AquaVita

I'm really pretty surprised at most of the replies in this thread. I've always considered helping out these organzations to be a relfection of my desire to help children. If I have issues with their stances on certain things(which I often do) I take it to the adults in charge. It's not the kids fault that there may be discrimination against certain groups.

simian

While it should be done in a respectful manner, the children involved do need to be informed they are part of an organization that descriminates. Letting them remain ignorant (or worse yet, agreeing with the bigotry) is not something that can be allowed.

That being said, I am waiting for the opportunity to talk with the boyscouts. I am not going to go search them out, but if they are going door to door to sell crap/collect crap/whatever, I will discuss the issue with them.

It is an issue of bigotry, pure and simple. I don't like seeing the next generation of bigots being indoctrinated. I would raise the question if the group were openly racist - the only difference I see is that most of society would support me in that case.

Simian

Godless Dave

I, too, would take problems with the organization up with the adults, not the kids. And in this case I feel Ms. Stick made an even greater mistake: making a self-righteous speech without having all the facts. (Lauri you might find this thread helpful and appropriate ) The fact is the Girl Scouts have had a non-discrimination policy that includes lesbians for several years. True their national policy on atheists doesn't look good, but I haven't heard of the national office going after atheist Girl Scouts the way BSA has done. We should be supporting them and helping to spread accurate information about their policies.

JCS

Quite frankly you are deflecting the blame onto the innocent party. Remove the discriminating policy and there is no issue to discus. If the GS,BS or whatever group supporting or organizing child activities mandates discrimination then they should shoulder the responsibility for the response christ-on-a-stick made. Her comments were not of the shotgun varity, they were pointed at the policy that is standing behind the cookie pusher.

If children are to immature to hear a response concerning their organizations policy, are they then by default to immature be a part of the organization?

AquaVita

I was a boy scout untill about 10 years ago(I'm 20 now) so I remember the situation pretty well. If I had been going door to door to raise money and someone started talking to me about these things, it would have confused me. Not because I didn't understand what racism and discrimination are, but because I just wanted to sell my wares and be done with it.

That's my point...for the love of logic, these are just children! Yes they should be educated on pitfalls of their organization if there are any. But it is not up to anonymous strangers to do so. It is up to the parents and also anonymous people to try and work to change the system from within. Leave the kids out of the rants and raves, something of which they don't understand.

simian

So if the KKK youth group comes door to door, I should either not buy the products, or if they taste really good buy them anyway? But not discuss my viewpoint that ethnic discrimination is wrong?

I very much see the boy scouts creating the next generation of bigots - and they are able to get away with this with great public support.

Simian

AquaVita

No...

Once again...these are CHILDREN. They just want to sell their cookies, play with their friends and participate in fun activities. Let them be children...please. As I said before, if you really notice a rampant problem with discrimination, it would be appropriate to talk to your child, let him or her know what is going on, and ask them how they feel about it. Make sure they know that such things are wrong, and that in the real world, they may have to make such decisions as well.

Just like how grown-ups have to work in a company that does things they don't agree with. Children are not discrimanatory by nature and no such organization will teach them as such. If someone were denied entry because of a lack of belief in God or something, it is not announced to the whole group. Most children are never even aware of these things. When to make them aware is up to you...but please, let them be kids for at least a little while.

Godless Dave

Or in this case, the policy not standing behind the cookie pusher.

AquaVita

Terrible analogy I'm afraid. An organization such as the KKK youth(if there is one at all) would activley promote and make well known these issues. So even the younger children would be taught to hate.

This was never an issue in the boy scout troop I was a part of. And I know if it became a problem, my father would have spoken to me about it. Just like he did when he saw racism and hatred in other groups. He made it known to me that those things were wrong. I'm glad I heard it from him rather then from some anonymous person.

Chicken Girl

I used to be a Girl Scout, and IIRC, girls are allowed to replace "God" with something more appropriate to their beliefs, or leave it out altogether.

Has anyone ever actually been kicked out of the Girl Scouts for being an atheist? I kind of doubt that they would, since it would wreck their public image of being more accepting than BSA.