Attendance Drops Off at First National Jamboree of New, Inclusive Boy Scouts

PJ Media ^ | JULY 11, 2023 | Athena Thorne

[george76]

A seminal moment in the lives of tens of thousands of young men occurred in 2017 when they attended the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) National Jamboree, where they were addressed by President Donald Trump. The Jambo traditionally has always been a transformative experience for the youths who attend it — two weeks away from their families in a tween- and teen-boy paradise, a sylvan Never Land where they can belch and play with cool, nerdy stuff and whittle and stink without having to worry about impressing girls or being nagged not to do something dangerous.

Anywhere from 2% to 5% of Boy Scouts journey to the quadrennial National Jamboree. At its peak, the BSA hosted 50,960 attendees at the 1964 Jamboree at Valley Forge, Pa.,

...

This year, only 15,000 are expected to attend.

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following Trump’s appearance at the 2017 Jamboree, many Scouts’ moms, who had been apoplectic since he was elected and couldn’t handle their sons’ enjoyment of the event, wrote screechy, enraged, tear-soaked letters

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Within days, the BSA and Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh posted apologies. But that was never going to be enough. Mere months later, national Scouting leadership, already under intense pressure from its corporate sponsors to go fully intersectional, removed the final restriction that made the Boy Scouts a unique youth program: the mighty, formerly boys-only BSA announced that girls would be allowed to become Scouts. It was finally time to quash the last remaining bastion of toxic masculinity

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Scouts at the Jambo can hear from luminaries such as former White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah L. Birx or Elaine P. Ho, the Chief Diversity Officer at NASA.

[drSteve78]

So, the Boy Scouts of America weren’t prepared?

[aynrandfreak]

At its peak, the BSA hosted 50,960 attendees at the 1964 Jamboree at Valley Forge, Pa

I think that was the year The Flintstones attended!

[Dilbert San Diego]

What is the point of the Boy Scouts if they now allow girls?

What is the reason for being of such an organization now?

Do the Girl Scouts allow boys?

[Dilbert San Diego]

I find it hard to understand the mindset of certain people, who would be offended that the president of the United States would address a Boy Scout jamboree.

Maybe a stupid question , but do certain people just have no respect for the office of the presidency, even if the president is someone they did not support?

[Vigilanteman]

They allowed their preparation to be destroyed by the wokesters. What took Lord Baden-Powell and those who followed in his footsteps more than a century to build was castrated in a couple of years.

It is what the left does when they are given power to do so.

[paulcissa]

BSA is in its end-stage. Everything the left touches turns to $#!t.

[JBW1949]

There is no such things as “Boy” Scouts any longer.....

[Sacajaweau]

Girl Scouts are into killing babies now. Haven’t bought cookies since they decided that killing babies was OK.

[Daveinyork]

I was at that 1964 jamboree at Valley Forge. It was a great time. The keynote speaker was the President of the United States. Unfortunately, it was Lyndon Johnson.

[Dr. Sivana]

It was finally time to quash the last remaining bastion of toxic masculinity

Well, there's still the Orthodox and Catholic priesthoods, Freemasons, Knights of Columbus.

[Macoozie]

“BSA is in its end-stage. Everything the left touches turns to $#!t.”

Agreed
on both points.

I remember the fun, teamwork and comradery of scouting.
Just another thing lost for young folks.

see J Haidt’s talk when he asks “at what age did you leave the house on your own, without adult supervision?”
Oldsters often reply - six or seven, soon after Kindergarten
Gen Z? 14 or even 16-

The world is a very different place.

[CodeToad]

“Maybe a stupid question , but do certain people just have no respect for the office of the presidency, even if the president is someone they did not support?”

I do NOT respect a stolen office.

[glorgau]

I hear the Boy Scouts are introducing new “tuck friendly” uniforms and am embarrassed to have ever been a Boy Scout.

[hattend]

I thought the Boy Scouts were history.

I guess they kept it viable as a grooming club.

[Dr. Sivana]

Well, the cartoon might have first aired in 1964, but I believe the events chronicled took place a lot early. The show DOES take place during the Stone Age.

[NorthMountain]

Oldsters often reply - six or seven,

I must be an oldster ...

[Dr. Sivana]

am embarrassed to have ever been a Boy Scout.

Don't be embarrassed by YOUR Boy Scouts, that have only a historical connection with what you were part of. I was a Dodger fan, and am ashamed of my team now, but not of Rick Monday and Gil Hodges and Manny Mota and Tommy Lasorda and Jackie Robinson. Look at what the Marines have become, but any man who was with what the Marines were is rightfully proud.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I don’t know about every Council in the US. But in the three councils in our district, the girls have their own troops and the boys have theirs.

They do not mingle or mix and never are on camp outs at the same district owned properties at the same time.

They could be at the same national or state park at the same time but they could just as easily meet up with Girl Scouts as female scout troops.

The whole issue is overblown by people who are not in scouting.

Same deal with gay scout leaders.

It’s not like some gay dude that nobody knows is going to go to a troop and say “I want to be an adult scout leader” and the Committee Chair is going to say “Duh, okay”.

Adult Leaders are vetted pretty closely by the Troop and they aren’t going to allow some openly gay dude be around their kids.

[FrdmLvr]

What is a “boy”?