[Ansteorra] Cookies and merit badges

[L T]

JP and Gilyan...I love you guys...

I'm with Tivar.

If you have a "merit badge system" you end up having people focused on short term gratification and promote competition to see who can collect the most the fastest...

In almost every youth group that has merit badge systems...there is a tendancy to just learn enough for the badge...not learn it well, not necessarily enjoy it...
but it's a short term well defined path to introduce as many concepts and variety of skills...as a base of knowledge for that child to build off of...it's a tool geared for the age group. 

If you've ever been in a youth group with merit badges...unless the leaders are extra-ordinary...the entire process ends up being a competition of one-ups-man-ship. It can get ugly...really quick. It concentrates on the individual and does not contribute to the continuance of a community...

It also is very labor intensive...in even a small town...there are usually several Boy Scout and Girl Scout and Camp Fire...etc troups...each run by adults who sacrifice alot of time and energy to do them and concentrate on a small groups of kids......with very little reward...they are the ones to make sure everyone gets their rewards...and...talk about subjectivity...in effect each group leader is it's own Crown...and the smaller/closer the group the more subjective...or the easier to be bullied...

I think the merit badge idea is good for the children's ministry...to get our youth base knowledge of many things...

But with adults with differing personalities...etc...if you think the system is bad now...and people are self serving ... making things easier will only add to the problem....

And the Crown would not be able to do the paperwork...there would be another level of bueracracy...tons more paperwork...

And the whole..."medieval idea"  would fade because the power would not reside in the Crown...it would reside in the administration

L DeerSlayer








Chris Zakes <dontivar at gmail.com> wrote: At 10:22 PM 5/21/2006, you wrote:
>Due to the long drive home this afternoon, Gilyan and I landed upon the 
>subject of "cookies and merit badges" and wondered at the negative 
>connotation associated with such things.  So we're wondering:
>
>What's wrong with merit badges?  What about the system is offensive and/or 
>wrong?
>
>Jean Paul

If someone is doing something *solely* to get the award--rather than for 
any inherent love of the activity--that's a problem. I've seen folks who 
worked hard to get award X, then once they have it, totally neglect that 
field in pursuit of award Y, then drop that field in favor of award Z, etc. 
Once they've maxed out, they drop the SCA completely in favor of something 
else, like bicycle racing or poker.

In the long run, these people aren't much use to the SCA--they don't teach 
the skills they've learned, all their work has been focused on themselves, 
rather than the Society as a whole. The best that can be said of them is 
that they make good bad examples.

         -Tivar Moondragon
         Oatmeal chocolate chip 

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