The Boy Scouts of America have come down hard on boys being boys with their latest announcement banning water gun fights, and prohibiting a long list of “weapons” including marshmallow guns.
And when making water balloons, they should be made with bio-degradeable balloons (since when was latex not bio-degradeable?) and fill them no larger than a ping-pong ball.
Whew! That sounds like fun.
NOT!
Where’s Captain Picard with his trademark facepalm when you need him?
The announcement is just another step in the long road of the “sissification” of the American male. Ultimately, it leads to girlie man-children like the one who stepped off a Chicago Transit Authority train after seeing a woman being raped begging for help. Yeah, it’s “men” like that which make America great. (That’s sarcasm, for the sarcastically-challenged.)
Here’s the story from the Washington Times.
The Boy Scouts of America, an organization with semi-military origins, has put out approved activities for its members, and water gun fights are strictly prohibited.
A blog for the organization’s leaders said May 6 that pointing simulated firearms at people is not allowed.
“Why the rule? A Scouter once told me this explanation I liked quite a bit: A Scout is kind. What part of pointing a firearm [simulated or otherwise] at someone is kind?” said Bryan Wendell on the scouting website.
The rule is clarified in the Boy Scouts of America National Shooting Manual, which says “For water balloons, use small, biodegradable balloons, and fill them no larger than a ping pong ball. […] Water guns and rubber band guns must only be used to shoot at targets, and eye protection must be worn.”
The manual includes a lengthy list of other prohibited items — boomerangs, crossbows, potato guns, spear guns and throwing stars. Scouts also may not use “marshmallow shooters that require placing a straw or similar device in the mouth.”
…Negative feedback flowed into the comments section of the blog, complaining of political correctness, of “turning boys into a bunch of wusses,” and of an out-of-touch national leadership.
“This makes BSA look ridiculous and has little if any impact on safety,” said Gary Holeiwnski.
“Sometimes I just have to laugh out loud at how idiotic some things in our society have become. We can’t squirt each other with water guns because it is a ‘simulated’ gun. I can’t believe BSA is so worried about the PC police that it has a policy like this,” added commenter Gary USMC.
Yeah, imagine that. Negative feedback.
Comments are closed.