Scouter Magazine

[NJCubScouter]

I remember seeing the Bobby Fischer chess columns but I believe that while I was a Boy Scout the column was being done by Larry Evans.  Not that I understood most of it anyway.

Space Conquerors must be a little before my time as well, or at any rate I don't remember it.  Why don't they go at night, right.     Actually the science in there seems pretty abysmal, and I am not a scientist.  I think they knew in the 50's/60's how hot Mercury is, and that nobody's putting any cameras on it, nor are any human beings going into orbit around it.  And about 20 other things.

[Oldscout448]

I started reading my parents scouter magazine in 1975, when I was a patrol leader looking for ways to give  my scouts a more exciting program.  It was full of cool ideas and advice from these who had " been there and done that"  I loved it.

Nowdays I give it a 15 second skim and toss it straight in the bin.  The last issue led with  such a blatant propaganda piece just gushing about how great the addition of girls would be, I tossed it without reading past page two.

I wondered what changed  so much me or the magazine?  So I dug out some issues from the ' 80's and 90's.  Nope, still full of good stuff about hiking, camping, etc.

I'm signed up for 2018, but that will be it for me.  I'm glad that I spent 30 plus of the last 50 years in BSA.

Eagle,Vigil,Philmont,Eagle Dad twice. Sat around a thousand campfires with good friends. Its been a wonderful trail to hike.

Not that I'm going to leave the woods, but scouting is taking a sharp left turn, and I'm going straight on ahead.

Edited December 15, 2017 by Oldscout448

[gblotter]

On 12/14/2017 at 7:02 PM, Oldscout448 said:

The last issue led with  such a blatant propaganda piece just gushing about how great the addition of girls would be, I tossed it without reading past page two.

With recent changes, BSA is clearing trying to appeal to appeal to new kinds of families, new kinds of Scouts, and new kinds of Scouters. This new Scouting is not for me.

 

On 12/14/2017 at 7:02 PM, Oldscout448 said:

I'm signed up for 2018, but that will be it for me.  I'm glad that I spent 30 plus of the last 50 years in BSA.

Eagle, Vigil, Philmont, Eagle Dad twice. Sat around a thousand campfires with good friends. Its been a wonderful trail to hike.

@Oldscout448 I think you are I are roughly the same age. I am Eagle, Eagle dad, and Scoutmaster for 9+ years. And it seems you and I will both be exiting Scouting after 2018 - one last triumphant hurrah. I will make room for the changes BSA seems determined to ram through.

 

On 12/14/2017 at 7:02 PM, Oldscout448 said:

Not that I'm going to leave the woods, but scouting is taking a sharp left turn, and I'm going straight on ahead.

I did not walk away from Scouting - I have stayed the same. Rather Scouting has walked away from me. I'm sad but not bitter.

[Tampa Turtle]

Received the January Boys Life and January-February Scouter Magazines yesterday. My observations:

- Skimmed the Boys Life, seemed like a typical Holiday/Winters issue. Long article on spotting Depression which given what I have seen in Scouts and that we had a suicide this year was probably a good move. No mention of BS4G.

- Scouter. Banner on front page about girls in scouting. Carefully crafted FAQ inside (which should have been done a month or two ago) about the logic of the decision and the fact that many 'rogue' units where having sisters do things at many Packs anyway. I thought the article was OK though I found the discussions of all the reach out meetings and especially the survey was so overwhelmingly positive. As I now have little expectation that National will tell the truth if it conflicts with their goals--like gblotter I am more sad than angry now--it is frustrating to hear the CES say that the survey that I actually took and saw was very slanted was crafted to carefully ask people what they really thought --it was almost impossible to say "NO" to the proposal in that survey.

Overall the editorial content and style of Scouter seemed to thankfully return from the vague 'Family Camping' and generic  theme of the last few issues to the norm of requirements, leader tips, and interesting scout news items. I DO NOT think it was a coincidence that the 'Girls FAQ' was between the introductory message from the CES on how he met Green Bar Bill not once but twice and an actual article on Green Bar himself. I think some old timers were being placated or it was an attempt to send a signal. 

The article of Boys and Anger issues was a good one. I appreciate both magazines trying to educate on issues common to folks on the ground.

At least that was my opinion.

Edited December 21, 2017 by RememberSchiff
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[RememberSchiff]

19 hours ago, Tampa Turtle said:

Received the January Boys Life and January-February Scouter Magazines yesterday. My observations:

Overall the editorial content and style of Scouter seemed to thankfully return from the vague 'Family Camping' and generic  theme of the last few issues to the norm of requirements, leader tips, and interesting scout news items. I DO NOT think it was a coincidence that the 'Girls FAQ' was between the introductory message from the CES on how he met Green Bar Bill not once but twice and an actual article on Green Bar himself. I think some old timers were being placated or it was an attempt to send a signal.

Agree. Perhaps no coincidence the change is soft starting at the beginning of a new year.

“Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.”   - Tennyson