minded would you say your peers are?

Im a 1st class boy scout, i like it, going camped every other week having a super activity every month (such as going to lazer tag or jump on it.)

Sounds like so much fun, it almost makes me want to pretend to be a macho macho man just so I could join in...

...because I can be pretty good at pretending, yes, I can :P

hey did you hear about the boyscotts camp that was hit by a tornado just yesterday??? it killed 4 boys. thats terrible yo!!!!

i think i'd rather not say anything..