(This post may contain disputed claims. We make no assertions as to the validity of the information presented by our Opinion Columnist. We are an opinion blog, not a traditional news outlet, and this post should be treated as such. Enjoy.)The Boy Scouts of America was once one of the greatest and well-respected organizations in the country. But thanks to a slew of progressive policies instated systematically over the past several years, the group now appears to be on its last leg. Just over one year ago, they began accepting girls into their ranks. Now, they’re finished.
According to a Wednesday report in The Wall Street Journal, Boy Scouts of America is considering declaring bankruptcy. Chicago law firm Sidley Austin has reportedly been hired to assist in what would be a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. This, just a little over one year after the organization decided to shirk everything they were founded upon when they allowed girls into the program.
In October 2017, the Boy Scouts of America announced that it would allow girls to join the organization as Cub Scouts and earn the rank of Eagle Scout, marking a significant policy shift in their 118-year history.
“The values of Scouting — trustworthy, loyal, helpful, kind, brave and reverent, for example — are important for both young men and women,” said Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh. “We strive to bring what our organization does best — developing character and leadership for young people — to as many families and youth as possible as we help shape the next generation of leaders.”
Of course, this very “inclusive” decision could not have been more absurd. Girls already had their own scouting organization — Girl Scouts — where they could do all of the same things and learn all of the beneficial lessons their male peers were experiencing in Boy Scouts. Thus, not surprisingly, the Girls Scouts weren’t happy about the policy change instated by Boy Scouts of America.
“The need for female leadership has never been clearer or more urgent than it is today — and only Girl Scouts has the expertise to give girls and young women the tools they need for success,” the Girl Scouts said in a statement at the time.
But the Boy Scouts haven’t just shot themselves in the foot by allowing girls into their ranks. They apparently wanted to include everyone. In 2013, they began accepting openly gay scouts. Two years later, in 2015, the group said it would even allow homosexuals to hold leadership positions, which raised grave concerns among parents used to sending their impressionable young sons on campouts with these leaders.
Before all was said and done, the Boy Scouts went so far as to allow transgender members. Gone was the faith-based institution that was once formative in turning boys into respectable young men.
As the organization has made decisions deemed to be more inclusive, such as allowing openly gay scouts in 2013 and scoutmasters in 2015 as well as the 2018 decision to allow girls, membership has continued to decline sharply, from over 4 million members at its peak to a claimed 2.3 million members at present.
Those numbers will likely continue to decline. Earlier this year, the Mormon church announced the end of a long-standing partnership with the Boy Scouts and the formation of its own program for boys beginning in 2020, a move that could cost the organization almost a third of its members. The church was reportedly “deeply troubled” by the group’s decision to allow openly gay leaders.
Additionally, the Boy Scouts have come under criticism of late for keeping records of sex abuse perpetrated by scoutmasters — called the “perversion files” — under wraps for decades instead of revealing them to the public. [Source: The Daily Caller]
It’s no wonder that the Boy Scouts will soon be a thing of the past. It’s certainly sad, but it isn’t surprising. This is precisely what happens when you try to please everyone.
