The Dumbest Statements Ever Made About Scouting

I have been a part of the BSA program for 20yrs (give or take a yr) and I started my career in Cubs and then Boy Scouts and now I am an adult leader on the volunteer level.
Through the years I have heard the same comments about scouting that never change.

"Scouting is for nerds..." 0r "Scouting is a waste of time..." and some that are much worse that choose not to repeat.

Most of these comments that get made are from young men that have never been a part of the program and have no clue about the activities that scouting presents to its fine members.

First of all, I would like to address the uniform:
The uniform is worn so that all scouts are the same in the eyes of fellow scouts, scouters, and those not familiar with the program.
The shirt proudly proclaims Boy Scouts of America and is a universal image showing that the scouting youth movement is alive and well.
The uniform makes no distinction on social or financial stratus. Every scout looks the same in uniform.
From the very first day, scouts were mocked for wearing a uniform for one reason or another and Baden Powell himself had to challenge those first scouts to rise above those comments and to our benefit...they did.
What the scouting program offers the youth today are ways to learn how to make moral and ethical decisions on how to live life as model citizens within the community and how to become leaders for the future.
The program provides a means to appreciate and respect nature and our natural resources as well as respect for others and their individuality. It also provides a way that scouts learn to overcome obstacles and challenges in everyday life and teaches how to work together through community service projects and through team building skills.
So if Scouting is for nerds, then I am proud to be a Scout. More successful people were scouts most realize. Just look as our space program for a prime example and at least 3 US Presidents were connected to the scout program since FDR.
On the international level, I do not hardly feel that Sir Paul Mc Cartney and Eric Clapton were nerds for being scouts nor do I feel athletes like Hank Aaron or actors like Harrison Ford or Steven Spielberg were geeks and neither are Sam Walton or Ross Perot.
I am proud to be a part of the world oldest youth program and will live my life in accordance to the oath and laws of the scout.
You should be proud too.