Boy Scouts of America (Ick!)

This evening I found out that the son of an aquaintance of mine, who's belongs to the Cub Scouts, was molested, at a Scouting event, by a group of older boys. Interestingly, back when I was in high school, a friend confided in me that his scout leader had fondled him. The man had been tried and convicted for molesting some of the scouts in his group. When the guy was arrested my friends parents asked him if the scout leader had tried anything inappropriate. He lied, in large part because it wasn't an actual rape or sexual molestation. He knew the guy was going to end up in jail. From his perspective he was just glad he was, for the most part, unscathed (he felt it could have been much worse and figured he was lucky). He decided if he told his parents it would just upset them and he didn't see the point in it.

These seem to be somewhat common occurances. I have no idea what the statistics are, but over the years I've heard plenty of sordid stories about the Boy Scouts of America. South Park actually made an episode satirizing the organization. Specifically, it attacked their homophobic stance and yet seemingly common incidence of pedophiliac scout leaders. It was a hysterical episode. But the homophobia maintained by the organization bothers me. As far as I'm concerned it boils down to endorsing bigotry, something I have serious moral objections to. My son will never be a Boy Scout. I don't trust the organization and I do not want them to have the opportunity to brainwash him with their brand of dogma. But even more important, I have no faith in their ability to protect the children placed in their charge.

I am further disturbed by the fact that they are very quick to ban members who come out. But we never really hear about the fate of members who prey on the kids. Hypocritical? I think so. This recent situation with my friends son is even more disturbing because it involves other kids. Where do kids learn this kind of behavior? Where do they learn how to attack and rape another child? What would cause them to want to do it? It's particularly disturbing because it wasn't one lone kid attacking another. It was a group of boys attacking one kid. Basically it was a gang rape. I'm not sure what to make of the situation.

Thankfully the Girl Scouts (who are completely unaffiliated with the Boy Scouts) don't share the same doctrine.