Why do we wear a uniform?

[CNYScouter]

Since it seems the forum is on a Uniforming kick right know I thought I would add to it.

 

Required or not, good looking or ugly, functional or not functional, Uniforming is one tool that is used to reach the Aims of Scouting.

 

So, why do we wear a uniform?

 

1) The uniform reminds a Scout of who he is and what is expected of him. It is a visual reminder that shows you believe in the Scout Oath and Law.

2) The uniform identifies a Scout as part of a patrol, troop, council and worldwide youth movement.

3) The uniform is where a Scout can show the achievements he has earned.

4) The uniform can be used to show leadership. If youth leaders are encouraging the wearing of the uniform, other scouts will follow.

5) The uniform is also used to identify a Scouts POR.

6) Adult Scout Leader wears the uniform to be a role model. Youth learn by example. You cant ask the boys to wear the uniform if you are not willing to wear it yourself.

7) It is an equalizer. If all the Scouts are wearing the full uniform, you cant tell rich from poor, everyone is a Scout.

 

Im sure there are more reasons behind why the uniform is an important part of the BSA.

 

The Troops that I have met that encourage the wearing of the full and get the Scouts to wear the full uniform (not force them to wear it) show a great deal more pride in their unit and exhibit a much more positive attitude towards Scouting than the ones that dont.

 

I finally purchased a pair of uniform pants and socks. I have to say I feel different when I wear the full uniform (OK, I still need a belt).

I recently was on staff for our Scouting University. The only people wearing a full uniform were the staff. Very few people in attendance even wore their scout short.

Did I feel better than them?

No, however I did feel I was being a role model and setting the example.

The next weekend I was on staff for Outdoor Leaders Skills. Because we had heavy rain the week before and due to the mud and wet conditions I chose not to wear my Scout pants,.

I dont know why, but I just didnt feel right.

Here I was training new SM/ASMs but didnt have a full uniform on. How can I say that you should be having your Troop wearing the full uniform when I wasnt weariong one myself.

 

With these reasons I cant see why anyone would not encourage the wearing of the full uniform.

 

[Lisabob]

I admit I didn't own a full uniform until I signed up for woodbadge (where it was required, more or less). Now that I've shelled out the money for it I do wear the thing and it isn't really that...bad. I've actually decided I like the socks (crew not knee socks) - they're comfy and my husband never "accidently borrows" them.

 

CNY, I find arguments 1-3 and 5 most persuasive. Arguments 4 and 6 hold no weight in my view. Leadership doesn't stem from wearing a certain shirt or socks. It stems from the way a person acts and interacts with others. Similarly adults can be excellent role models or terrible role models regardless of what they're wearing.

 

Lisa'bob

a good old bobwhite too!

[Lisabob]

So when I went to WB as a cub leader I found I had a lot to learn about how seriously many troop leaders and other scouters take the uniform. Coming from a cub pack that was/is fairly lax in their views of uniforming, and never having been associated with a troop, I was under-educated. Didn't know what "class B" meant, for example, and when told it meant a T shirt, I showed up in my favorite T, a decidedly non-BSA tie dye. Well hey, they should've been more specific, right? They certainly were the second time they explained it! Things like this became a running joke within the patrol.

 

So when the time came to receive my beads I arrived in bright blue polka dotted socks with my scout socks hanging out of my back pocket. Mind you I had every intention of putting on the "real" socks shortly after arriving. Must be karmic justice though. There I stood chatting with my patrol mates, scout socks dangling, backside to a candle display and...yup...my scout socks started smoking!

 

Let this be a cautionary tale to all who disregard the uniform.

 

Lisa'bob

A good old bobwhite too!

[Beavah]

Good role models are people the kids can be proud of, and identify with.

 

I haven't yet met a kid who is proud of or really identifies with the 1980s Oscar de la Rentas. Most are embarrassed to be seen in them. The uniform "benefits" we talk about are mostly an adult fiction when you take the time to listen to the kids.

 

There are lots of uniforms kids are proud to wear. Functional, active uniforms like those worn for sports teams. But we've got to decide whether we care more about the active outdoor life of boys, or more about the adult indoor life of dressing up to show status.

 

 

[Eamonn]

Life is strange.

Being as Sea Scouts comes under Venturing, when it came to a uniform for the Ship I left it in the hands of the Scouts.

They read the Sea Scout Manual and came back saying that they wanted to wear both the working uniform and the whites (Not at the same time!)

I'm not sure how long the Navy has been wearing whites, but I'll bet it pre-dates Oscar de la Renta.

Eamonn

[SueM]

My troop has historically been rather lax as far as uniforms go. One of my goals has been to try and improve this. one of the things that we do ask is that if a boy is not going to wear a uniform and only a t-shirt, that it either be a Troop "class B" or other BSA related t-shirt (like from summer camp) or a PLAIN white or colored t-shirt with no advertising of any kind...believe it or not, it's -still- hard to get boys to even comply with those simple suggestions! Believe it or not...we had a boy show up at summer camp wearing a Hooters t-shirt..sometimes have issues with boys wearing things with a confederate flag (this being the south..many equate it more with heritage and see nothing wrong with it, rather than understanding that it may be offensive to others or not consistant with the aims of scouting)

 

Anyway..what I started doing was at the end of the meeting when we circle up, I have the SPL or Quartermaster call for a uniform inspection item..sometimes it's scout socks, belts, full uniform and sometimes just silly stuff (like smelly socks!) for fun and to keep them guessing and to make sure that there were some times when ALL boys "win"...but I will bring a bag of candy and those wearing the "item du jour" get rewarded. You'd be surprised how quickly uniforms started to be worn more consistantly when they had a "reason" to do it! (even if that was just a piece of candy!!) I used this same method to help the boys improve remembering dates and times. I would either give them the date or some small bit of information about an event and the first person to answer the question correctly got the treat...it got to where as soon as we'd circle up, they would all start reciting every possible date and time and necessity for that event before I could even ask!!!

 

sue M.

[szekany]

Last month, we had a focus group of kids meeting to talk about the options of chartering a new "varsity team"-like unit with our chartered organization. They spent a fair bit of time talking about what they liked/didn't like about the current program. The biggest dislike, hands down, was the current BSA uniform.

 

All the usual points came up. The uniform is virtually useless outdoors. The uniform is goofy. Expensive.

 

Beavah's right. We adults can talk all we want about the abstract social status of uniforming theory, but it doesn't seem to matter to our kids.

[Hunt]

When an organization provides its members with inferior or inappropriate equipment, the result is a lessening of respect for the organization. If you want to build esprit, then Scouts should justifiably believe that Scout stuff is superior to ordinary stuff. (I remember feeling that way as a kid--I especially remember thinking that my Scout knife was something special, and not just because it had the logo.)

In my opinion, if CNYScouter is right about the value and imporance of the uniform--and I think he is--then BSA should do everything in its power to make sure that we have the best possible uniform.

[FScouter]

"We adults can talk all we want about the abstract social status of uniforming theory, but it doesn't seem to matter to our kids."

 

Is it important that it matters to kids?

 

I'll bet they don't care anything about character development or the mission of Scouting either.

[evmori]

Is it important that it matters to kids?

 

Well, yeah! Aren't the kids the reason we are involved in this organization? At least that's the reason I'm involved.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

A blessed Christmas to all

[rhino]

The troop I was in as a boy (254 Chattanooga, TN) strongly encouraged boys to have a full uniform shirt, trousers or shorts, baseball cap, and red and black neckerchief. I never owned the shorts, wearing trousers all the time. We always wore the uniform when traveling to or from a trip and every morning at summer camp (with one exception, explained below).

 

No scout was required to own a uniform, but if you wore one you wore the whole thing, except that we sometimes left out the neckerchies or allowed boys to wear a camp neckerchief instead of the troop one.

 

The uniform taught boys to take pride and put effort in to their appearance, without getting in to a materialistic idea of having in style clothing (many boys were wearing experienced uniforms. some even still had old style green uniforms).

 

We encouraged boys to learn to sew their own patches and let their pants out when they grew. So the uniform taught us life skills.

 

I also learned to iron by taking care of my uniform.

 

When we alone of all the troops at camp turned out for the morning flag raising in full uniform, other troops noticed! traditionally on the next to last day of camp, we would all turn out in beach wear and or bath robes (one boy wore a towel once) and the look on the other troops faces was always priceless.

 

In contrast to other troops that had more lax uniform standards such as shirts with "whatever" pants you wanted. Our troop was and apparently still is the largest in the council. We managed to produce at minimum, two eagle scouts a year.

 

I think when boys see scouts uniformed propperly, looking like their uniforms are a source of pride many of them are drawn to scouting. When we look like a bunch of kids who dess slopily and like we don't care, they don't want to become part of us.

 

[Bolo]

I have been asked to teach a class at our next Univ of Scouting training day. The subject (and I didn't make this up!) is,

"And the uniform costs how much?

Seems like the answer to this would be,"ask National, or production has gone up, etc." However I thought a more in-depth approach would be to discuss the history of the uniform and the importance of wearing it.

I just came across Mike Walton's 'unofficial'BSA uniform site and looks like there is a wealth of information there, and I'll review some of last month's posts. I've been off line for a while.

Any ideas from you folks on how to make this class interesting, given the topic?

 

Thanks to all of you enlightened ones, and Happy New Year!

Bolo

 

 

[Kudu]

However I thought a more in-depth approach would be to discuss the history of the uniform and the importance of wearing it.

 

Some of the very early history can be found at The Inquiry Net:

 

http://inquiry.net/uniforms/index.htm

 

Kudu

 

 

[captainron14]

This kick of "A Uniform is not required" is wearing thin.

The whole intention of not requiring a uniform was a financial one.

Scouts who could not afford one could still be scouts with out one. BP said as they progress the would want one.

Today this ideal has been corrupted into a political PC excuse with ones ability to buy a uniform not involved at all.

To all of you anti-military/anti-uniform people, GET OVER IT!

The Boy Scouts have a military history, a patriotic history, and a proud one too! The Father of Scouting was a Military Officer, the basis of the movement started with the military.

Saying that, BSA is not the military, but trying to reinvent Scouting as to drop the uniform is crazy.

I find it sad when a family can afford hundreds of dollars towards a Sports uniform, but balk when asked to pay for new patches for the uniform that was loaned from the uniform bank.

One more thing, the current uniform design/quality could be modified, but dropped? no way!

[Beavah]

The Boy Scouts have a military history, a patriotic history, and a proud one too! The Father of Scouting was a Military Officer, the basis of the movement started with the military.

 

Yah, right.

 

And the boys in Germany wearing tan brown shirts and running around doing scouting were a great example of what can happen when the movement continues its association with a patriotic, proud military history.

 

German scouting since has done OK without uniforms.

 

Da Scout Uniform is supposed to be a game uniform, not a military uniform. The current U.S. one ain't, as demonstrated by the adult silliness over military-style "uniform inspections." Maybe if the military-precision-look adults would get over it, da kids would get a game uniform they'd be proud to wear.