[15737] in APO-L
Re: APO and Scouting
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Benjamin A. Kuperman)
Thu Dec 5 09:03:34 1996
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 08:55:10 -0500
Reply-To: "Benjamin A. Kuperman" <bak@JUPITER.CSE.UTOLEDO.EDU>
From: "Benjamin A. Kuperman" <bak@JUPITER.CSE.UTOLEDO.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <199612051240.HAA29187@cse.utoledo.edu> from "The Italian
Stallion" at Dec 5, 96 06:36:12 am
I am replying to clarify the incorrect information in this post. I am
trying to keep this from sounding like a personal attack, it is not
intended to be one.
Hopefully this will be the last on BSA for a while, and we can go back
to APhiO and national convention.
>
> > an institution still
> > clinging to the doctrine that "no boy can grow into the best
> > kind of citizenship" without a backpack full of religious bigotry,
> > sexism, and homophobia."
> 1) The BSA is not religously bigoted. Just because the organization
> exclusivly recognizes Christianity doesn't mean that they hate other
> religons.
Funny. Last time I checked, I could earn a religious emblem for a
variety of religions (Christian, Jewish, Islamic, etc.) Buddhists are
permitted in the BSA even though they don't believe in a supreme
diety. To the best of my knowledge, only athiests who object to the
line "duty to God" are not permitted. The statement "exclusivly
recognizes Christianity" can begin to sound like religious bigotry.
Perhaps it is just your local troop/council that has this problem.
>
> 2) The BSA is not sexist. It is an organization that is designed for
> BOYS, hence the name BOY Scouts. Women (at least in my old troop back
> home) were allowed to be leaders in Cub Scouts and Tiger Cubs, men
> lead in the Boy Scouts. Why? When you go camping in the middle of no
> where:
> (A) Men are better at getting a bunch of rowdy boys to do what they want.
> (B) There are no "mens" and "womens" latrines
> (C) Boys at that age sometimes don't want women around when
> they're dirty and can't shower.
It sounds as though your troop back home is sexist. In the BSA women
are alowed to be the adult leaders of Boy Scout troops and explorer
posts. In fact this has been the case since the rewrite of the
Handbook (circa 1990). My council has at least one female Scoutmaster
and my mother has been an Assistant Scoutmaster and a Post Advisor
since that time too.
A) She's better at controlling the 'rowdy boys' than the men,
and doesn't rely on physical intimidation to do so.
B) She backpacks, and can dig a cat-hole with the best of
them. Most people's houses don't have a '"mens" and
"womens"' toilet, so why should that be different with
latrines.
C) A scout is clean. I can clean myself without showering and
so can most people. Besides, in most situations where the
youth are dirty, the adults are just as bad. (i.e.
backpacking trips)
> 3) So the BSA is homophobic. Whats wrong with that? I think its a plus!
This issue is discussed enough in rec.scouting.issues and need not be
discussed here. However, remember that although BSA is "homophobic"
APhiO is not, and some of your _BROTHERS_ are homosexual.
>
> -Delta 1159
> Mark Librizzi
>
-Ben Kuperman
Zeta Lambda
