A two-part commentary:

For more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America was an organization that sought to instill ideals of morality, self-improvement, civic duty, survival and wilderness skills, and both a religious attitude and patriotism in youth age 7 to 21+.

That, like many other facets of American society and culture, has gone away. Today’s BSA is an evil shadow of its past in the eyes of many.

There were, to be sure, many elements of the BSA that various people (including many libertarians) objected to. There was the “militarism” and paramilitary system and aspects, particularly evident between WWI and WWII. The strong emphasis on patriotism. The expectation that Scouts and Scouters (adult leaders) were believers in God – the God of the Old and New Testaments, not the Allah of the Quran or other belief systems. The monosexual nature of the organization, its tight relationship with government, so-called patriarchal ideas, various churches, and more.

These there was (and are) the opportunities for predators to abuse the young boys and teens and young men present in the hiking and camping and other activities. And the safety risks.

Old-style Scouting was an important aspect of men growing up in a now-vanished American culture. That very fact was a strong reason for many people and activists in the Fifty States to oppose, condemn, and seek to destroy (or change) the organization.

That was exemplified by the wording of the Boy Scout Pledge or 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.

The concept was reinforced by the Scout Motto of “Be Prepared” and the 12 points of Scout Law: A Boy Scout is:

• Trustworthy,
• Loyal,
• Helpful,
• Friendly,
• Courteous,
• Kind,
• Obedient,
• Cheerful,
• Thrifty,
• Brave,
• Clean,
• and Reverent.

(Some of us, as we grew older, added a thirteenth: A Scout is deadly.)

As you can see, many of these character traits are anathema to certain persons. People who often had and have significant political and economic pull. The idea of being morally straight was seen (properly so) as an attack on homosexuality, adultery, fornication, and many other American practices. The idea of demanding physical strength was condemned as being biased against those who were physically handicapped, while “mentally awake” was clearly a slight against the mentally-handicapped and anyone with severe emotional or intellectual challenges. And of course, the mention of God and the law of being “Reverent” was highly offensive to those who do not believe in God.

Others condemned the warmongering and teaching of violent skills, including shooting (“guns!”), archery, use of knives, promotion of hunting, and strong emphasis on obedience and support of government at all levels.

Coupled with the BSA’s attempts to be “relevant” and in line with modern society and beliefs, many parents and organizations also turned against Scouting for exactly the opposite reasons. There was the pedophilia which was seemingly a hidden but essential part of its culture and organization. Lawsuits and criminal trials denigrated the BSA constantly, and drained their finances. Their network of camps and other outdoor locations were often sold or abandoned for lack of resources and to pay off the litigators.

And despite many efforts, Scouting did not appeal to those young men who needed it most: the inner city (and later suburban) youth without good father figures, with few opportunities, and without an understanding of the usefulness of the skills taught and the reason for organizing, training, acting, and having the relationships which good Scouting could provide.

It was old, outdated, and dangerous to many different factions of society.

And its efforts to go along to get along just added to its decline and failure. The introduction of young women (at first age 15 and above, later larger) created yet more problems. And the idea of male-only bonding and mentoring was condemned even more as a result, even as those efforts were put forth. The acceptance of homosexual leaders and youth further angered still more. The removal of requirements to be religious and moral failed to make the organization relevant and let it recover. Like its sister organizations (Girl Scouts USA and the former Campfire Girls) its compromises failed to accomplish anything positive.

The last few years have seen the organization’s foundations erode away and the organization itself fail. Many of the Scouters and alumni of the organization have completely abandoned it, each with their own good reasons. The number of critics has grown.

So, as we will look at in part two, alternatives to it – trying to replace what was seen as bad both to begin with and in the last 2-4 decades – have sprung up. Many failed: a few, like Trail Life USA, seem to be making a good effort and succeeding.

From the point of view of lovers of liberty, what does this mean? Join in the discussion for the next part to talk about whether libertarians should support either organization.