• Fondots@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    12 hours ago

    They didn’t change much, but there were changes made and not insignificant ones

    They have done away with the Citizenship in Society merit badge, which was a relatively new badge, but was also a required badge to earn eagle. This was a badge that basically focused on the importance of DEI.

    They’ve also agreed to add a “military service” merit badge. Not a whole lot of details yet about what exactly that will entail or if it will be a required badge or not.

    It also sounds like they’ll be making youths register accordingly to their biological gender as opposed to the one they actually identify as, and will need to use facilities like bathrooms and share tents and such with other scouts that corresponds to that.

    It’s not massive changes, but it’s certainly enough that you should be pissed about them. And hegseth has indicated he wants to reevaluate in a few months and likely will be pushing for even more changes.

    I’m an eagle scout, I’m fucking pissed about this, it goes against all of the good values I learned from scouts for them to give into this pressure, and I’m sure that when kegsbreath comes back around in 6 months or so they’ll cave even more.

    I’m sending my eagle medal back in protest.

      • Fondots@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        10 hours ago

        Also thank you for showing real scout spirit and taking this seriously.

        I’ve been talking to a lot of other eagles and other former scouts, and so far none of them have been happy about this. I have a couple other people also planning to return their medals, and a few who can’t find their medals or who are (understandably) reluctant to do so but are at least planning to write some letters and make some noise over this.

      • Fondots@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        11 hours ago

        I don’t have a specific link to share, I’ve been following this whole situation for a few weeks now since it was all first announced. There’s a lot of articles being written about it now, your best bet is probably just to see what your favorite trusted news sources are saying.

    • 1dalm@lemmings.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      11 hours ago

      They did away with one merit badge and added one elective. “DEI” is baked throughout the scout program and basically all the topics covered in that one merit badge are covered in lots of other parts the program. Including the whole point of the scout law.

      You are losing your mind over nothing. Get a grip.

      • Fondots@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        11 hours ago

        “DEI” is baked throughout the scout program

        And do you really think that they’re not going to try to come after that too? They’re already leaving the door open for them to come back and put more pressure on scouting in a few months, and Drinky Pete has pretty clearly said that he hopes the organization will go back to being the boy scouts.

        When someone tells you who they are, believe them.

        Also really convenient of you to just ignore the concerns about trans youths. I’m sure you’re not pushing an agenda here /s

        • 1dalm@lemmings.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          6
          ·
          11 hours ago

          Yes, I do think they are dropping this issue. I think Hegseth realized that he wasn’t going to get the traction on this he wanted so he agreed a nothing burger and declared victory for himself.

          I’m not ignoring the concerns of the Trans youth, it’s just that the “demands” won’t actually change them. The BSA has already issued a statement that trans youth are still welcome in scouting. No one is going to be checking anyone’s birth certificates. Literally nothing changed.

          Get a grip.

          • Fondots@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            10 hours ago

            Maybe you’re right, and I’ll have sent my medal away for nothing, in which case I’m down a prized but essentially useless trinket.

            Or maybe I’m right, in which case I’m either ridding myself of a symbol of an organization I’ll no longer wish to be associated with soon, or maybe, just maybe I’m doing something that helps to prevent that from happening.

            If you’re right, I’ll feel a little silly and otherwise continue my life as normal, content that I at least stood up for something I believe in.

            But what will you do if I’m right? How would you feel knowing that you brushed this off as a non-issue if girls and trans youth, and maybe eventually other “undesirables” are eventually kicked out of scouts, when their commitment to dei wavers, and maybe they’re even twisted into a militaristic, nationalist organization like some modern Hitler Youth?

            • tomselleck@sopuli.xyz
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              ·
              9 hours ago

              I’m not the person your reply is to, but you’re spot on about where this is headed. From the DOD’s initial statement about Scouting America, it’s obvious that they want it to go back to excluding girls from the organization. As a current den leader, I was already dissatisfied with the way the organization is being run, and this is probably the final straw for me to just step away from them completely. Leadership is acting like cowards while also asking for donations. It’s incredibly disappointing.