Idea itself is a good one, and in itself politically neutral. The Soviet Union and other socialist countries have all had their version of the scouts – as have most capitalist and even fascist states. Naturally, braindead liberals use this as an argument for the Soviet Union being “fascist,” because muh Hitler Youth, Junior Anti-Sex League, etc. But really, it’s just a great way to get kids out in nature, having fun and learning useful life skills.
In the US, unfortunately, the implementation has always tended towards a kind of militant and reactionary nationalism. My father wouldn’t let me and my brothers join for that reason. Also, because Americans and liberals all seem to be horny bastards who would actually benefit from an irl Junior Anti-Sex League, there’s been a recognized phenomena of sexually abusive scoutmasters. Everything I know about the US scouts is from the outside looking in, but I wouldn’t particularly recommend them to anybody.
Idea itself is a good one, and in itself politically neutral. The Soviet Union and other socialist countries have all had their version of the scouts – as have most capitalist and even fascist states. Naturally, braindead liberals use this as an argument for the Soviet Union being “fascist,” because muh Hitler Youth, Junior Anti-Sex League, etc. But really, it’s just a great way to get kids out in nature, having fun and learning useful life skills.
In the US, unfortunately, the implementation has always tended towards a kind of militant and reactionary nationalism. My father wouldn’t let me and my brothers join for that reason. Also, because Americans and liberals all seem to be horny bastards who would actually benefit from an irl Junior Anti-Sex League, there’s been a recognized phenomena of sexually abusive scoutmasters. Everything I know about the US scouts is from the outside looking in, but I wouldn’t particularly recommend them to anybody.