Scouting Urban Legends Redux

[gwd-scouter]

scoutldr, I wasn't referring to the words "sheath knife," but rather the statement no fixed blade knives. In this case you are most correct that a butter knife is not a sheath knife, but it is a fixed blade knife, which is what my sons and I found humorous. Then again, I suppose if one had only the knife portion of the pouched eating utensil combo of knife, fork and spoon, one could call the knife a sheath knife. :-)

[Lisabob]

LOL, so by that interpretation scoutldr, if I have a sheath knife and I lose the sheath, does it become not-a-sheath knife? Oh I love parsing this stuff.

[anarchist]

jblake47,

 

just fyi,

Belt (hand) axes are available at many if not most scout shops...unfortunantely, most come now with a "Official BSA" sticker instead of being "stamped" into the steel. my personal copy (stamped and 40 years old) is about half the size it was new...forty years of regular use inside and outside of scouting ...and sharpening have take a toll (and a lot of metal off the old girl...).

 

Proper use and training is truely a problem...as are the "terror/fear police" (mommies, daddies and scout leaders afraid the boys are gonna hurt themselves), and so avoid the issue by "dis-allowing" ax use...(or sheath knife, liquid fuel, cooking real chicken {its a long story}, building real pioneering projects or camping without adults...) That is how many of these legends get their start...

 

gota go sharpen my hand ax...for old times sake!

anarchist

[Bob White]

Why is using and training a problem. You said you have used an axe extensively. Do you not know how to use it correctly? Do you not know how to teach it.

 

If you do, then why would using and training be a problem?(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[evmori]

Yeah urban legends abound everywhere in Scouting! I know in my council, sheath knives & liquid fuel are prohibited.

 

It's easy to see how some urban legends are propagated. Like an Life Scout working on his Eagle project isn't allowed to identify the project as an Eagle projects when approaching the organization he wishes to do the project for.

[Bob White]

Oh my! Why do I block this persons posts? Here is a good example (Thank you I guess to the posters that wrote me about his last post).

 

I am told a poster wrote "Like an Life Scout working on his Eagle project isn't allowed to identify the project as an Eagle projects when approaching the organization he wishes to do the project for."

 

This is indeed how urban legends begin. Has anyone ever heard this before about Eagle Projects? Anyone? Me either. This is another gross misrepresentation by this poster of things that I and others have posted, and this is why I block him.

 

What has been said on this forum in the past is that a candidate cannot represent himself as a Scout when seeking donations of money or supplies for a project.

 

If you think about the project procedures you can see how ridiculous his example is. Because what is the first signature the candidate needs to get in the project workbook? Right, he needs the signature of a represenative of the organization for whom he is doing the project. So there is nothing in the BSA that says the organization can't be told that the candidate is using the work for his Scouting advancement. He just can't use the name and images of the BSA to seek donations for an outside organization.

 

It's leaders who share the kind of misinformation that the previous poster does that muddies the training waters of the BSA.

 

And while I appreciate the heads up, please do not feel the need to tell me when this poster misrepresents my posts, if he didn't always do it then he wouldn't be blocked.

 

It is also why it is important whenever possible to share the specific BSA resource that spells out the correct information. There are posters who take what they see as the truth based only on what they perceive to be experienced scouters. But you need to remember that with some scouters their experience was not good experience.

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[Twocubdad]

Add to your list, Lisabob, that Cubs cannot camp in weather below 32 degrees. Although that may be a regional thing. I suppose some of you rarely camp in weather above 32 degrees.

 

My personal favorite is the ban on open toed shoes, which, like some others mentioned here has been elevated to an official camp rule. A couple years ago, when crocs became popular, open heeled shoes were added to the ban. With a straight face the camp director explained that they had some Scouts get hurt wearing open heeled shoes. I suppose we are fortunate that no one has ever been injured while wearing hiking boots.

 

Of course wearing flip-flops or going barefoot at camp isn't a smart thing to do, but our guys go way overboard. This year you could just see to old geezer shoe cops gritting their teeth and developing facial tics when someone would walk by with a pair of Keen's. You really have to love that.

 

At world jambo last year there were always two ways to tell an American, even when out of uniform -- BSA socks and massive hiking boots. Jamboree was held on a huge lawn. Grassy meadows for as far as the eye could see. Many Scouts were in sandals or even barefoot. Not the Americans. It was if hiking boots were the footware eqivalent of SUVs.

[evmori]

Thanks for clearing up my wording Bob! I was in kind of a hurry! I did mean the urban legend is a Scout can't ID himself as a Scout while seeking donations for that project. Thanks again!

[Nike]

How much of this could be avoided if *ALL* current BSA publications were on the web in PDF format and well indexed? Almost like a .... library.

[Bob White]

Probably none. The Guide to Safe Scouting has been on line for quite some time and yet many posters here have not kown or understood what it says.

 

Whether on-line or in a book it still has to be read, and many posters here take a dim view of people who read.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[evmori]

Whether on-line or in a book it still has to be read, and many posters here take a dim view of people who read.

 

Now that is an urban legend!

[Stosh]

My first grade teacher always said that reading the words is only half the task, understanding them in quite another. This is probably why when someone posts the words out of the book/manual/publication, that's fine, but at that point we're only halfway there.

 

Stosh

[Knot Head]

The troop my son is in has a nice list of urban myths I'm trying to dismantle one by one thanks in part to tips from this board. Some of the myths are in direct conflict with BSA policy. Slowly but surely we are getting there. Seems like each time we go camping I get to slay another one.

 

 

[Bob White]

Your teacher was very wise. I hope all hope all of his or her students appreciate that one starts with reading what is known first!

[OldGreyEagle]

I have a newer Scouting Urban Legends, Scouters who ask questions on Internet Forums do not have the capacity to read answers, weigh responses and determine the best course of action for their situation