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Boy Scouts Introduce Merit Badge For Not Pirating
The_Slaughter writes "The MPAA has recruited the boy scouts of America to do their dirty work. Scouts will now be able to learn a merit badge for anti-piracy related activities, including creating public service announcements urging others not to steal movies or music. No word yet on if that includes helping the MPAA file lawsuits against 80-year-old grandmothers."
Traditionally, haven't merit badges been tied to specific, measurable actions? Knots? Prove it by tying 'em. Fire? Prove it by burnination.
A merit badge for _not pirating_ is like not-tea in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
I wasn't in the boy scouts, but I was in the Explorer portion and that's how I got my private pilot license at 18.
However, I feel that the scout organization has fallen so far from its original intended roots that it's nothing but a special interest shadow of its former self. It's very sad, because what once was an organization that helped kids learn about skills and camping and other simple yet vital tasks for a well rounded person have been hammered away into anti-gay, christian centric whored out to any group that wants type of thing.
As a rock-in-roll Physicist once said, No matter where you go, there you are.
The article isn't clear if this is a regular BSA badge or just something cooked up by the local council, but if it's official, I'm going to sign up to be a merit badge counselor (I'm already a counselor for a dozen other merit badges).
My version will focus on understanding all of copyright law, including (especially) Fair Use, the Doctrine of First Sale and the historical and constitutional basis of copyright law.. I think I'll substitute the "Make a Public Service Announcement" for a 200-word essay on Why the Digital Consumer's Bill of Rights is a good idea".
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
--Chag
...with th de facto homophobia badge they're forced to wear.
Hey guys, c'mon--be nice. As soon as I put up the original post, I realized that I had made this (quite obvious) mistake, and I was the first person to call myself on it.
Can't you read the replies to make sure that your point hasn't already been made before pointing fingers?
I left my wallet in El Sigundo!
However, I feel that the scout organization has fallen so far from its original intended roots that it's nothing but a special interest shadow of its former self. It's very sad, because what once was an organization that helped kids learn about skills and camping and other simple yet vital tasks for a well rounded person have been hammered away into anti-gay, christian centric whored out to any group that wants type of thing
Thanks for saying so well what I've felt often over the past fifteen years. Scouting is nothing more than bitter old men leading impressionable young men around anymore. It's almost like a page program for suburban and exurban white guys.
I was a First Class Scout before leaving when I was 16, to spend more time bike racing. I enjoyed scouts because it let me get outdoors (I'd formerly beena roly-poly little fat computer nerd kid, and while I kept my computer nerd cred, scouts got me outside, working some of that flab off and seeing, doing, and loving the outdoors.
As I crested Muir and Bishop Passes on consecutive days four summers ago, I thought a lot about my time as a scout. I'd never have learned to enjoy the outdoors were it not for my thoughtful and tolerant scoutmaster. Stuff like this - being a shill for big business - and the flaaaaaaming antigay rhetoric coming out of the Boy Scouts is a truly sad thing. The organization could do a lot of good for ALL young men if they chose to.
The quality of the Boy Scouts depends on where you are. I was in the Boy Scouts in the Westmoreland Fayette Council up until 4 years ago(I turned 18). I was openly atheist and recieved Eagle. I knew of a couple openly gay members who also made it through to Eagle. No one cared. Everyone was openly accepting of everyone. I think these are select councils or troops run by extremely socially conservative people.
Yeah, there's no agenda here. Why, this is only being done to make each of them better, happier, and more productive citizens. As an Anonymous Coward said, this is a reiteration of Hitler Youth, much like the D.A.R.E. program.
... aren't those "implied powers" great?) -- if it were such an absurd thing to consider, then it could at least be mentioned and demonstrated as such. No, instead, D.A.R.E. is "taught" by armed, uniformed police officers instead of former drug addicts who have overcome an addiction and don't want someone else to go through the same ordeal, because former drug addicts would not be so interested in encouraging the children to help them police the parents and extended family. The basic idea here is that if your law requires police-state tactics to enforce, then your law is broken.
The D.A.R.E. program will never encourage children to consider whether it is just for a government of a "free country" to tell its citizens what they may or may not put into their own bodies (on the basis of regulating interstate trade, no less
Likewise, you can bet your ass that this program will never encourage children to evaluate for themselves whether the RIAA/MPAA are using the law to prop up an obsolete business model and whether or not these future voters should consider eliminating such corruption, which is what being a good citizen is all about. Rather, you can expect that this civil matter concerning arbitrary copyright and its infringement will be falsely elevated to the status of a moral question and will be taught in terms of right and wrong.
In both situations the parents are reaping the rewards of ignoring their responsibility and depending on large organizations like the government education monopolists or the Boy Scouts to take care of the upbringing of their children. Not that it matters, really, since vast numbers of them love their children so much that they decided to allow themselves to become single parents and/or to allow their children to be born into poverty. I guess "free" education starts looking pretty good when you put no forethought into one of the most important decisions you can make.
We badly need for a country that values independent thought, critical thinking, and minimal government to economically kick the asses of the rest of the world and demonstrate that these things are more than luxuries. Unfortunately I don't know of such a domain; a long time ago this was the USA, but oh how far we have fallen. Most of the rest of the world seems heavily invested in the groupthink bandwagon as well.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
When I was a boy scout (I would have had to stop due to age 2 years ago but I really stopped 4-5 years ago) my troop was a lot of fun. It wasnt the nerdy bunch that boyscouts were stereotyped as at the time (though there certainly were entire troups like that) but was really a bunch of good people. Had a lot of focus on camping and outdoors type stuff rather than pushing certain ideals and morals (well, there was still the good-doing ideals but nothing remotely like the anti-gay stuff). I never really advanced too far as I only went for merit badges I was interested in so I ignored a lot of the "required" merit badges like swimming since while I certainly can swim, it was a lot of time and foolish tests to prove I could swim rather than learning about something new with another merit badge. It was a lot of fun either way and the way the organization seems to be going these days makes me kind of sad.
Something tells me that I wont be willing to be a scoutmaster by the time I have children...
Bottles.
I was in the Boy Scouts, from start to finish...started as a Cub Scout as soon as I could get in, stayed in until I was 21, and then served four years as a Scoutmaster. I was also in the OA, Explorers, and several other "side groups" (for lack of a better term). This was in the 60s through the 80s. I have nothing but fond memories of the experiences. There are **MANY** positive skills I learned and things I did that I would have never experienced without having been a Boy Scout.
That was then, this is now.
Now I'll echo what you say here. The organization has changed so much from what it was then that if I had children and they were to ask to be in Scouts, I'm not sure I would approve. I ceased donating even my money in the mid-90s.
I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
The scouts can drop by my microcinema studio and see how I release all my movies for FREE under a Creative Commons licence.
Will they still get their badge?
- Just my $0.02, take with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary.
One is a deliberate lie, the other is an accidental failure to keep a promise.
Doesn't matter -- A failure is a failure.
If there was *any* question, he should have consulted his staff, or the court, BEFORE he decided.
If he is such a "man of faith" (as he's blabbed about time and again), it should have been against his belief system to torture, hold people without due process, etc, in the first place.
I have no doubt in my mind he has intentionally done everything he is hated for. I think the "stupid look" he portrays is just a cover for someone nearly as insane as Sadam, Hitler, etc. Difference here, I think, is he knows that the American people will yank him back HARD if he gets too crazy all at once, so he's just pushing a little at a time to see how far he can go.
For *that*, he should have been removed (along with *all* of his cronies) long ago.
bork bork bork!
You're welcome. Title is a g000glbmb for future searches on the name "Victor Zuniga" the BSA LA Area Council PR Director who sold 52,000 scouts to the MPAA
My next sig will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush
That is not an option when in front of a grand jury.
That's your value, not mine. I do not see the world in terms of black or white. If I'm doing something that's not harming anyone, and I get into trouble for it because the law is stupid, and I can get out of it by lying, fuck yes I will lie about it. IMO the only reason to say that you would never lie in a situation like this is if you agreed with every law on the books, or are willing to live in a fascist society that does not serve your needs. For instance, it's illegal to drink a beer on your front porch (in view of the road) in most jurisdictions, but this is clearly a stupid fucking law. If you could get away with getting away with it, why should you tell the truth? Just because a law is on the books does not mean it is just; just because a law is on the books does not mean it should be followed.
I hear and understand what you're saying, mind you, I just think it's unrealistic. Life is not fair! I refuse to act as if it were.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
"For instance, it's illegal to drink a beer on your front porch (in view of the road) in most jurisdictions, but this is clearly a stupid fucking law. If you could get away with getting away with it, why should you tell the truth?"
Because words like truth, honor, duty, and integrity actually have some meaning to me. But you're right, those are my values and not yours.
"I hear and understand what you're saying, mind you, I just think it's unrealistic. Life is not fair! I refuse to act as if it were."
I can't remember who said it but it went something like:
"The man who does the right thing does it, not because he wants to change the world, but because he refuses to be changed by it."
You have a very good point.
While 99% are successfully brainwashed, the wonder about humans is that 1% seem to do what they have to do regardless. Call it destiny, a sense of purpose, or being a sociopath.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Excellent Points. I would like to elaborate on the religious aspect of scouts. I was in boyscouts from cub scouts until 18. I would say that my leaders in my particular troop were ignorant and prejudiced in many ways, but I know for a fact that many leaders were and are not. I made some great friends in boy scouts and also had some really great learning experiences. First time I got drunk was in boy scouts, the first time I shot a rifle was in boy scouts, the first time I learned that adults are not always right and leaders are sometimes stupider than their followers was in boy scouts.
Now I was raised Jewish but currently I do not accept the literal translation of the old testament (or the new) and do not follow the traditions. In boy scouts I was required to go to jewish ceremonies sometimes (very rarely) and only when the other kids were required to goto church. Most of it was just for show. There are some underlying tones of religion, but I never felt that uncomfortable. Religion (and homosexuality) rarely came up in conversation.
Remember, boy scouts is really just pre-military training. Don't ask, Don't tell.
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
Oh, they have value to me, too. However, to me "duty" does not mean "following laws which make no sense and which are actually harmful to society" and "integrity" means to live by my beliefs, not by yours. Your rhetoric continues to be underwhelming. Now let's talk about truth and honor. Truth, well, truth is subjective so I'll not go into it now. Honor to me means not going back on your word. I never promised to follow bullshit laws, so my honor is not compromised by lying to avoid being penalized for not following them.
Your attempt to paint me as a dishonorable individual because I'm willing to lie in situations in which I shouldn't be asked a question at all is ridiculous, because I am not a sheep. I make my own decisions and I don't need the court to tell me about right or wrong. If you do, then I have nothing but pity for you.
Obeying an unjust law is not the right thing, it is the wrong thing. Allowing yourself to get in trouble for doing something that does not hurt anyone is not the right thing, it is the stupid thing - unless you really want to be a poster child for civil disobedience.
Now, ignoring unjust laws, and being unrepentant - that is the right thing to do, at least in my book. So what we have here is a clash of ideologies, in which we each believe the other is missing something important. You think I'm missing honor, but I keep my word when given, so clearly that's a matter of definitions. I think what you're missing is a willingness to grasp reality and manipulate it, instead you are ruled by it. I think what is needed here is an agreement to disagree.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Dare doesn't really use good brainwashing techniques.
Isolation, social pressure from the already trained, absolutely no counter examples, lack of sleep.
Dare has a lot of counter programming in society-- Dope is perceived as "fun", "entertaining", "get you laid" in movies and games a lot (sure- also "get you killed" but kids are immortal or so pissed at life they don't care).
Likewise, Pot is so *clearly* less dangerous than cigarettes and alchohol (and less intoxicating usually given the way people use it) that Dare just comes across as stupid. And it cuts down respect for any OTHER message those authority figures try to deliver since it is so clearly bogus. Sure mescaline and heroin are dangerous-- but since the same cheesehead told you pot was bad, how can you be sure before you are dead or addicted.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
It's a shame what the Boy Scouts have become. When my father was a boy, doing well in the scouts was something to aspire to. There was a time when that Eagle Scout patch was a badge of honor. I enjoyed scouting quite a bit when I was younger (I'm 27 now) but by the time I had made it from Weblos to Boy Scouts, the right-wing crazies had already started taking control and as it got weirder I got out.
Over the 1990s the Boy Scouts turned into an organization intolerant of those who do not subscribe to organized religion and promotes homophobia. Now they've added corporate shilling to their list of achievements. It's a great shame to see an organization that once churned out young men ready to lead a progressive society turned into a recruiting ground for religion, intolerance, and corporate shills.
You are right--homosexual != pedophile.
However, swillden was also right to state that there *is* a sensible, non-homophobic reason why Boy Scouts shy away from homosexual scoutmasters. When was the last time you saw a *male* hetero scout master taking a group of Girl Scouts camping?
MCSE? No, sir...I don't do Windows. Yes, I am an idealist. What's your point?
The boys scouts are "Jesus Camp":
Can't be atheist http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=21204
But lets get their belief on their "Duty to God" strait from their legal department
http://www.bsalegal.org/faqs-195.asp
I am all for letting everyone practice whatever their beliefs, but I am for letting them practicing equally. I have a personal beef with the schools system for only allowing religious organizations that they personally find acceptable. The local school even states in their policy that the only uniforms allowed are for ROTC and Boy Scouts. I am a humanist, I believe in Peace and Getting support from other human being instead of waiting for divine intervention (on a personal note, I think I have made an involentary exception to that for the upcomming elections), why can't I have an organization advertised in the school by allowing the children to wear a uniform?
No, actually what got Clinton in trouble was having a Congress held by a Repulbican majority. Bush has the luxury of not having to answer to congress; His congress seems to be filled with people intent on abdicating their constitutional powers and allowing the Executive any expansion of power it wishes. Partisan politics and a Republican hat-trick on the hill ensures there will be no accountability in Washington except for the most comically outrageous offenses.
Keep drinking the koolaid, ac
XML causes global warming.
> As an Eagle Scout, I can say first-hand that the Boy Scouts DOES teach scouts how to obey the law.
Just out of curiosity, do they also teach the scouts that there are cases where you should disobey the law?
My dad teaches for the environmental science badge. I think it's 2 hours a week on weekends, and I've seen college courses that were easier.
How exactly is copying akin to stealing? I ask this every time and all I get are these flawed analogies that don't make sense. Copying != Stealing.
The problem with your suggestion is that the media cartels are so powerful that its hard to bypass them. As an artist, you can choose to go with some minor publishing house, but fuck if you're ever going to get your music in the big stores or played on any of the media conglomerates's brodcasting (TV/FM).
Music and any other form of non-tangible easily reproduces media is something that no longer can be monopolized by media houses (be it the opera house, theatre, book publishers, etc). The average person can obtain the media with almost no effort. The interests the RIAA and MPAA represent are dated and quickly becoming obsolete. They are trying to sue their way out of oblivion. Rightly, as you say, they are being ripped off by a changing paradigm. It is their last gasp of free air. Media is something that can be massed consumed and the concept of having to pay for it seems illogical now.
Artists are slowly starting to find new and better ways to reach their fans and make a living off of grateful audiences who, while not willing to be gouged by the RIAA for $15+ CDs, are willing to go the extra mile to see support their favorite artists.
Lord High Crapflooder The Right Honourable Vlad Craig Esther McDavenpherson III
Destroyer of Mercatur.Net
It's an activity patch or some-such, not an actual merit badge. The difference? It doesn't mean anything in terms of advancement, it's just a patch. Sure, some people will do it anyway, since it's easy. Some troops might run programs in it, either because it's a boy scout program that's relatively easy to put together and fun to do (A movie studio, remember?), or because they actually believe what it's teaching. But it's not a merit badge. It doesn't go on the merit badge sash (not that scouts wear those much,) and it doesn't count towards Eagle, or any other rank.
The distinction may sound trivial on slashdot, but it's nontrivial within the organization. Even among merit badges, some are easy and some are hard. Some are more respected than others. An activity patch for knowing what copyright infringement is? It's not even going to register on the status board. Maybe some kids will get to see a movie studio, but that's okay.
As to all the comments about Boy Scouts not being what it used to be--that's true, in some ways. A lot of things have changed, in Boy Scouts and in American culture. That's not all bad. Some is, and some isn't. The thing that influences the program most is the quality, not only of the youths who become leaders in the program, but of the adult volunteers that make it happen and show them how to lead. Two troops in the same town, with members of the same socioeconomic background, can be as different as night and day because they have different leaders. Don't sit on your rear and say what a bad program it is--fix it. A good troop can change the lives of a lot of boys, in a good way.
Of course there are politics, and there have been major disagreements about what values the Boy Scouts should be instilling. They argue that there is a God--whatever name you may call him by--and that it is immoral to embrace a gay lifestyle. Every scout takes an oath to do his duty "to God and his country," and promises to keep himself "morally straight." Maybe you agree with the policies and maybe you don't, but as an organization, the Boy Scouts of America has the right to say "this is what we want to teach." They're not preaching hate--but they are saying that they believe some things are wrong. They don't ask you if you're gay, ever--but if you come out as gay, in some councils at least, you're out of the organization. They have their beliefs, and they stick to them. I don't like some of those beliefs, but I believe they have the right to stick to them.
There are other organizations that are smaller, that are more inclusive, as an alternative. It's an imperfect world. Not everyone is tolerant. The Boy Scouts aren't tolerant of open gays, and a lot of others are intolerant towards the Boy Scouts because of that intolerance. Intolerance breeds intolerance. But we still each should have the right the choose what we believe is right, and what we believe is wrong. That the BSA does a lot of good doesn't absolve them of responsibility for their intolerance, but it does seem to increase the relative depth of the hypocracy of the BSA's critics.
I remember talking with a friend of mine. We were part of a much larger group of college friends who had "camped" out in a cabin in the woods one night, singing late into the night whatever random songs we all knew and telling ghost stories (Sam McGee) and the like. And my friend was glad because of how much he enjoyed the experience and yet sad because he didn't expect he'd ever have one like it again. In part, I think, because he wasn't an overly woodsy type, but also because he was gay. Now most boy scouts can't sing half so well as that group (one or three of us excluded,) but still, much of the night was beautiful. It is a terrible crime that they should deny him that experience. There's no two ways about that. (One could move the agency if one wished; but at best it is shared.)
But if we were intolerant of their intolerance... where does it end? It is possible for men of good conscience to disagree, ev
As a former boyscout(shy of eagle by a nation project; stupid on my part) of the 60's/70's, I hate to admit that I have not followed them anymore. But I remember that some of what we had to do was multiple 20-30 mile hikes, as well as multiple winter camp-outs. I do remember having to do a mile swim for one, but another guy and I did 2 miles for the heck of it. In addition, for Order of the Arrow, we had to live off the woods for a weekend with just a knife and sleeping bag (like that is really hard). Somehow, it seems fairly trivial now. But by reading some of this and a bit of googling, it appears that things have gotten downright silly (and quite a bit easier).
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Brilliant quote I read re Starr's investigation of him. "They told him to investigate Clinton, to dig up some dirt. They gave him $40M to do it. For forty million dollars, I'll give you dirt on the Pope and the Dalai Lama."