Boy Scouts shun obese members as controversy continues

reply to post by rickymouse


Th boy scouts seeks kids that are future Justin Beiber and One Direction. "pretty men" are the current fad. Maybe this camp was owned by same owner as Ambercrombie and Fitch "beautiful people only"

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Obesity is a disease.

But tell a kid in a wheel chair that he is denied and you'd have every group from the ADA to the Rockettes coming down on you.

Deny a fat kid though?

Yeah. Cause he's fat.

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by tothetenthpower

 

Obesity is a disease.

But tell a kid in a wheel chair that he is denied and you'd have every group from the ADA to the Rockettes coming down on you.

Deny a fat kid though?

Yeah. Cause he's fat.

Not sure that the ADA is going to go after an organization for not allowing someone in a wheel chair to repel down a mountain, or go crawling through 14"x10" caves.

reply to post by Evil_Santa


Feel free to cherry pick but I'll bet you 10 internetz that among the antendees to this Jamboree will be disabled kids who will be able to participate.

(They just won't be. . . .you know. . . one of them types)

I just wanted to add that scouts may be the only thing some kids have. They may have no home life, no support (or very little) from their parent(s), and this may be the one thing that could help them.

Damned shame.

reply to post by Frankenchrist


In what country do you become a man at 13? In America, I believe it is 18.

Originally posted by Montana

Originally posted by beezzer

How about. . .oh, I don't know. . . treating them like kids? Expose them to camping and activities that they may have not been exposed to ever before.
Take into account their conditions. But no special treatment! My son got his kickball/soccer/athletics badge. He fell all the time. My beautiful child smashed his little face into the dirt more times than I could count. Skinned knees, face, hands, arms, it was something he wanted to do though.
And we let him, the scout master and I.
He achieved it all by himself.

But let someone who is fat try the same thing?

Again.....

I'm not sure if everyone understands that boys with a BMI of 40.0 or higher are still allowed to be Scouts, and are able and encouraged to attend the vast majority of Scout events, camps and Jamborees. Just not THIS Jamboree or other High Adventure camp. Because of it's LOCATION.

Obese children are involved in all things scouting. They go camping, bike riding, fishing, hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing, skiing, etc etc etc. We have an obese boy or two in my son's troop all the time and they participate just as fully as anyone else!

But they can't go to High Adventure events. Because of the location of those events.

I'll offer a small caveat based on your description, but i still think it is wrong and sets a dangerous precedent.

Here is a solution:

The boy scouts should offer a merit badge for being thin/healthy.

Problem solved.

reply to post by neo96


They offered a few badges for fitness when I was in it. Did they get rid of those?

Originally posted by TKDRL
reply to post by neo96

 

They offered a few badges for fitness when I was in it. Did they get rid of those?

edit on Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:44:49 -0500 by TKDRL because: (no reason given)

Yep but it is no wonder the Boyscouts are frowning on this

www.scouting.org...

Too many ways to get sued for crying outloud a healthcare practioner has to sign off?

Geez.

reply to post by neo96


And a dentist too...... They didn't have that part back in the day, we were too poor for a dentist. I am pretty sure we needed the physical though, to even join the scouts. It wasn't too bad, since I needed to get one any for sports that I played as well.

If they are attending the Jamboree, wouldn't that imply that they have already met some measure of proficiency in whatever events or activities they are going to do there?

These days it seems *everyone* is minding everyone else's business. Honestly, the world is so damn mean. GAH!

reply to post by Montana


The place they are having the jamboree at used to be called "garden grounds". I spent a huge chunk of my childhood roaming those mountains. Fat kids would die. Really. It is not safe there. There are cliffs, steep mountains, and more rattlesnakes and copperheads than you could imagine. No fat kid going in would come back out. I know that area. I could not go there now due to my being disabled. I would die and I am not fat.

Disability Awareness Challenge Seventeen fun and challenging exhibits and hands-on activities which will give participants the knowledge of and sensitivity to the various types of disabilities. This experience will enhance their understanding of what those who have special needs/disabilities go through on an ongoing daily basis.

summit.scouting.org...

Oh the irony.

How are the plans coming for accommodating Scouts in electric wheelchairs that won't have access to the program areas other than Jambo Central? What arrangements have been made to transport these Scouts to attend the events at the Garden Grounds and the Day of Service? Has there been progress to ensure electricity to Village B for recharging the wheelchair batteries? Is there now professional staff at the Summit with whom we can coordinate requests for our handicapped Scout?
Yes, plans have been made that address most of these questions. If you have specific inquiries, please contact Christopher Smith at the Summit office: [email protected] or 304-250-6754.

summit.scouting.org...

(from last year, same location)

Oh the irony, it burns!

Originally posted by Robonakka
reply to post by Montana

 

Fat kids would die. Really. It is not safe there. There are cliffs, steep mountains, and more rattlesnakes and copperheads than you could imagine. No fat kid going in would come back out.

LOL! Then why the hell are we sending any kids at all!?

Seriously, though...like only fat kids fall from cliffs or get bit by snakes....

Originally posted by beezzer
I just wanted to add that scouts may be the only thing some kids have. They may have no home life, no support (or very little) from their parent(s), and this may be the one thing that could help them.

Damned shame.

Exactly! The ones who need the help of belonging to something that teaches them about nature and getting out there and moving should be all the boys not just some.

So many kids now are not getting any imput at home and sometimes it is not even the parents fault, they both work or they can't make it. How do you watch what a kid eats when there is no one home. My kids were perfect weight through my diligent efforts but I stayed at home. I see kids today come home and they throw whatever in the microwave, who's fault is it?

Destroying self esteem does not lead anyone to improve. What these kids need are people who care and teach them about nutrition and exercise without aiming insults labeling or putting anyone down.
The group feeling of we are all in this together helps the weak to become strong and the strong to become kind and caring.

reply to post by beezzer


In 10 years of cub scouts and boy scouts, there was not a single person in a wheel chair at a single camp out.

Being fat is a choice, excluding those with endocrinological issues.

I made a choice to be fat, then made a choice to not be fat. It was as simple as that. Everyone makes their own choices, but if they are fat and a victim, they are only a victim of their own poor choices.

The boy scout Oath:

On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

Boy Scouts have ALWAYS pushed physical fitness, its simply a part of being “prepared”. Even back when I was a scout, say 30 years ago, they pushed physical fitness. It makes sense to encourage young men to be in decent physically healthy condition. There were plenty of guys who were overweight, and yes it might have precluded them from certain activities like doing 5 mile swims, repelling, or other things that were somewhat dangerous to those not physically fit enough to engage in them.