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News & ArtsFriday, May 14, 2010
Games Junior Homophobes Enjoy Responsible Gaming
Posted by The Stranger Testing Department on Fri, May 14, 2010 at 9:07 AM
This has been puttering around the nodes for a few days, but is too awesome to ignore: The Boy Scouts of America will now reward their tiny, non-atheist, heterosexual charges for exploring digital worlds. The Video Games Belt Loop and Academic Pin (while most likely devised to improve declining enrollment and retention) moves the Scouts further from pre-industrial self-sufficiency training toward post-industrial consumer training. Here's what it takes to earn the belt loop:
1. Explain why it is important to have a rating system for video games. Check your video games to be sure they are right for your age.
2. With an adult, create a schedule for you to do things that includes your chores, homework, and video gaming. Do your best to follow this schedule.
3. Learn to play a new video game that is approved by your parent, guardian, or teacher.
- ACHIEVEMENT!
We're not against the Scouts' efforts toward modernization—we adored the Nuclear Power merit badge—but they could have had Scouts come up with new ideas for games, discuss different kinds of games, go for high scores, learn about old tech, or engage in any number of other creative or instructive activities on top of just buying and then not playing games.
The Stranger Testing Department is Rob Lightner and Paul Hughes.
1
The digital world may seem like it just sprung up organically, but I suspect it's actually been created for us, for a time in the future when the environment is too poisonous to go outside.
2
The funny thing for me is step #1. You are essentially forcing the kids to lie to others and themselves and then write up a backstory for it. Kids want to play violent video games, at least for curiosity of the forbidden. They are grooming lying, consuming, passive, and lazy people.
Thankfully they are essentially excluding families to move further to the right so this might actually play into the hands of progressives when these children become voting adults.
Thankfully they are essentially excluding families to move further to the right so this might actually play into the hands of progressives when these children become voting adults.
3
Back in the day, I was a boy scout. At summer camp, we actually had a real rifle range, where we shot .22s (I was an amazingly good shot, just so you know). It was the most popular activity at summer camp.
Now they're gonna try to convince boys not to play violent video games.
Yeah... that's gonna work.
Now they're gonna try to convince boys not to play violent video games.
Yeah... that's gonna work.
5
Hilarious, but when I was in the Boy Scouts ( '71? ) I remember scouring the merit badge list for something that (a) would use my brain and (b) didn't involve dirt. I think I ended up with the World Politics badge as my only belt charm.
6
If the nation had listened to Joycelyn Elders in 1993 or whenever, there might today be a belt loop or merit badge for masturbation. It would have been nice to be recognized for something I was already doing [a lot], plus I learned several new techniques and relevant songs in Scouts (though it was WELL before the potential turning point of 1993).
7
My son was a Cub Scout for one year. It was awful, for about two months it was all about the popcorn sales. When we moved to NC from IL the pack leader suggested we look up census records to get a "feel" for the neighborhood. Nice, huh? Scouting is alive and well down here.
8
@ 9 - Techniques, sure, but songs? What are we talking, something along the lines of "100 bottles of (insert naughty reference here) on the wall..."?
9
So, is there a merit badge for not going on camping trips with Catholic priests?
Cause if there isn't, there should be.
Cause if there isn't, there should be.
10
Growing up most of my friends were in boy scouts, they were children of liberal WA parents, and did things like 90 mile, week long backpacking trips (at 12 years old), and other good stuff. All of these kids grew up liberal and active.
Troops like these need to leave the boyscouts and form a rival organization that actually promotes young people to both be truly active and truly learn who they are (even if they are gay). Let the game playing homophobes have the boyscouts.
Troops like these need to leave the boyscouts and form a rival organization that actually promotes young people to both be truly active and truly learn who they are (even if they are gay). Let the game playing homophobes have the boyscouts.
11
I was involved in scouting all through the 70’s. During that time I smoked pot for the first time, had my first puking drunk (both during camping trips), and got to see my first naked girls (skinny dipping with the camp directors daughters). It’s also where I met my first out homosexual friend. All in all, helping shape me into the liberal atheist I am today.
13
When I was in scouts I wished there were merit badges for teaching the others in my pack how to shoot craps and then taking them for their dues or selling them bunk pot.
14
In Canada, there is no religious requirement for the Scouts, nor a division by gender. Just pointin' out.
That said, our local troop never gave my son and I a hassle in the three years we were a part of it over our complete atheism. It's what the parents choose to make of it -- we all pitched in to provide some great experiences for kids in our area who may not have ever been able to get out on camping trips and hikes, kids with single parents, foster parents or in disadvantaged homes.
My son eventually dropped out, but I think he and I would have gotten a kick out of this video game badge, since I work as a video game artist. The den meetings I ran on animation, digital art and portrait drawing were a lot of fun...
That said, our local troop never gave my son and I a hassle in the three years we were a part of it over our complete atheism. It's what the parents choose to make of it -- we all pitched in to provide some great experiences for kids in our area who may not have ever been able to get out on camping trips and hikes, kids with single parents, foster parents or in disadvantaged homes.
My son eventually dropped out, but I think he and I would have gotten a kick out of this video game badge, since I work as a video game artist. The den meetings I ran on animation, digital art and portrait drawing were a lot of fun...
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