Scouting's "Geeky" or "Lame" Image

[NJCubScouter]

OK, I know I am about to carry this Star Trek thing to an obsessive level, but why not. (Before I get going, for the record, I have never been to a Trek convention, never worn "Spock ears," never worn a Starfleet uniform, and have not lived with my parents since graduating from college. Have I seen every episode of every series at least once, and all the movies? I take the Fifth... actually I have missed a few of "Enterprise" while I was at school board meetings and nobody at home remembered to tape them...)

 

I got curious about something and went on the Internet (I love the Internet) to find an actual script of the scene I am talking about. I had to add in the names of who is speaking several times because it actually was a "closed caption log," but I think I got it right:

 

ARCHER: This reminds me of the rain forest in New Zealand. I earned my wilderness merit badge there.

REED: You were a Boy Scout, sir?

ARCHER: I was an Eagle Scout.

REED: Oh. So was I.

ARCHER: Really? How many merit badges?

REED: 28. You?

ARCHER: 26.

REED: Oh. That's not bad, sir. Captain... (Apparently at this point they see some weird creature from, I mean on, another planet.)

ARCHER: We spot any more creatures like that and we'll earn our exobiology badges.

REED: Actually... I already have that one.

 

What was I curious about? Well, Reed is British. Not only does he have a British accent, but I believe there have been specific references to him growing up in England. And he earned Eagle -- not the Queen's Award, or the King's Award. There have been references in other Trek series about a "united Earth" government in the future... and there have been references to the process of unification starting in the late 21st century and proceeding gradually... but I don't know that they have ever made the "world government" explicit in "Enterprise," which takes place before all the other series.

 

So...

 

Can we conclude that in the 22nd century, there is one world government, which has a single Boy Scouts program that awards the Eagle badge as its highest rank?

 

Or can we conclude that whoever wrote this scene probably didn't even know that in British Scouting, there is no Eagle badge?

 

Or can we conclude that I take all this just a bit too seriously, and write about it as if it's really going to happen, rather than just being a work of science fiction?

 

Yes to all of the above... but what can I say, it's fun. I think the specifics of this scene are interesting because I am not sure how many other scenes there are in other works of fiction that get into this much detail about the Boy Scout advancement record of a character... and as I said before, I think Scouting is being presented in a positive light. And, as for the second question above, the writer probably did know at least SOMETHING about Scouting, specifically how many merit badges are required for Eagle, because the numbers 26 and 28 obviously are very plausible... at least he didn't say that someone earned Eagle with 15 merit badges... of course there is a lot of time to change the advancement requirements over the next 150 years...

 

[SR540Beaver]

NJ,

 

There is no reason to be ashamed of wearing your Scout uniform in public or for enjoying Star Trek. You GEEK!

 

BTW, here in OK they show Enterprise on Wednesday nights and replay it on Sunday nights. I get two chances to catch it if I'm busy. Heck, sometimes I watch it on Sunday after I watched it on Wednesday!

[NJCubScouter]

SR, the schedule for Enterprise is the same here, in fact I am pretty sure it is uniform (ho ho) nationwide. Unlike some of the prior series (Next Gen and DS9 I think), Enterprise is not syndicated, so it isn't just sent to every station that airs it with instructions to put it on sometime in a 7-day window. It is an actual network (UPN) show, so when you're watching it, I'm watching it. (Um, not sure about that time-zone thing, actually. Here it is on at 7 on Weds. and it has floated around on Sundays, lately it has been on at 9.) This may seem obvious, but it was a couple of years into "Voyager" (the centerpiece of UPN's original lineup, which only consisted of one night at the very beginning) before I figured that out.

 

However, a couple of times I have been out on both Weds. and Sun. and I think I have missed a few that way. I am pretty sure there is one from this season with all this "expanse" nonsense that I have never seen. (It took me until a couple weeks ago to figure out that all those fish-and-lizard creatures are from the same planet that is trying to destroy the Earth. What has not escaped attention despite my discontinuous viewing habits is that producers' strategy this season seems to be, let's put Jolene Blalock in tighter and skimpier clothing every week and see what that does to the ratings. My wife just sits there and rolls her eyes; she has seen every episode of everything Trek also, including the 2 or 3 episodes over the years that she never taped for me.)

 

On the other hand, I also sometimes watch the rerun on Sundays even after seeing the original on Wednesday. You Trekkie, you.

[NJCubScouter]

Hunt, I just noticed your "modest proposals." In the spirit of Jonathan Swift, I thought I was about to read a parody, but some of your suggestions do seem like actual suggestions. (I do think you were "playing" about the uniform re-design though).

 

After all, the BSA did start to reduce the usage of the word "Boy" in connection with the Boy Scouts in the early 70's, to what ultimate purpose we will never know with certainty, because of the change in direction a few years later. The v-necked youth uniform I have in my closet, where it is apparently awaiting shipment to the NJCubScouter Historical Museum (to be built by a committee of Rooster, BobWhite and FatOldGuy), says "Scouts BSA" on the strip above the pocket.

 

As for Boys Life, I think they have already customized parts of it for different levels (but not including the cover.) It also seems to me that the recent covers, at least, have often emphasized things that are "cool" -- high adventure or "extreme" (well, semi-extreme) sorts of activities. There always seem to be Scouts suspended in midair somewhere -- roller blading, caving, rock climbing, whatever. I'm not knocking it, but I think the BSA already has figured out that from a "marketing" standpoint, the "on the edge" sorts of activities are the things to display most prominently and as much as possible.

[NJCubScouter]

OGE, I have heard my daughters (now age 21 and 17) using the term "straight edge" (not "razor edge") on occasion for the last couple of years, in roughly the way you mean -- but not involving a pledge or symbol or anything formal like that -- at least not that I have heard them discussing. They just use "straight edge" to mean someone who does not involve themselves in the things that their parents wish they would not involve themselves. I will ask them about the pledge and symbol, though.

 

And it could be a regional thing, after all, we are in the same general region.

[Fat Old Guy]

"after all, the BSA did start to reduce the usage of the word 'Boy'"

 

It isn't fashionable to use the term "boy" anymore unless you are trying to get someone off for armed robbery (He's only 17. He's just a boy). I've noticed many high schools refer to their boys' sports as "Mens' baseball, lacrosse, etc. but the girls game is still "girls".

 

 

[NJCubScouter]

FOG, what I am talking about happened 30 years ago, and I don't think it lasted very long. I don't think it has much do with word usage of today.

 

I have not noticed the Mens/girls usage in high school sports. I get all the local schedules as a member of the school board, I'll have to check. It's funny though, if "political correctness" really is as much of a force as some people think it is, would the term "girls" really be used so much?

[Fat Old Guy]

"what I am talking about happened 30 years ago, and I don't think it lasted very long"

 

I remember that. I think it all has to do with the push to make youth into adults. If he's a "Boy Scout" he can't be growing up, can he?

 

As for the sports thing, it might be regional and I'm not in New Jersey but I did see Springsteen in concert back in '76.