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Cub Scouts To Offer Merit Pin For Video Gaming
Hugh Pickens writes "Fox News reports that the Boy Scouts of America — a group founded on the principles of building character and improving physical fitness — have introduced merit pins for academic achievement in video gaming, a move that has child health experts atwitter. 'It could be quite visionary and exciting or it could be a complete sellout,' says Dr. Vic Strasburger. 'I don't see anything wrong with that as long as they're not playing first-person shooter games, violent games, games with a lot of sexual or drug content. The question is, who's going to supervise the scouts?' Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts can earn their pins by spending an hour a day playing games, teaching others how to play better, and researching the best price for games they'd like to buy."
Ignoring Fox's propaganda, the list of tasks a scout has to do to earn this is pretty decent. Considering these kids are gonna be playing anyway, why not teach them to play right ...I see nothing to complain about in the following list.
Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
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.
Academics Pin
Earn the Video Games belt loop and complete five of the following requirements:
1. With your parents, create a plan to buy a video game that is right for your age group.
2. Compare two game systems (for example, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, and so on). Explain some of the differences between the two. List good reasons to purchase or use a game system.
3. Play a video game with family members in a family tournament.
4. Teach an adult or a friend how to play a video game.
5. List at least five tips that would help someone who was learning how to play your favorite video game.
6. Play an appropriate video game with a friend for one hour.
7. Play a video game that will help you practice your math, spelling, or another skill that helps you in your schoolwork.
8. Choose a game you might like to purchase. Compare the price for this game at three different stores. Decide which store has the best deal. In your decision, be sure to consider things like the store return policy and manufacturer’s warranty.
9. With an adult’s supervision, install a gaming system.
I'd tell a UDP joke, but you may not get it. I'd tell a TCP joke, but I'd have to keep repeating it until you got it.
Cub Scouts != Boy Scouts
The Boy Scouts are the ones that hate atheists and gays. Not sure about the Cub Scouts but a quick perusal of the Wikipedia article suggests that they have no such offensive policies.
Straight from the Wikipedia page:
The Cub Scouts are a division of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
More importantly, the cub scout belt loops and pins have always been about leisure activities. There's one for chess, why not one for video games? Besides, these kids are going to spend far more time playing video games than nearly any other subject, why not teach them to do it responsibly? As a secondary effect, their parents will learn about the ESRB ratings system, since one requirement is for the boys to teach their parents about it.
It's not even like the cubs will gain ranks or advancement from video games. It's just recognition that they've learned something about it. Even if it were a BSA merit badge (which is used for advancement as a boy scout), would a video game merit badge be less useful that indian lore? What about coin collecting? How many scouts do you think earn basket weaving or pottery and go on to use their skills after summer camp is over? As long as they're learning age-appropriate (we're talking 10-year olds) and useful knowledge, I see nothing wrong with it.
For reference, here are the requirements:
Requirements for the Video Games Belt Loop
Complete these three requirements:
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.
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.
Learn to play a new video game that is approved by your parent, guardian, or teacher.
Requirements for the Video Games Pin
Earn the Video Games belt loop, and complete five of the following requirements:
With your parents, create a plan to buy a video game that is right for your age group.
Compare two game systems (for example, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii, and so on). Explain some of the differences between the two. List good reasons to purchase or use a game system.
Play a video game with family members in a family tournament.
Teach an adult or a friend how to play a video game.
List at least five tips that would help someone who was learning how to play your favorite video game.
Play an appropriate video game with a friend for one hour.
Play a video game that will help you practice your math, spelling, or another skill that helps you in your schoolwork.
Choose a game you might like to purchase. Compare the price for this game at three different stores. Decide which store has the best deal. In your decision, be sure to consider things like the store return policy and manufacturer’s warranty.
With an adult’s supervision, install a gaming system.
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Discriminate?
Yes, they discriminate against people based upon religion and sexual orientation. I have no problem with a private organization doing either, but they should not be eligible for government funding or freebies like they have been getting.
Government funding? I don't think so.
Here is a list of a few dozen instances where they've lost government aid in various court cases. Mostly it was a case of being allowed to use public facilities free of charge. It includes the cities of Philadelphia and Berkley and the states of Illinois and Oregon in the US. There are still many city and state governments providing assistance to the BSA despite it being illegal favoritism. Sadly too many people in the US are in favor of discrimination against gays and non-christians so politicians are unwilling to do anything about it.
Nope. Cub Scouts have always shot bows and small rifles.
I've just gone through the whole thing with my son from Cub Scout to Eagle Scout, I'm an Eagle Scout myself, was Scout Master of his troop for three years, took Wood Badge, and went with the troop to summer camp, Double H and Philmont. Clearly I wouldn't know anything about the program.
Cub Scouts do not shoot rifles or shotguns. Webelos get to shoot pump action BB guns.
Boy Scouts get to shoot 22 rifles and shotguns, and older boys (14+) get to shoot black powder rifles. At Philmont they get to shoot 30-06 rifles in addition to shotgun and black powder.
It always screws up my suspension of disbelief whenever I see someone fire a rocket launcher (like the M72) or recoilless rifle (like the Carl Gustav) from a helicopter or a window in a building. The backblast of the former will kill anyone within one or two hundred metres to the rear of the weapon, and up to 300 metres for the Carl G. Similar for similar weapons of similar size. They'd blow their own helicopter out of the sky if they did that. They'd incinerate themselves as the backblast blew back on them in the room if fired from a window. I remember standing up a hill about a half mile behind a Carl G being fired and feeling a stiff warm wind blowing my clothes tight to my body. The safety NCO's on ranges (who normally stand 10 or 20 feet to the side) need to rotate through every few firings to ensure they don't suffer damage just from watching due to the huge pressure wave generated when firing. I've seen guys get bleeding noses or their watch crystals pop off after watching half a dozen firings. At least with the Carl G., the gunner who stands directly under the weapon is in a 'quiet' zone and the most you feel is a solid thump on your chest (but it is still a good idea to open your throat so that there is an open pipe from the outside to your lungs so that you minimize the pressure differential if you make your lungs into a closed air sack by holding your breath). If you have a weapon that requires a loader (like the Carl G), he is just out of the quiet zone and gets a good wallop too. People watching movies, the news, or playing video games just don't have any idea of how powerful these things are (and they are the smaller of these weapons now-a-days). Understanding academically doesn't count. You have to experience it.
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