David CO

I don't think so. I haven't seen any great conspiracy by women to use false accusations to gain dominance over men. I think the vast majority of women are well intentioned and are attempting to find an adequate response to a real problem. That said, I think most women are unaware of the number of false accusations that are made against good men.

I don't think anyone knows. They don't keep statistics on this. I have seen several teachers dismissed unjustly. I have also seen many teachers exonerated. Regardless of the result, all false accusations have a chilling effect on the teaching/coaching staff. It also has an affect on hiring. More than half of the Catholic schools in my diocese have no male teachers on staff. They have 20 or more teachers, but not 1 man. The pastors and principals don't want to have to deal with the all of the trouble caused by false accusations. It is much easier to just hire an all female teaching staff. I have had several false accusations made against me. I'm pretty careful, so I was able to prove my innocence in each case. Even so, it is not a fun experience.

In Victorian times, it was the girls who needed a chaperone. Now it's the guys.

Not always. Some issues should be handled in a closed session.

Haven't you ever met a scout unit that opted out of uniforms? BSA doesn't require them. What I find odd...is scout units that require a uniform shirt, but then allow it to be worn with blue jeans. They require something that BSA rules don't require and then allow something that BSA rules don't allow.

We don't require scouts to buy uniforms. If scouts do wear the uniform, we expect them to wear it correctly.

What difference does it make? The scout oath and the scout law are just historical artifacts from a bygone age. BSA doesn't have moral standards anymore.

It might be against our policy, too. Money raised by the unit should be used only for scouting purposes. You didn't say if he is intending to volunteer for the troop. I wouldn't see anything wrong with your Cub Scout unit offering to pay for his training for a troop position or activity.

I will take you on your word that this actually happens. It is outside of my experience. I agree that it is possible for an OA group to be respectful.

I am finding it very difficult to carry on a conversation with you. You keep switching from general to specific and specific to general, depending on the point you want to make. In general, I think OA is disrespectful. There may be specific instances where they are not.

As to the generalized argument, everyone can have an opinion and nobody really has the last say. I wouldn't go so far as to say that OA is horrible, but it is disrespectful.

Disapproving outsiders should have the last say on their own turf. If a unit asks OA to stay away, then OA should stay away from that unit.

Sure, that's okay. Nobody is saying that you can't wear an item of clothing or jewelry as a fashion statement. That's not cultural appropriation.

The fact an animal is indigenous to a particular continent doesn't make it uniquely associated to one particular culture. If that were the case, then we would have to infer that the Republican elephant is intended to indicate a strong identification between that party and persons of African descent.

Yes, I do. The main reason being that boys and girls are different. Their needs are different.

I can agree to that. It is unequal and unfair. However, I think we sometimes need to be a little bit unequal and unfair to our volunteer scouters. My CO has never promised to be equal and fair in the selection of volunteer scouters. We choose our scouters based on the needs of the unit, not on the needs of the scouters. In regard to youth protection, I think the needs of the scouts must come before the needs of the scouters.

I agree with that. I have no objection to OA using an arrow as its symbol. Almost all cultures have used arrows. Yes, some things are universal. OA is not just using universal symbols, and it is not just using "something" from another culture. OA groups choose a specific tribe and mimic the dress, ceremonies, names, customs, and culture of that tribe. It is appropriating the culture. Cultural appropriation is an appropriate term for what the OA is doing.

I find it somewhat ironic that your comment follows the same sort of attitude that prompted the changes. Fairness and gender equality. As a matter of fact, I do care about consequences.

Is it practical to require a male leader for every den activity. I don't think so. We don't have enough men volunteering in the cub scout program to do that.

I think it would be better to have a female leader as a witness in my defense, should it ever come to that. A male leader is less likely to be believed. A lot of people feel that girls and women should always be believed when they make an accusation against a man. The only good defense for a man is to have a woman leader testifying on his side.

Exactly right. You hit the nail on the head. I don't trust the girls. That's why I want to have a woman leader present if a group includes girls.

I agree that there is a double standard. There always has been. It's nothing new. The double standard exists in medicine as well. I have a cousin who is a doctor. He makes sure that there is a female nurse in the examining room whenever he is treating female patients.

Why is it wrong?

Not for me. Boys and girls are not the same. They should be treated differently.

Maybe some people consider it a moot point because they have no intention of having a girl den.