Tell us something we don’t know.

[Rockbadchild]

Yeah... if you want your kid to be president, have him apply to NASA.

j/k... but honestly, what is the fraction of boys born in the 1940's who at some point during their childhood, participated in the Boy Scouts? I'd guess it's probably at or above your 5 of 9 ratio, across the entire population, making this Presidential correlation just a reflection of the population at large.

I totally agree it was like summer camp … but still why is it not as popular? dose it still exist ? i guess you have to look for it and travel for it ? my dad and everyone did it back then, but by the time i was age it didn’t exist …

real question…

 

[alexpops]

Same reason lots of other things fell apart in this country. BSA motto was "Be Prepared" & in lots of ways it was to prepare boys for military life and war. After Vietnam, no more draft, no more patriotism, no need to be prepared.

 

[WinterDeere]

I totally agree it was like summer camp … but still why is it not as popular? dose it still exist ? i guess you have to look for it and travel for it ? my dad and everyone did it back then, but by the time i was age it didn’t exist …

real question…

Partly just a sign of changing lifestyle and priorities, it's tough to spare that sort of time with two working parents. But they also took a substantial and sudden decline due to several child abuse scandals, right around the same time the Catholic church was dealing with a similar mess.

 

[zzvyb6]

In early history, Methodists charged parishioners for the use of the pews. Those who left formed their own sect: You guessed it: Free Methodists.

 

[scootr]

Party just a sign of changing lifestyle and priorities, it's tough to spare that sort of time with two working parents. But they also took a substantial and sudden decline due to several child abuse scandals, right around the same time the Catholic church was dealing with a similar mess.

You are not kidding. The Catholic church child abuse scandal was epic. It was hypocrisy to the tenth degree. Hard to believe in a church whose ministry defiled little boys and knowingly covered it up. My poor mother. Her faith in Jesus Christ has remained strong, but the Catholic religion took a huge hit.

 

[Jstpssng]

You are not kidding. The Catholic church child abuse scandal was epic. It was hypocrisy to the tenth degree. Hard to believe in a church whose ministry defiled little boys and knowingly covered it up. My poor mother. Her faith in Jesus Christ has remained strong, but the Catholic religion took a huge hit.

I gave up on organized religion decades ago. You don’t have to send scads of your grocery money out to be a Christian.

 

[ning]

Same reason lots of other things fell apart in this country. BSA motto was "Be Prepared" & in lots of ways it was to prepare boys for military life and war. After Vietnam, no more draft, no more patriotism, no need to be prepared.

Gross generalization incoming - but I know for a fact that my experience was far from unique.

BSA in my town was big kids bullying the small kids and the scoutmaster and other helpers not doing a damn thing about it.
I'm prepared, but it wasn't the BSA that taught me jack other than to stay away from their toxic mess.
From what I've seen in the news over the last few decades I made a good choice and I'm not surprised that fewer and fewer are participating.
Things are falling apart because people don't want to participate in things that look on the surface really good but are hiding a cesspool; there's great scoutmasters and great ethical scouts but there's a lot of crap that's been swept under the rug and denied that it exists just like in most organized religions.

 

[neverfailyou]

Religion and politics belong in other forums. Btw, I was a Boy Scout in the late 50s and early 60s…. And the Catholic Church is still here.

 

[scootr]

Diddo - Boy Scout in the 1960's, we went camping, cooked hotdogs, marshmallow sandwiches, and built bird houses ... it wasn't so bad? We moved away and I didn't reenlist - lol

 

[MossRoad]

Boy Scouts, Little League, grade school sports, etc... your kids will only get out of them what adults put into them. Good adults = good programs. Parents that don't volunteer = failed programs.