# Trump Vs. The Boy Scouts: Much Ado About Nothing, or An Embarrassing Mess? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 25, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080 "2017-07-25T15:15:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/101 "2017-07-26T00:57:24Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > You appear to go off the rails right here. I actually agree with you this one time. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/102 "2017-07-26T00:58:43Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Are we seriously trying to get **HurricaneDitka** to stand up in his chair, put his hand on his heart, and declare “Donald Trump is the worst person ever and I was incredibly stupid for supporting him for one single second ever! And please, sir, can I have some more crow?” > > I mean, this sounds like a super-productive use of our time, but I thought I’d check first to make sure I was on the same page as everyone before I dived in. And I may one day get up on a chair, but not today, over a few political jabs in a BSA speech. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/103 "2017-07-26T00:59:50Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > You’re missing the point. The rules are different for Trump. If he does bad things, it is always a “two scoops” story for certain people. If he grabs a crotch, so what? Two scoops. Cites law enforcement officials over a personal grudge? Two scoops. Violates ethics standards? Two scoops. Murders a man on Fifth Ave? Two scoops. And should the media spend their time writing “two scoops” stories or write stories about sexual harassment and murder? It seems like they’re still having trouble figuring out which one they should focus on. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/104 "2017-07-26T01:01:09Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I actually agree with you this one time. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/105 "2017-07-26T01:21:01Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Portions of the speech were horrifyingly reminiscent of Adolph Hitler speaking to Hitler Jugend in Triump of the Will. > [@Common\_Tater](#): > > Really, might you provide some examples?! I heard some excerpts where he bashed Barky, asking the crowd whether he had ever deigned to appear, resulting in a thunderous “Nein!” er, “No!” but maybe the right wing media excised the Aryan supremacy bits, calling out of the dirty Jews, and need for Lebensraum. Thanks for the warning though, I’ll never look at the Pinewood Derby the same, ever again. I’m bothered by anyone who speaks about loyalty as something that only you give, and only they get. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/106 "2017-07-26T02:00:42Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > And should the media spend their time writing “two scoops” stories or write stories about sexual harassment and murder? It seems like they’re still having trouble figuring out which one they should focus on. I’m reluctant to trust your judgment on this because you declared this a two scoops issue in your first post in the thread – while also saying that you didn’t know the content of the speech. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/107 "2017-07-26T02:07:54Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The _Girl_ Scouts aren’t inviting him any time soon, at least. Grab 'em by … Yeah, Trump strolling thru the girls’ changing rooms would be a bit awkward. IIRC the First Lady serves Honorary President of the GSUSA so if they invite anyone from the administration to speak it would be _Melania_ and I’m sure all of Michelle Obama’s speeches to the Girl Scouts were uneventful. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/108 "2017-07-26T02:37:58Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I’m reluctant to trust your judgment on this because you declared this a two scoops issue in your first post in the thread – while also saying that you didn’t know the content of the speech. I’m not asking you to trust my judgement. I’m sharing my opinion. Do you have your own opinion? Is this closer to a CNN two scoops issue or a Biden-esque “big fucking deal”? ---
**Author:** ![etasyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9f8e36/32.png) [@etasyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etasyde)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/109 "2017-07-26T02:50:28Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Yeah, Trump strolling thru the girls’ changing rooms would be a bit awkward. IIRC the First Lady serves Honorary President of the GSUSA so if they invite anyone from the administration to speak it would be _Melania_ and I’m sure all of Michelle Obama’s speeches to the Girl Scouts were uneventful. Now wouldn’t that be awkward all around if HRC had actually won the election and none other than _Bill Clinton_ filled the roll. However, I suspect they’d just swap roles for a term or two… I’d hope. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/110 "2017-07-26T03:02:05Z")
The “two scoops” issue _is_ a big deal, precisely because making sure he gets more ice cream than everyone else is so petty. It’s a terrible thing for America that we have a President who cares so much about petty matters like that, and cares about them in the wrong direction to boot. President Trump is all about Trump, first, foremost, and only, and the ice cream is just one more symptom of that. Our President literally considers it more important that he get more ice cream than everyone else, than that the rest of the country gets health care. Think about that for a bit. Back on topic, I think that the Boy Scouts were in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation here. The whole problem with Trump’s speech is that it polticized something that shouldn’t have been political. But anything the BSA could possibly have done about that would be doing the exact same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/111 "2017-07-26T03:16:48Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Anyone SHOULD have a right to expect the President to act like a damn adult, but in this case they were hopelessly clueless if they actually thought he would. > > But as others have noted, the President is the honorary president of the Boy Scouts, and not inviting him to speak would be a politically-motivated snub. These two statements are in direct contradiction if you ask me. It’s not a partisan or politically-motivated snub to realize, “Huh, the president is not capable of acting like an adult, we need to disinvite him”. > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Yeah, I can think of a few examples where I thought his comments were “appropriate”. Can you? I’m sure there are one or two cases. Mostly those few cases where the media fawned over a barely tolerable speech and said things along the lines of, “Is this the New Trump™?” You’ll have to excuse me for not being impressed by a success rate around that of someone with untreated Tourette’s. Perhaps I should have asked if he could do so at a rate better than _chance_. > [@](#): > > Leaders are human. They make mistakes and do dumb things. I imagine you would hesitate to give your seal of approval to every utterance of the past few Dem presidents too, right? :smack: YES THIS IS NORMAL ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AMISS OR ODD THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NORMAL AND TOTALLY STANDARD PRESIDENTIAL BEHAVIOR AND THERE’S TOTALLY AN ANALOGY TO BE MADE HERE NOTHING TO SEE HERE :smack::smack::smack: ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/112 "2017-07-26T03:51:36Z")
“Bones! What happened to Ensign **Budgie**!” “Triple face-palmed, Jim. This is an ex- **Budgie**!” ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/113 "2017-07-26T05:30:39Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > I’m sure there are one or two cases. Mostly those few cases where the media fawned over a barely tolerable speech and said things along the lines of, “Is this the New Trump™?” You’ll have to excuse me for not being impressed by a success rate around that of someone with untreated Tourette’s. Perhaps I should have asked if he could do so at a rate better than _chance_. Yes, perhaps you should have. At least we’ve progressed from “ever shown _any_ inclination that he could find the appropriate thing to say in cases that _do_ matter”. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/114 "2017-07-26T05:35:56Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Yes, perhaps you should have. At least we’ve progressed from “ever shown _any_ inclination that he could find the appropriate thing to say in cases that _do_ matter”. Be nice to see some progress from you sometime in the next century. Yeah, I know, good fucking luck. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/115 "2017-07-26T05:44:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The “two scoops” issue _is_ a big deal … And this is where you went off the rails. He’s not “making sure he gets more ice cream than everyone else”. He likes two scoops of ice cream. The staff knows this and provides it without him having to ask. It’s not a display of dominance or anything. If someone else asked for three, I don’t see any indication the President would feel the need to one-up them and ask for four scoops. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/116 "2017-07-26T05:48:13Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Did you find it inappropriate at all? To make that judgement would necessitate rereading the speech and I’m not willing to inflict that on myself. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/117 "2017-07-26T06:37:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Be nice to see some progress from you sometime in the next century. > > Yeah, I know, good fucking luck. You need to dial it back. Do not personalize your arguments in this fashion. If you feel you must, the BBQ Pit is right around the corner. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/118 "2017-07-26T07:16:37Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Yes, perhaps you should have. At least we’ve progressed from “ever shown _any_ inclination that he could find the appropriate thing to say in cases that _do_ matter”. I think I didn’t make my case clearly enough. My case was not “Trump never says the right thing”. My case was, when the time comes where saying the right thing or not actually is a really big deal, where lives are on the line, and acting like a person remotely qualified for the job really _matters_, will he be able say the right thing without drifting off into a prolongued sidetrack (presumably about all the models he’s fucked)? Currently, I’d say “flip a coin”, except I don’t think there are even _those_ odds. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/119 "2017-07-26T07:21:31Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I’m sharing my opinion. Why bother, we all know your opinion. Even when you haven’t yet heard the words or read the story we all know what opinion you are going to be assuming. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080/120 "2017-07-26T07:41:03Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The _Girl_ Scouts aren’t inviting him any time soon, at least. Grab 'em by … We are all familiar with Trump’s “shoot someone in the street” remark. It is interesting (disturbing, but interesting) to speculate just how far this could go. Grabbing girl scouts by the pussy (or suggesting it’s OK)… yeah I think that one might sink even The Donald. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-the-boy-scouts-much-ado-about-nothing-or-an-embarrassing-mess/792080.md?page=7)