Are most Boy Scouts Nerds? (Geeks) (cost, free, to live, daughter)

[Weekend Traveler]

I recently visited a large tourist attraction in the State of VA and hundreds of Boy Scouts were camped there and had flooded the tourist attraction we were visiting. It gave me a chance to size up the many kids who were there wearing their Boy Scout outfits.

I have one major observation: Almost without exception it seemed like the Boy Scouts I saw were incredibly nerdish. I had never seen such a large group of geeks in my entire life in one setting. So many seemed ill at ease with them selves.

For full disclosure I was a Boy Scout for a few years 30 years ago.

Moderator cut: Let's leave out the comments.

[Bydand]

Not around this area they are not. Some are for sure, but the majority of the boys in Scouts in this area are either big ol' farm boys, or the popular kids in the school.

[hawkster]

I was a boyscout when I was in 1st grade I think....it was fun but what got me out of it was costs of uniforms, parents could not afford it. No biggie for me I had as much fun playing in the neighborhood getting into trouble.

In fact the Boy Scouts were selling donuts yesterday when I went there, didn't really give it a second thought until my daughter wispered to me Dad, dad, Dad...look....she was busting chops because of the adults wearing the uniform. I told her they had to because they were dad's of cub scouts...she quickly replied that "You and Mom never wore a girl scout uniform"

[Kerowyn]

My nephew Eagle Scout at a very early age, now assistant Scout leader to his father the Scout Master (graduating High School this year). Lettered in Football. Dates, enjoys loud music, drives his parents crazy ( teenagers job to do so... I told him it was.)
I say that because once he puts on that Uniform... nerdie looking kid. In regular clothes... his is a handsome son-of-a-gun. I think that outfit needs a rework but I doubt it will help. Something about khaki outfits not a great look on most men let alone kids.

[MGCJerry]

Personally... I see "geek" and "nerd" as 2 different stereotypes...

Nerds are booksmart good with math, science, etc and not very social.
Geeks are real-world problem solvers and very social, especially among other geeks.

I generally refer myself as a "geek". I'm not a nerd because I suck at math and I'm not booksmart. This was a common view of what I was in school...

"You're a nerd, you should be good at math and youre smart."
"No, I suck at math and I think logical."

Just my opinion, and my experiences.

[AliceT]

I agree that the use of nerd and geek are misrepresented in the original post. The scouts are getting a heads up on long lost skills that everyone should learn and know. You can always count on a boy scout to know how to start a fire in the rain and when that scout grows up, he is usually a valued member of society. It is a pity that someone who has no understanding of the whole scouting process is making posts on the internet. Fortunately, most people know better.

They are children being led by adults in learning to be helpful, self-sufficient, free thinkers and looking to their futures.

[7G9C4J2]

I don't associate Boy Scouts with either geekishness or nerdiness. Certainly I've known Scouts who qualified as one or the other, but I don't think the organization draws any more of them than any other group.

My kid, now 24, was in Scouting from first through eighth grades (dropped out when we moved across country and he couldn't find a troop nearby in our new community) and he's probably the most socially adept and outgoing of the entire family. Put him in any group of any age and background of people, and he'll be out working the crowd, interacting and talking with people, joking, and generally being the life of the party within moments. His father, sister and I, meanwhile, would all be found off in a corner looking and feeling enormously ill-at-ease.

I agree that the rather dated appearance of that uniform gives an impression of nerdiness, but I don't think that the young men wearing the uniforms are de facto nerds as a result of their clothing.

[Gue]

It's more of a hippie crowd here.

Learn to live off the earth, respect the environment.

My college son helped a friend with his Eagle Scout project yesterday. These guys mostly are long hair, flannel shirt guys.

[stacieberry]

When I was in school if you were not in boy scouts you were not part of the "in crowd".

You really should not call kids names regardless of how they dress, look or act. I hate it when I hear people call children bad names. Or even classify them into groups because of how they are.

[goingtoheaven]

I think scouting is great and it can teach boys very good ideals and skills. But, I've got my son in cub scouts, and recently I am having second thoughts. Maybe it's just our pack and/or local peoples. The last camporee we went to was, in my honest opinion, a waste of time. For instance, in the archery, the instructors were trying to get my son to shoot left handed, he is right handed. When i tried to give my son instruction(between shoots), I was openly chastised by the archery "master" and was told to leave the archery ring. I have been hunting deer with my bow for 20 yrs now, i think my instruction was helpful... In the knot tying station, I was helping a boy(not my son) to tie a proper square not. He was tying a granny, and when I went to show him the right way , a scout leader stopped me, said "oh it's ok, it's not a big deal, the knot's fine." Well, I'm also a veterinarian, and if you suture with grannys your knots will surely unravel, so to me it IS a big deal to do it right. At such a young age their minds are like sponges, they have to be taught right.

Needless to say we left early, I'm gonna sit out of scouting for a while. I think the handbooks are great though, we will certainly put those to good use..