The Boy Scouts: The History and Legacy of the World's Most Popular Youth Organization, Paperback/Charles River Editors

Descriere

Description Includes pictures Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "The purposes of the corporation are to promote, through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods that were in common use by boy scouts on June 15, 1916." - 36 U. S.C. 30902 "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." - Scout Oath To most, a Boy Scout is the personification of righteousness, self-sufficiency, and adaptability. In contemporary culture, particularly in the West, the stock images of Boy Scouts are associated with irreproachable conduct, so much so that they have been inordinately branded as goodie-two-shoes. For the most part, the clich is well-intentioned and somewhat endearing. For such an interpretation, viewers can refer to the character Russell from the Disney-Pixar movie Up, a Junior Wilderness Explorer who embarks on a quest to secure the "Assisting the Elderly" badge. The nervous, but delightfully bubbly Scout was quick to capture the hearts of millions upon millions around the world. On the other end of the same spectrum is the stereotype that reduces them to unimaginative conformists, bookish narks, and blind followers. Many Americans have heard the phrase, "He is such a Boy Scout," in passing, perhaps said with a scoff or followed by a dramatic eyeroll. The Boy Scout trope is frequently woven into movies, TV shows, and other works of fiction as one-dimensional characters. More often than not, they are polite to a fault and depicted as obsessive patch collectors, the hackneyed antithesis of the rebellious protagonist. While most know better, it bears noting that the Boy Scouts are an entity far more well