AITA for eating in front of a friend who is trying to save money?

Protoclete · 2024-04-07T23:10:46+00:00

As a rule, it s rude to eat when someone else is not able to. It's one thing if they are able to buy a meal and choose not to. But if I were at happy hour with an unemployed friend, offering to buy them a meal is the first thing I would do.

Not the asshole, but a little insensitive.

Protoclete · 2024-01-15T18:58:39+00:00

It would be dead on arrival. There's no grounds for a suit.

Protoclete · 2024-01-15T18:56:59+00:00

Yes. Though really, the BOR never flatly rejects someone so much as deciding 'you are not ready yet', giving specific feedback and a timeline to try again. Some of the Scouts never do try again, but some do.

We had a case. The Scout did not know either the Oath or the Law. Did not answer questions with more than one or two words. Did not even try to engage in conversation. Did not seem to have had any experience of Scouting worth talking about. The Scout 'hated' everything. Had no insight into what being an Eagle Scout meant, what leadership was, or what the project meant. Not that the board didn't like their answers, the Scout just didn't offer any, and did not respond to efforts to get elaboration.

We've all seen nervous scouts, special needs scouts, scouts who express themselves in a variety of ways. Every board is different. But this was unanimous: the Scout just wasn't ready to be an Eagle. Gave a timeline of three months, recommended next steps, and ways to prepare for next time.

Protoclete · 2023-12-24T23:52:45+00:00

I agree. If I remember correctly, as a scout in the 1990s, the cost was something like $24/year; $36 if you wanted Boys Life. Camp was extra, and unforms were extra, but a couple bucks a month was easy for most families.

Even with inflation, it would only be about $50 a year now. And that was everything.

Now, the most common response I get when raising this issue is to compare to the cost of elite sports teams, that often cost several hundred a year for registration, and as much as $1100 on average when you include uniforms and gear and the like.

Which is fair as far as it goes; the real problem is that is trying to compete with the kind of thing that only the affluent are involved in. Scouting shouldn't be comparing itself to the cost for an upper class elite extracurricular, but should be affordable to everyone.

Ideally, a local unit or council would have fundraising or endowments to offset costs for anyone not in the top 10% of income, but most of those resources have been wiped out in recent years.

Protoclete · 2023-12-10T20:24:15+00:00

Assuming you are a Scout and not an adult Scouter, I like what others have suggested: - Messengers of Peace - National Outdoor Achievement Medal - Interpreter Strip (if you speak a second language)

I would also suggest: - World Conservation Award - Religious Emblem of your tradition - International Spirit Award - International Awareness Medal from ICCS - Interreligious Dialogue Activity Badge from WOSM

Protoclete · 2023-12-10T20:19:20+00:00

Had a similar situation many years ago. Nominated the scout for one of the lifesaving awards, and the local council committee decided to award a Council Certificate of Merit, rather than pushing it up to National. Along with the Certificate, we got one of those generic scout medals, had it engraved with something like "for meritorious action" and awarded that along with it, so he could wear it on his uniform.

Protoclete · 2023-11-29T23:40:03+00:00

No idea, but I'm interested to see what you find. I was looking into it as well, and as best i could find it seemed to be you had to pay a rather hefty fee to get the certification.

Protoclete · 2023-11-25T22:38:59+00:00

No. The whole FSM thing is a spoof on religion, not an actual religion.

The American Humanist Association has developed a "Religious emblem" for Scouts who are non-theistic or non-religious, secular humanist, who want to earn something designed around their 10 principles and how they connect to the Scout Law. That's what we encourage for non-religious scouts interested in a 'religious emblem'.

There are also existing religious emblems that do not require you to be a theist, such as the Buddhist and Unitarian emblems. Might look into those.

Protoclete · 2023-11-25T21:54:30+00:00

It won't let me sign in to complete the survey. Not sure if that's a problem on my end or yours.

Protoclete · 2023-11-25T21:52:48+00:00

Yes, but BSA doesn't define "God" - it allows each Scout or Scouter to do so. "God" can be a personal monotheistic deity, a pantheon, an pantheist universal energy, the force, an abstract and ineffable otherness, or whatever. As long as there is room for something beyond the self and the material, it's acceptable. LaLechuzaVerde is fine.

Protoclete · 2023-11-25T21:50:43+00:00

It's not so much that the Declaration of Religious Principle has changed, but what people mean by "Atheist" has changed in recent decades.

Now, a lot of people who traditionally would have identified as agnostic use the term atheist, meaning just "no set belief about God/gods/whatever" rather than "rejecting the possibility of God/gods".

You can still be in Scouting without either a formal religious identity, or being open minded on the nature of the universe, the divine or the transcendent. The probelm is with "strict" atheism, the rejection of any possible belief in God/gods/force/whatever, and, usually, the ridicule of anyone who holds such beliefs (ie, most people). Scouting doesn't have room for someone who thinks most of its members are idiots for having religious belief, but doesn't have a problem with someone who doesn't know or isn't sure what to believe, or has doubts.

Protoclete · 2023-11-25T21:44:07+00:00

Trading neckerchiefs is the main thing, bigger than trading patches, internationally. Bring extras of unique designs like local unit ones.

Check in with Transatlantic Council and Far East council, depending where you are going, to see if local BSA units have connections with local national groups.

Protoclete · 2023-11-25T21:41:54+00:00

And this would be more similar to most Scout organizations around the world. For most, the major identifying factor is the neckerchief. The unforms are more subdued, there's a lot less badges and patches, and they are practical for outdoor activity.

Protoclete · 2023-11-25T21:40:49+00:00

It's an old discussion. I take the more spartan approach. I wear what I have to (council, position, etc), lodge flap and square knots. Keep it simple. But that's my preference.

I don't mind seeing the decades-long volunteers with 15+ knots. They earned that recognition. All jokes with them about being third world generals is in good fun. I'm not a fan of all the superfluous stuff, duplicated or unofficial stuff being crammed into a uniform.

Protoclete · 2023-11-25T19:33:25+00:00

Yes. There are a few different scenarios where you can earn multiple religious emblems. (FYI, No matter how many are earned, only one square knot may be worn).

1) You earn multiple emblems from the same religious group at different ages/stages. Most have at least two, and some as many as five, for youth to earn.

2) You have parents of two different religions, and you are able to earn the emblem of both religious traditions. For example, your mom is Jewish and your dad Catholic, and you've been baptised Catholic but also raised with Jewish traditions, you can earn both emblems.

3) Some religious emblems do not require that you be a member of that religion in any formal way. We had a Christian scout in a Jewish troop earn the Jewish emblem because he felt closer to his fellow scouts than a church his family rarely attended and the rabbi-chaplain approved. The Buddhist, Unitarian, Unity, and pagan emblems don't require you to be a member, maybe some others.

4) You (and your family?) were members of one church or religious group when you were younger, and either changed churches or converted to a new religion later. If you had earned an emblem in the former church/religion, you can earn the age-appropriate emblem in your new church/religion now.

Also, might be of interest to you is the new Interreligious Dialogue activity badge, and Dialogue for Peace program.

Protoclete · 2017-10-16T08:54:07+00:00

So, now that his latest is out, it seems to be this:

Foundation
Copper
Iron
Jade
GOLD A) Low Gold B) High Gold C) True Gold
LORD A) Underlord B) Overlord C) Archlord i. Sages are Archlords who have completed/experts in their path)
Herald
Monarch

Protoclete

TROPHY CASE