What's the purpose of having a portable device if you're not allowed to take it with you?

[madkins007]

IBadget- while I AM NOT in favor of banning personal electronics, your chain of reasoning is flawed.

 

A handgun is, by ANY definition, a 'portable device', but one you obviously are forbidden to take with you in many situations. Portable does NOT equal 'omnipresent'.

 

Equally obviously, the reason you have a portable device is so you CAN take it with you when it is appropriate to do so.

 

The real question in the discussion on this topic is whether a Scout outdoor activity is 'an approprate place'.

 

 

[madkins007]

So far, most respnses about music players, cell phones, etc. seem to fall into one or more of these camps:

 

1. NO- it interferes with the outdoor experience. or is contrary to the Scouting Outdoor Method.

 

2. NO- it does not make sense to carry things that can be broken, lost, run out of juice, add weight, etc.

 

3. YES, sorta- #1 or 2's reasons apply, but it is the Scout's responsibility.

 

4. YES- as long as it does not interfere.

 

I don't think anyone has argued that they have the right to carry it and annoy others with it, or use it to duck out of work.

 

Am I missing any major stands?

 

 

[Lynda J]

Our PLC made the decission two years ago that the only thing that could come to camp that required a battery was aflashlight. It was their decission.

Prompted by summer camp where another troop brought radios, and such. Stayed up late and made so much noise that our SPL finally went to the camp director and complained.

We just got back from camp. To my knowledge no one brought portable devices. They probably wouldn't have had time to use them anyway. They had a ball. between the blob, swimming, badge work, bike riding and hiking. I always take a large box with all kinds of nature books. The boys spent lots of time looking at them. Even the boys from another troop that we shared our camp with were at our pravillion looking at the books.

Sorry if you don't plan a good OUTDOOR program then there is time for game boys and such. If you have a good OUTDOOR program they don't need them/

I agree with ED. If you can't spend a week without your gameboy or game cube you have more problems than you realize.

[acco40]

This debate reminds me of the debate on gun control. Should individual "rights" (and I use that term loosely) be trampled for the safety/sanity of others?

[FScouter]

I don't think a troop has a "right" to stay up late, play radios and disturb a neighboring campsite. A Scout is courteous. Putting a ban on radios does not make a Scout courteous.

[dan]

But Fscouter it is the easy way!

 

Lynda J

No watches? or does your PLC require the scouts to only have wind up watches? I know that most likely watches are not on the PLCs banned list, but if a scout wears a watch, he is breaking the PLC rule, which is the problem with making rules like this. There are exceptions to almost every rule.

 

A better way

Ask the scout Did you hear the rain hitting the lakes up on the Boundary Waters... sounded like little bells.

 

Ask the scout Did you hear that bear that rummaged through our campsite.

 

Ask the scout Do you hear the sounds of the wilds waking up?

 

Ask the scout do your hear the wind whistling through the woods and fields?

 

Ask the scout did you hear the lonely sound of the owl as it started its nightly hunts and the sound of its wings as it wound its way through the woods.

 

Is it not our job (I really do not like calling it a job, because it is not a job) to teach the scouts these things, do we really needs a list of rules to teach them the sounds of nature?

[evmori]

I don't think a troop has a "right" to stay up late, play radios and disturb a neighboring campsite. A Scout is courteous. Putting a ban on radios does not make a Scout courteous.

 

No putting a ban on radios doesn't make a Scout courteous. But it should help the Scout (and others) to remember there are other people around who might be annoyed. That helps teach how to be courteous.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[madkins007]

Most protestant 'evangelical' churches teach to avoid immorality.

 

Some teach what this means, how to make choices, and what the consequences of the choices are.

 

Others teach lists of things not to do (no dancing, no 'R' movies, etc.)

 

The former assumes people are somewhat intelligent, and are responsible for their own actions. The latter believes in the idea that the flock is composed of sheep needing to sheparded.

 

The former tends to be understanding of stumbles- it is a learning process. The latter tends to be rather judgemental- you messed up even with clear guidance.

 

In the former, the leadership is not the key player- the congregation is. In the latter, the leadership is the star.

 

I think this vastly oversimplified analogy works well with things like using electronics responsibly.

 

We can teach responsibility, consequences, courtesy, etc. and be willing to tolerate a wobble or two in the process, or we can teach that you just don't bring the stuff because we say so (or because it is the way it always has been, etc.)