Yes Or No?

[SemperParatus]

Yes. I am part of the 3% that would support a uniform made of papyrus.

[seabear]

No more buckskins?

[scoutldr]

Since the BSA is not a democratic organization, I would have no choice but to support such a decision...or quit. I do hope that before such a draconian measure were taken that the collective wisdom of the volunteers would be considered. I don't care for the current uniform in terms of fit and quality...but I wear it because I have no choice.

[Eamonn]

I have to admit to being a little surprised at the answers.

I happen to like the idea that we do have a uniform and do think if we didn't it would hurt Scouting.

I also can never see the powers that be ever making uniform a thing of the past.

Like many have said I would continue in Scouting with or without the uniform.

The rumor of a uniform "Make-over" maybe by 2010 has been flying around for a little while.

I don't know if there is anything to it?

I wish I could say that I was old enough to say "When I was a Lad clothes didn't matter" but that's not true.

Back home in London when I was a Lad I had to have Levi Jeans, they were the cool pants. In fact most of the cool stuff came from this side of the pond. Strange now I'm buying stuff from over there!!

I will spend too much on something that I like. But I find the price of uniforms to be out of line.

I don't know if we will ever come up with an affordable, practical uniform. I don't know if parents would pay the extra money for state of the art fabrics? (OJ has things that look like a t-shirt but cost about $35.00 each!!) I have bought high-tech underwear and haven't been impressed and think that I wasted my $60.00!!

If we lived in a perfect world Scout uniforms would be both affordable and very practical. Sadly it seems that many think what we have at present doesn't fit either; they aren't affordable or practical!!

I'm not sure if I have ever thought of myself as being a free thinker? But the Buckskin idea seems like something worth looking into.

Eamonn.

[captainron14]

NO!

The uniform method is a symbol that we are part of a biger organization not just a individual.

Could they design them better? Oh Yes!

Could they be made to cost less? Oh Yes!

But that was not the question.

[scoutldr]

Just got my 2006 Scoutstuff catalog. Adult uniform pants are only $46 now. I could never afford to be a Venturer...their pants are $66. At least now I can finally decorate my house with official BSA drawer pulls. Life is good.

[John-in-KC]

Eamonn said, in part:

 

"If we lived in a perfect world Scout uniforms would be both affordable and very practical. Sadly it seems that many think what we have at present doesn't fit either; they aren't affordable or practical!!"

 

AMEN!!!

 

Exactly my thoughts.

 

The current uniform is for PARLOUR SCOUTS.

 

[Herms]

No

 

The uniform is one of the symbols, identifying that a boy has committed himself to living by the ideals of the Scout Oath and Laws.

 

I tell my boys all the time that if they want they can buy an Eagle patch or merit badges and wear them, but what do they really mean? Its just a piece of cloth. If they truly earn it, it becomes a symbol of achievement, and pride representing all of the new skills and knowledge they have acquired.

 

I view the uniform the same way. The world is full of uniforms, military personnel, Walmart vests and Target shirts, policeman, mechanics etc even the business suit or gang colors. All represent an affiliation to something (in the last instance a bad affiliation).

 

The uniform is one of the symbols, identifying that a boy has committed himself to living by the ideals of the Scout Oath and Laws.

 

[Beavah]

Yah.

 

There are lots of organizations out there of great service and value that do not need special clothing. Churches, service organizations, professions, clubs... It is perfectly possible for boys to feel a part of something truly special, worldwide, and bigger than themselves without wearing anything other than an "internal symbol" of commitment in their heart. And it's probably more valuable.

 

Uniforms are for when other people need to identify you easily... like police officers or retail workers. It's hard to imagine someone saying "I need to find a Boy Scout" in the same way they'd say "I need a police officer." Being a Boy Scout should be more like being a Christian: a boy should be identified not by his clothing, but by his actions.

 

 

[BSAMike]

    I see the question "Uniform v. No Uniform", but there is an other choice or option which might satisfy both sides. That choice would be same one which is used by the NFL, the NBA, MLB, Firemen, Policemen, Colleges, High Schools, and lots of other organizations all around the world.

    Most troops to the dismay of supporters of Nationals Policies have unofficialy designated what they have refered to as "class B" uniforms. All of the organizations that I mentioned above have dress or game day uniforms, and work or practice uniforms.

    It would probably be a good move for National to adopt; a national, or allow local class B uniforms. For some rather obvious reasons a winter class B in Bangor Maine might be quite different from a summer class B in Houston Texas.

    An other tid bit of information which may help to make informed decisions is the fact that Scouting is a worldwide movement. How do other countries deal with the issue of uniforms?

[Beavah]

How do other countries deal with the issue of uniforms?

 

Dat's all over da place.

 

I know in Germany, it has been cultural taboo since WW2 to have kids dressed in uniform. Only very recently has a small subset of German scout troops been more open about uniforming.

 

Quite a few European scouts seem to use a practical uniform consisting of just a hard-wearing outdoor uniform shirt. In poorer countries, uniforming is really not used much on a practical basis, except perhaps by a few "upper class" troops.

 

Wearing just a neckerchief seems to be a fairly widely accepted "Class B" worldwide.

 

 

[CA_Scouter]

"Wearing just a neckerchief seems to be a fairly widely accepted "Class B" worldwide."

 

Well that certainly puts an end to the discussion on how dorky the pants are! :-)

 

 

[dan]

When did the uniform become a PARLOUR only uniform. You may want to look at my post in Scouting History forum before answering.

[MollieDuke]

No! (or maybe Yes.........)

Let me explain by using an analogy:

 

I am a "Woodstock Generation" person. (the original/not the remake). Anyhow, I wore the hippie look the first time around. Now, my teenage daughter is wearing that look, but her colors/fabrics are so much BETTER than mine ever were. They wear better, are more durable, have lycra, all that jazz.

 

How does that translate to this topic? Well, I think we have the ability to use better fabrics, better cuts of uniforms, new styles in pants specifically, wider shirts especially in the shoulder to accomodate those "football" types. Do we do that? Obviously not. I think making the BSA official uniform tye dye just because it's a fad for right now would certainly be incorrect. Making pants out of something besides that itchy canvas junk would make wonderful sense. Making the shirts in a wider cut would be more like the shirts the kids wear everyday and thus more comfortable for them.

 

Now, I haven't thought of much about those darn patches, however, I never sew mine through that plastic, I just loop through the string. My son is extremely active, so re-sews are common about once a year, but I do wish it was easier. I also just had to replace his MB sash, so I sewed all the MBs together with fishing line, then removed them all in one big "blanket" and just centered it over the new sash and stitched around the outside then tacked the rest. Much easier than sewing them all back on one at a time.

 

So I guess my answer to that question is that I expect full uniform in our group. Our only exception is that during summer when school is out, we do Class B's for fun. I just think if they were made a little more roomy with better fabrics, they'd not complain as much.

 

IMHO,

MollieD

[Meechgalanne]

My opinion is no. Im a 16 year old scout and the SPL and i wouldnt allow it. I think that alot in boyscouts has to do with the uniforms. But i could see why people wouldnt want them. What Kenk said about it being embarrising, well yea it is. But you get over it. I mean so what. Although, its sad, in that for example, my friend wanted to see my wallet and he saw my charter card and was like your a boy scout? and everyone around started laughing and making comments. But instead of getting mad i jus thought they are the ones missin out. How many people go on 50 mile treks, or go camping every month, or get to cook over a self made fire? How many get the awesome experience of seeing animals that you wouldnt see in the city?

The uniform represents us. We walk outside with it, people know who we are. They dont think we are cops or thee military, they know we are boy scouts. Its something that is a part of boy scouts. You cant take that away.