# I don't know where to start \[BSA priorities\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 20, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283 "2006-10-20T21:10:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/1 "2006-10-20T21:10:57Z")
Could someone please tell me where to start? When I try to process this, my brain goes into a cognitive-dissonance loop, and I can actually hear the highpitched squeal of conceptual feedback coming \*out \*of my ears. [Boy Scouts in the Los Angeles area will now be able to earn a merit patch for learning about the evils of downloading pirated movies and music.](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/10/20/entertainment/e110452D84.DTL) Please. Help me fit this into my worldview. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/2 "2006-10-20T21:26:25Z")
I’m not sure where to start either. Mostly because I don’t really see anything objectionable about this. The Boyscouts are teaching their members not to steal. Isn’t that pretty much why we have Boyscouts in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/3 "2006-10-20T21:31:39Z")
But why should there be a merit badge in not stealing? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/4 "2006-10-20T21:36:37Z")
Actually, according to the article, it sounds like a merit badge in “copyright law for kids.” It also seems to have standard merit-badge-y activities attached. (visit work sites, listen to adults talking, make a video, educate your peers, etc). Not seeing a problem here. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/5 "2006-10-20T21:38:06Z")
Eh. I’m going to mildly object because it seems like a push from the movie industry rather than a pull from the BSA. But having been a Boy Scout as a kid, there are all kinds of stupid merit badges. It’s not all about tying knots and starting camp fires. [Merit Badtes](http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=by). Some of these are pretty goofy. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/6 "2006-10-20T21:45:03Z")
I like the requirement that the Scouts learn “three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen” ---
**Author:** ![Abe\_Babe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Abe\_Babe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abe_Babe)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/7 "2006-10-20T22:01:14Z")
Meh. If done right, it could provide fodder for a lot of discussion. Many people have many different views about when copying copyrighted material is “OK” and when it is “Bad”. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/8 "2006-10-20T22:10:34Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] But why should there be a merit badge in not stealing? [/QUOTE] I’m going to make a journal entry that this is my favorite sentence of the day… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/9 "2006-10-20T22:14:48Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] I’m going to make a journal entry that this is my favorite sentence of the day… [/QUOTE] Yeah, until I read the link I thought maybe you got the merit badge as long as you didn’t download any copyrighted material for “x” number of weeks or months. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/10 "2006-10-20T22:42:22Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] I like the requirement that the Scouts learn “three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen” [/QUOTE] It’s all about being prepared, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/11 "2006-10-20T22:55:31Z")
That article sounds like it was written by someone who’s a little Unclear On The Concept. Unless things have changed since I was a Boy Scout, there’s no such thing as a “merit patch.” There are “merit badges,” which contribute toward rank (e.g. an Eagle Scout has to have earned a certain number of merit badges), and which are approved on the national level, not local. And there are patches a scout can receive for participation in various activities (e.g. hikes, camping, etc.), but these have no official status and are merely collector’s items. I suspect this is one of the latter, but the article makes it really hard to tell for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/12 "2006-10-20T22:58:55Z")
Can one earn a merit badge in not killing people? How about in not being a filthy, evil homo? [QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] Unless things have changed since I was a Boy Scout, there’s no such thing as a “merit patch.” [/QUOTE] Maybe it’s a very, very specific type of nicotine patch. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/13 "2006-10-20T23:06:54Z")
> [@](#): > > How about in not being a filthy, evil homo? For that, you get a neckerchief with a cunning little woggle. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/14 "2006-10-20T23:33:20Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] I like the requirement that the Scouts learn “three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen” [/QUOTE] Oooh, oooh! I know! Limewire, Kazaa and Bearshare! ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/15 "2006-10-20T23:47:21Z")
[QUOTE=Snooooopy] Oooh, oooh! I know! Limewire, Kazaa and Bearshare! [/QUOTE] Heh. Ya left out Shareaza, my fave. Anyway, this isn’t such a stretch for the Scouts. There are plenty of scouting-age kids who don’t consider P2P downloading “stealing” - they don’t really get the concept of “intellectual property.” This patch or merit badge or whatever the hell it is program is just an attempt to get the kids to think of mp3 bootlegging in a different way. ---
**Author:** ![Sonia\_Montdore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Sonia\_Montdore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonia_Montdore)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2006, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/16 "2006-10-20T23:50:05Z")
Since it appears from the article that this award is available only in LA, I think it’s almost certainly an activity patch, not a badge. Patches are for local activities; badges can be earned by any Scout anywhere in the US. As a Boy Scout leader, I think this training, whether it’s a badge or a patch, is a very good thing and fits in with the code of ethics we try to teach our Scouts. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/17 "2006-10-21T00:19:42Z")
Man, it’s facinating (and I do mean _fascinating_) to compare the responses so far to the [thread on Slashdot](http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/10/20/1932241.shtml) about this, where a good number of members believe that copyright infringement is not stealing. Folks who’ve posted to this thread really should read it; I think it’s interesting. I wonder what causes this? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/18 "2006-10-21T00:21:56Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] Man, it’s facinating (and I do mean _fascinating_) to compare the responses so far to the [thread on Slashdot](http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/10/20/1932241.shtml) about this, where a good number of members believe that copyright infringement is not stealing. Folks who’ve posted to this thread really should read it; I think it’s interesting. I wonder what causes this? [/QUOTE] A massive sense of self-entitlement? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/19 "2006-10-21T01:23:27Z")
Someone on Slashdot linked to the requirements for the Computers merit badge. That’s one I never got (or even thought about) and, as the poster on Slashdot said, it looks like the requirements were last updated in the early 90s. I particularly liked the following requirements: # Visit a business or industry that uses computers. Study what the computer accomplishes and be prepared to discuss what you observed. (Like, say, every single freaking business in America today?) # Use a computer attached to a local area network or equipped with a modem to connect to a computer network or bulletin-board service such as Prodigy, CompuServe, or America Online. Send a message to someone on the network or download a program or file from the network. (Are Prodigy and CompuServe even around these days? And heck, this post right here should qualify, as should the podcast I downloaded through iTunes earlier today.) # Is it permissible to accept a free copy of a computer game or program from a friend? Why or why not? (Depends. Is it NetHack? Some other piece of shareware or freeware? You know that this sort of thing would be glossed over in the “patch” and could still be ugly inside this actual merit badge.) ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283/20 "2006-10-21T14:25:36Z")
[QUOTE=asterion] Someone on Slashdot linked to the requirements for the Computers merit badge. That’s one I never got (or even thought about) and, as the poster on Slashdot said, it looks like the requirements were last updated in the early 90s. [/QUOTE] The badge [requirements](http://www.usscouts.org/mb/mb036.html) were actually just updated last year. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-where-to-start-bsa-priorities/377283.md?page=2)