Wisconsin "Border Patrol" issue

[pchadbo]

http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/Boy-Scouts-Border-Patrol-Patch-Depicting-Fleeing-Immigrants-Causes-Uproar-146452525.html

 

Has anyone else seen this? Thoughts? I see this as the PC Police starting to involve themselves in the naming of the Troop's Patrols.

[skeptic]

The issue is resolved, according to the link in comments from the article. They are changing the patch, after an open meeting with the troop members, parents, and concerned groups.

 

http://latinorebels.com/2012/04/06/milwaukee-boy-scout-troop-11-removes-fleeing-immigrant-patch-after-positive-meeting/

[eisely]

At a minimum this patch was in poor taste.

 

The symbol of a family of three running actually comes from a road sign on Interstate 5 North of Oceanside California on the North bound lanes. There is a truck weigh station there and the border patrol often has vehicles and staff there to intercept smugglers of illegal immigrants. The road sign was put up by Cal Trans many years ago to alert motorists that they may see running pedestrians. It has been many years since I have driven this route but as far as I know it serves a legitimate safety purpose and still is there.

 

I don't know how the organized immigrant rights community feels about the original sign, but I can see their taking offense at the patch. There are situations where adults have to use good sense to intervene and this is one of those occasions.

[Oak Tree]

This particular response from the BSA seems a bit lacking - Unfortunately such mock, unauthorized badges show up from time and to time

 

The later response from the BSA communication specialist is much better, and doesn't appear to throw the boys under the bus the way the first response from the local council does.

 

Anyway, seems to eventually have been well handled after the issue came to light. This is indeed one area where adult experience might come in handy - "that could come across offensive to some people".

 

Is this their actual patrol patch? If so, it's not round, and all the words and image wouldn't have fit on the standard sized patch, so there's another reason for sticking with the standard. I do believe it would easily be possible to come up with offensive patches even without using words, though, and sometimes the boys want to pick things like that just to be provocative, and because they think that a lot of people are overly sensitive on some of these issues.

[OldGreyEagle]

A few years back, well, more than a few actually, a patrol in the troop wanted to use the name "Bushies" with the Pine Tree patrol patch. The adults did a strange thing. We said, fine, you are the Bushies. The kids hated it, they never thought we would let them keep it

 

Troop tradition is to change patrols once a year. The guys can change which patrol they are in or stay together, and they can change the name or keep the one they have. FOr a few years we had the "Sons of Liberty" patrol, mostly because the High School they went to is known as Liberty High School

[SeattlePioneer]

It looks like a family late to a Cub Scout Pack meetings to me.

[eisely]

The child of the threesome is wearing a dress, therefore I infer it is female. This would suggest that the family is not late to a cub scout pack meeting. Unless of course, the cub scout pack is composed of cross dressing boys.

[NealOnWheels]

Then they must be late for an AHG meeting.

[frankpalazzi]

Oh people need to lighten up. The patrol itself is primarily Latino boys, did everyone miss that? Enjoy the irony of it.

[SeattlePioneer]

I think the patrol should be commended for getting the nickers of everyone from the council to the national media in a twist with an exercise in creativity that was a function of their normal duties as Scouts.

 

I wonder how intentional that was and where the impulse came from and how it was developed. Was this boy led ingenuity or was there an adult in the woodwork someplace?

 

 

[DLChris71]

When I saw this thread I originally thought it had to do with some issues with crossing into Canada for a scout trip. The actual topic is less interesting.

[Eagle92]

While I think it could have been done a little better, I do think the media went overboard since A) it was Latino Scouts who came up with the design. and B) once they realized the problems they caused fixed it.

 

As a member of the Uniform Police, I'm more concerend that the patrol patch is not round per regulations.

[Tampa Turtle]

Normally I would find it amusing. However as a Scouter that went through Heck in supporting a Patrol who had a smart a$$ name it brings back bad memories.

[packsaddle]

Anyone in these threads who didn't enjoy a bit of mischief when they were a boy needs to come forward and make that claim. I know I did. Plenty of it...I shudder to think what would have happened these days of zero tolerance.

So I tend to be sympathetic to the boys and I basically agree with FrankScout and SeattlePioneer. The boys may or may not have had some idea that their patch would 'poke a stick in the eye' of the PC crowd. But now is the time for the adults to stand by them, use this experience as a teaching tool, and help guide the boys to the best decision they can make. It may even help them, when they are older, to better gauge the reaction when they are tempted, as I am frequently, to 'tickle the tail of the dragon'. It's a heck of a lot of fun, but once in a while, you risk getting singed.

 

Besides there is at least one huge redeeming factor...they didn't use the 'M'-word.

[Stosh]

FrankScout: I noticed that right from the beginning. But our world has gone anally PC lately and a few years back we had a high school where the majority of students were Native American and had to drop their Indian logo/mascot. Go figure.

 

Now until they go after the Pekin (IL) Chinks, I'm not sure who gets to be PC and who doesn't anymore.

 

As a person of Norwegian ancestry, I truly love it when the Packers take it to the Vikings.

 

Stosh