Article- The male crisis thats ruining our boys

[perdidochas]

On 6/26/2018 at 2:29 PM, CalicoPenn said:

Seems the consensus is to drop the non-active merit badges in favor of more outdoor/activity oriented merit badges.  I thought about it in terms of the mission of the BSA:

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

I don't see anything in the mission of the Boy Scouts of America or in the Scout Oath and Law about Scouts becoming better outdoorsmen.  Its all about making ethical and moral choices.  Its about, as the DRP puts it, becoming the best kind of citizen.

Its those non-active merit badges that seem to fit in much more with the mission that the active merit badges.  Just something to ponder, I think.

I disagree.  I think that young men learn more about  the above in a campout than in a month of school, for the most part.  Or in other words, I think that the best way to produce a good citizen is to have them camp with Boy Scouts, working in a team,  on a regular basis.  I don't deny that the goal is not making better outdoorsmen, I just think that the process of making better outdoorsmen tends to produce good ethical and moral choice makers over sitting in a class talking about these things.  It's kind of like Algebra. The skills involved in Algebra aren't really that necessary.  The mental discipline and critical thinking skills involved in learning Algebra are well used every other place. The process is important, not just the content.  

Edited July 5, 2018 by perdidochas

[David CO]

45 minutes ago, perdidochas said:

It's kind of like Algebra. The skills involved in Algebra aren't really that necessary.  

[NJCubScouter]

1 hour ago, perdidochas said:

It's kind of like Algebra. The skills involved in Algebra aren't really that necessary.

I don't know, I find myself using basic algebra on a regular basis.  Seriously.  Even when using a calculator or computer, you need to know which numbers to multiply or divide by which other numbers.  I don't need to remember how to do it on a slide rule, which I did learn in Algebra class and was getting pretty good at in later math classes when slide rules suddenly disappeared.  But the basic skills are still helpful.

[MattR]

I use algebra all the time. I would have used calculus or relativity theory as better examples. But your point is still valid. It creates an environment where the real learning happens.

[ianwilkins]

6 minutes ago, MattR said:

I use algebra all the time. I would have used calculus or relativity theory as better examples. But your point is still valid. It creates an environment where the real learning happens.

"A week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room." - BP