Skit in Underwear - JCPenny

[TMSM]

My Scouts have a skit called JCPenny. in the skit the first scout comes by with a nice shirt and the Boy #1 says nice shirt where did you get that and he says JCPenny, second scout comes by with and scouts # 1 says nice pants where did you get them - JCPenny. At the end of the skit a boy runs on stage in his underwear and scout number 1 says who are you - answer - I am JCPenny.

Due to YP I have asked the bos not to do this skit anymore or at least use gym shorts instead of underwear. They have asked to see the specific rule, page number where BSA does not permit this. - Can anyone help?

 

[RememberSchiff]

Scout Law #7.  A Scout is Obedient.

 

[jjlash]

See also Scout Law #5.  A Scout is Courteous (i.e. is not offensive)

 

 

[TMSM]

2 minutes ago, RememberSchiff said:

Scout Law #7.  A Scout is Obedient.

 

Sure that's what I used for now - but I am not a "because I said so type of guy"

[Saltface]

Ah, yes. The standard by which all other skits are measured. 

Personally, I wouldn't consider this a YP issue but if you want to go that route, the closest I could come up with is from the Barriers to Abuse document:

Quote

Privacy of youth is respected.
Adult leaders and youth must respect each other’s privacy, especially in situations such as changing clothes and taking showers at camp. Adults may enter changing or showering areas for youth only to the extent that health and safety requires. Adults must protect their own privacy in similar situations.

 

For me, I would say no to the underwear. If my scouts really needed a long-winded explanation: God created our bodies. Certain parts of our bodies are sacred or special in that they allow us to create life, one of the most Godlike powers mortals have been trusted with. A Scout is Reverent.

[NealOnWheels]

From the Guide To Safe Scouting Youth Protection & Adult Leadership section: "Appropriate attire is required for all activities.".

Of course nothing defines what "appropriate attire" is for any given activity.  Need to use some common sense.

 

[mashmaster]

And, you might want to mention that the skit isn't very original and funny......   Move on to the invisible bench.....

[Eagledad]

I had this very experience at summer camp with the "If I were not a boy scout, a _______ I would be" skit. Well one of the characters they were going to be was a proctologist asking the scout next to him to bend over so he could poke his finger .... When I told the SPL I was offended by it, he protested and said it is very funny for people his age. So, I talked to him on man-to-man level (not SM to Scout) and said that it is his decision and that I wouldn't say anything about it again, but I was offended and I'm sure others would be offended as well. I asked him to consider how that fit in the scout oath. Then I walked off with the promise that I wouldn't criticise his decision. The scouts had a couple days before campfire to think about it.

I very much wanted his decision to be based on right and wrong, not the SM telling scout what to do.

I was very proud of them when they changed the proctologist to a dentist. Along with that, the whole camp gave our troop a standing ovation for the skit. It was a good day for me.

Barry

[scotteg83]

15 minutes ago, mashmaster said:

And, you might want to mention that the skit isn't very original and funny......   Move on to the invisible bench.....

Might not be an original, but its an old classic. 

[TMSM]

20 minutes ago, mashmaster said:

And, you might want to mention that the skit isn't very original and funny......   Move on to the invisible bench.....

They do both - in my opinion jCPenny is funnier and I am surprised they even know what this store is. 

We have banned the "I have come to marry the princess" skit because I find it very boring and not funny at all.

[jjlash]

Not really a source that answers their question for "rules" and "pages" but instruction on campfire planning usually includes a list of things to stay away from.  I dont find it in the IOLS syllabus, from the BALOO syllabus:

Quote

Screening the Material Everything that occurs at the campfire should be approved in advance. Do not allow jokes or stunts that are in poor taste. Do not make anyone the brunt of a joke, stunt, or skit. There simply is too much good material available—keep the program on a higher plane. When in doubt, leave it out!

Some basic no-no’s in a campfire program include the following:

• No embarrassing an audience member • No racial putdowns • No cultural putdowns • No portraying violent behavior • No bathroom humor • No water skits • No sexual overtones • No material that is not consistent with BSA standards

There are arguably gray areas, but the best advice is that these gray areas should be avoided. If everything was rated on a scale of 1 to 10, use the “8” material instead of the “2” material. Let’s “raise the bar” and make sure everything presented is up to BSA standards.

I would put this under "bathroom humor".  The last statement is the one that I would use.

 

 

[fred8033]

I fear this is more a threshold issue than any specific oath or law issue.  Also, as a leader, I try to avoid hard line responses as you can only do that so many times before the scouts stop coming to you.  

I'd approach it more as being smart and having a conversation of equals and not a adult-leader-telling-youth conversation.  I'd approach it as this is an age of youth-protection where there have been abuses.  We are also in an age where people can easily mis-interpret.  Even more, people are actively looking for gotcha opportunities to prove how politically correct they.  So, many may think it's funny, but it can and WILL raise alarm bells.  We could easily face repercussions for such a skit.  So, is it smart to that skit given the risk and potential headaches ?

[qwazse]

I'll side with the scouts on this one because ...

1. The skit is funny. Especially if the scout who plays the victim (let's identify him as scout-zero) is the one who introduces the skit wearing the clothes that are about to be "acquired" by the other scouts.
2. Most things are in the delivery. Boxers, or briefs? t-Shirt? Is the victim strutting? Or, does he look like he's just been robbed? I've seen on-the-edge skits from a mixed company of scouts. They did a great job with the balancing act. I'm sure they had some help.
3. I've watched as scripts that National thought were downright innocent go terribly wrong so badly that in presence of my female crew members half of the scouts in a large arena wound up booing at the concept of scouts vs. venturing. Had the organizers cared to vet the script by our VOA, I would probably have said that a partially nude scout streaking across the stage would be preferable.

But, I'll admit to there being a "flip side" because ... it's a big country.

1. There's no hard-and-fast rule defining inappropriate dress because some parts of the country think nothing of a scout-zero in a sketch putting on an act in his/her underwear for a few seconds. In parts, having seen that, the audiences night would be ruined.
2. It's hard to determine how the scout would be "at risk" in this scenario. But in some parts, at some times, this could be a threatening act.
3. Everyone knows that beating the pants off of someone is not to be imitated in real life (that's why the skit is funny), but you might have a group of scouts who have been behaving that way IRL, and their laughter would come from a very dark place.
4. Folks with certain stock portfolios might also find this hurtful. The store performed awfully last year.

So, the question is: how well do you know your audience? Your boys? Is there a way to deliver this sketch without coming off as mean or mocking cultural sensibilities?

Edited April 16, 2019 by qwazse

[NJCubScouter]

I think Neal is correct, this falls under the "appropriate attire" rule.  Obviously it is right on the edge, otherwise there would be no need to talk about it.  I usually err on the side of "let's find a more appropriate alternative if we can," which in this case tells me the Scout who has been robbed should be wearing gym shorts over his underwear.  But that's me.

 

[T2Eagle]

I think it's under appropriate attire.  It's never OK to be out in public in just your underwear.

But I think the skit can still be done .  Wear very obvious underwear over top of gym shorts or a bathing suit.  Invest 5 bucks in XXXL size tighty whiteys, roll the shorts up to be completely covered by the underwear, and what you have is a costume over appropriate clothing.