Those durned professionals!

[dsteele]

I've read many of the threads on this forum and just wanted to say thanks for putting up with me. Those of you who follow these forums closely will note that I joined quite a while before I started posting.

 

There's a reason. The reason is that I detected a certain anti-professional scouter bent on many of the threads and didn't want to subject myself to a bunch of antagonism generated by "bad" profesionals.

 

I would just like to say thank you for the warm welcome I have received here. I feel like a member of the campfire. Many of you have thanked me and given me compliments and I appreciate them. Others are skeptical, and I don't blame them. Some are silent, and that's a choice. Perhaps they resent my presence. Perhaps they're intimidated (I hope not.)

 

I'm not saying good-bye. That's not my intent. I want to thank you all for taking my advice for what it's worth because I don't know your council's situation and will always refer you to your local council when needed.

 

However, I will not continue to use my personal time to post on these threads if personal attacks continue. It is against the Scout Law as Terry pointed out. Personal attacks are out of line on these boards. My patience for these is gone. This is the same reason I no longer even look at a similar forum on another web site.

 

If you want to grouse about professionals, go ahead. I can deal with it. If you want to engage in name-calling, playing the identity game, and other crud, I don't have time to bother.

 

I'll now step away from the dais and continue with life.

 

which, for me, is a few vacation days starting at the conclusion of tomorrow.

 

Goodnight all.

 

DS

[CubsRgr8]

I confess to having been a grouser in the past but realize now that my disaffection was due to not understanding the professional's role. Coupled with your earlier experiences as a scout, you bring a unique and welcome POV to this forum and I, for one, hope you stick around for a long, long time!

 

[buffalo2]

Enjoy your vacation DS

Hope to 'see' you soon! It's wonderful to have some insight onto the professional side

 

[Eamonn]

Oh Man Of Steele

What the heck does Durned mean?

Do I need a Websters or an Oxford?

As to your topic.

While we both know and love each other, and do engage in playful leg pulling. I do happen to know that your love of Scouting shines through not only your postings here, but through what you do for a living.

However, just because you are good at what you do, does not mean everyone is like you.

There are those who work for the BSA, that are not so hot.

They would be not so hot, no matter what they did.

We have both played this game for a long time and have over the years came across entire councils who are so off base it is not even funny.

There are Scout Execs. That have an "L" and a "R" On their socks, and they have yet to work out that it doesn't matter which foot, they stick in which sock. Sad to say these poor misguided souls are the people training the new DE's.

Yes I know that it is us volunteers who gave them the job in the first place.

I also am painfully aware that we have a lot of volunteers that only see "The Council" and the "Professionals." as some money grabbing, popcorn selling entity.

There may at times be the odd Nitwit that comes into the Forum.

I have opted to take plenty of no notice. In fact when I get a notification and see that it about a posting from whoever I deem to be a nitwit, I just delete it.

But Dave Dear Lad, I know that we both know, at the end of it all. These nits, get bored and move on. Sad thing is that sometimes it takes a while.

Just like I have unit leaders in my district, that at times I feel God only put them on earth to test me. I can wait them out.

When you get back, we need to talk.

Eamonn

 

[packsaddle]

Eamonn, After I recovered from a dead faint, having read such a shocking term in this forum, I looked it up in my "Dictionary of Fancy Schmancy, Hoity Toity Terms". It means: dad blamed, dad burned, dag nabbed, carnsarned, infernal (from 'Snuffy Smith', sometimes pronounced 'infunnel' in these parts), doggone, darned, etc. with variants such as 'Gol-durned' (no lie, I'm reading this right now), sometimes alternatively combined with 'gosh-' or 'gawl', a variant of 'gol'. Dates at least 200 years back, probably much farther. Shocking! (as James Bond once said)

BTW, Snuffy usually applied it as in 'the infernal machine', meaning, of course, the television. Ole Snuffy might have been simple but he had some good sense.

 

Here's the edited part: Deep dark confession, my brother-in-law once gave me gold-toe socks for Christmas. Everyone made a big deal and I wondered why. It was over a year later that I figured out he was pulling my leg about them having a "left and a right foot design". They were all in on it. Even my children.(This message has been edited by packsaddle)

[Eamonn]

Yipes this American is not as easy as I thought it was going to be.

Here about 45 miles outside Pittsburgh (Even the people from Pittsburgh are unsure if there ought to be the "H" at the end of Pittsburgh.)

We have the ynz.

Ynz, is used to ask a group of people anything.

For example; "Are ynz, going to camp?"

It is similar to the "You all" and can at times be used to replace the " All you all" Which I heard being used by one of them there durned professiomals, who work in dat dare National Office.

We also have the "Red"

After a meal, Her Who Must Be Obeyed will inform my son that he has to "Red the table and then red up his room.

While I have no idea who the esteemed Ole Snuffy Smith is. I do have some cause for concern. my mothers maiden name was Smith.

I would not be keen to learn that I was related to the infunnel Snuffy, even if it does turn out that Snuffy was a goog ole boy.

I do want to thank you for clearing this up for me.

Now usnns can sleep well tonight.

Hope ynz do too.

[Eamonn]

Yipes this American is not as easy as I thought it was going to be.

Here about 45 miles outside Pittsburgh (Even the people from Pittsburgh are unsure if there ought to be the "H" at the end of Pittsburgh.)

We have the ynz.

Ynz, is used to ask a group of people anything.

For example; "Are ynz, going to camp?"

It is similar to the "You all" and can at times be used to replace the " All you all" Which I heard being used by one of them there durned professiomals, who work in dat dare National Office.

We also have the "Red"

After a meal, Her Who Must Be Obeyed will inform my son that he has to "Red the table and then red up his room.

While I have no idea who the esteemed Ole Snuffy Smith is. I do have some cause for concern. my mothers maiden name was Smith.

I would not be keen to learn that I was related to the infunnel Snuffy, even if it does turn out that Snuffy was a goog ole boy.

I do want to thank you for clearing this up for me.

Now usnns can sleep well tonight.

Hope ynz do too.

[packsaddle]

Yazr, weuns do! For a 'Snuffy' initiation see:

http://www.toonopedia.com/snuffy.htm

[eisely]

I for one have never understood the motivation for personal attacks in a forum such as this, Man of Steele, and I am sorry that you have been subjected to that. Please continue to provide us with your valuable point of view, knowledge, and experience. Enjoy your vacation.

[packsaddle]

Eisely, I guess some of us "shif'less skonks" are a little more "tetched in the haid" than others. The tough part is figuring out who's who sometimes. Dsteele has made a positive contribution and I, for one, am less likely to level a blanket condemnation at the pros as a result. That's progress, isn't it?

[keschmahalen]

Hello,

 

I have started reading the posts recently. Spent many nights over the last two months going over the threads which interested me, trying to catch up.

 

Frequently I found that a lot of folks took offense too easily, and often ended up appoligizing, because they read too much into a post or didn't read it correctly in the first place.

 

Being new, I often wasn't sure who was calling who, what, but if it really mattered, it was usually in a jockular manner.

 

I am not aware of the particular episodes which caused you to start this thread, and it is probably not any of my business. But I do know, from other threads, what your motivation is. You are one of a few level heads who write in the forum with regularity. I doubt that I agree with any of you all the time, but I have found that your posts are sound and you are a wealth of knowledge.

 

You are like a boy who is elected into the OA. Like him your primary duty is to your council, but in this forum you are doing all of Scouting a world of good.

 

Please stay with us, YIS, paul

[SharonNC]

Hey, Steele man, one of my dearest friends is a professional. I count many of them friends, but this guy and his wife, have been my FRIENDS since forever.

 

I may not always agree with everything that comes from the professional viewpoint, but I certainly respect and value professional opinions. You're very straightforward about letting us know what is your opinion and what is the 'book' stock answers.

 

Don't let a few bad apples ruin the barrel. You are a valued member of this forum, to me, so hang in and help freeze out those that are off topic, off their rockers, or just mean.

 

We need you!

Sharon

[dsteele]

I'm baaaaack!

 

Thanks for the kind words, all. I wasn't attacked directly, a friend of mine on the forums was. And when a friend is attacked, I figure it might as well have been an attack on me. Look at point three of the Scout Law.

 

Thanks for the affirmations. I will continue to post and be as straight forward as I can be.

 

Eamonn -- I thought of you as I flew over Western Penn. this afternoon. Let's talk soon. It sounds like you've got something on your mind.

 

Dave

[Eagle74]

Man of Steele; personally have appreciated your insight into many topics in the forums. You bring thoughtful posts from a different perspective. Don't always agree, but then again, know that many don't agree with me either. For me, that's what it's all about - throw out your viewpoints and see what comes back (personal attacks notwithstanding). Find that I have changed my perspective on some topics due to insightful posts by others.

 

My problem with some - emphasis on "some" - professional scouters is that they don't seem to remember that they work for us (volunteers) and indirectly, the youth in the program; it's a customer service thing. Our direct customers are the Scouts. Our job is to provide the resources, information and guidance needed to allow the Scouts to "do their job". The professional's direct customers are the leaders and other volunteers.

I affectionately refer to the council office as the "black hole" sometimes - it seems that we feed things in, but nothing seems to come back out. That's part tongue-in-cheek, but also part reality.

 

Just back from summer camp and have some topics to post as I get time - some observations and things that made me go Hmmmm?! Always good to come back and catch up on recent posts.

[mk9750]

Dave,

 

I too think you are a very welcome addition to our little cast of characters (and aren't we all characters!).

 

My opinion of our local professionals has ranged from "not too bad" to "man, what a terrific resource". In my opinion, we've not had a really bad DE, and both Scout executives we've had since I've been in the program were very good.

 

My take on the whole topic of professionals goes something like "It's a darn shame Boy Scouts has to be run like a business. But it has to be, and since it does, the people who make decisions aren't always going to be liked."

 

I've always felt that as long as a profesionals recognizes that I do this as a volunteer, that I do it for free, and that I do the best I can, I'll never have a probelam with them.

 

Mark