Die dümmsten feministischen Fragen

Die „Boyscouts“ nehmen jetzt auch Mädchen auf

In den USA gibt es die Boyscouts und die Girl Scouts. Beide waren bisher nur für das jeweils namensgebende Geschlecht geöffnet, es gab aber immer wieder Forderungen, dass sich die Boyscouts auch für Mädchen öffnen.

Aus einem Artikel dazu:

The Boy Scouts of America announced plans on Wednesday to broadly accept girls, marking a historic shift for the century-old organization and setting off a debate about where girls better learn how to be leaders.

The Boy Scouts, which has seen dwindling membership numbers in recent decades, said that its programs could nurture girls as well as boys, and that the switch would make life easier for busy parents, who might prefer to shuttle children to a single organization regardless of gender.

“I’ve seen nothing that develops leadership skills and discipline like this organization,” said Randall Stephenson, the group’s national board chairman. “It is time to make these outstanding leadership development programs available to girls.”

The decision was celebrated by many women, but criticized by the Girl Scouts, which said that girls flourish in all-female groups.

“We’ve had 105 years of supporting girls and a girl-only safe space,” said Lisa Margosian, chief customer officer for the Girl Scouts, who added that the organization felt “blindsided” by the announcement. “So much of a girl’s life is a life where she is in a coed environment, and we have so much research and data that suggests that girls really thrive in an environment where they can experiment, take risk and stretch themselves in the company of other girls.”

Die Boyscouts waren in ihrer Entstehung in England seinerzeit als Vorausbildung zum Militär angelegt und auch in Amerika sieht man diese Wurzeln eher. Es geht um gute Taten, Abzeichen für bestimmte Fertigkeiten, Lagerleben, Natur und Ausflüge, wenn ich richtig informiert bin, aber aufgrund der Ursprünge aus dem Militär eben auch um das Führen von Gruppen etc.

Auf der Wikipediaseite der Boyscouts of Amerika heißt es:

The objectives of the BSA are referred to as Aims of Scouting: moral character development; citizenship training; and development of physical, mental, and emotional fitness.^[74] The BSA pursues these aims through an informal education system called the Scout method, with variations that are designed to be appropriate for the age and maturity of each membership division.^[5][75] Each unit is sponsored by a community organization as part of their youth program and is involved in the neighborhood and community.

Cub Scouts wear a uniform that gives each boy a level of identity within the den, the pack and the community. The boys learn teamwork by meeting and working together in a den of four to ten boys under adult leadership. They learn and apply the ideals codified in the Cub Scout Promise and the Law of the Pack,^[76] and in the Character Connections program that develops the core values of citizenship, compassion, cooperation, courage, faith, health and fitness, honesty, perseverance, positive attitude, resourcefulness, respect and responsibility.^[77] The advancement system uses both age-based ranks and an optional Academics and Sports Program designed for the development of physical, mental and emotional fitness.^[78][79] Most advancement is done in the home and is intended to involve the entire family and many Cub Scout activities include family members.

Boy Scouts learn to use the ideals spelled out in the Scout Oath, the Scout Law, the Outdoor Code, the Scout motto („Be prepared“), and the Scout slogan („Do a good turn daily“). They wear a uniform and work together in patrols of four to ten boys with an elected patrol leader. Scouts share responsibilities, apply skills learned at meetings and live together in the outdoors. The advancement system provides opportunities for personal growth and self-reliance.^[80] Scouts interact with adult leaders who act as role models and mentors, but they are expected to plan their own activities within the troop and to participate in community service. Opportunities are provided for leadership training with practical application.

 

Bei den Girl Scouts heißt es:

One of the original and continuing attractions of Girl Scouts is that girls become proficient campers and participate in many outdoor activities such as canoeing or backpacking with their troops. Troops do service projects such as carrying out flag ceremonies, collecting food for food drives, visiting nursing homes, and Christmas caroling or other community services.^[44]Troops may also plan and take extended trips within the United States or even to another country. Troops may organize cultural or learning events such as first-aid training or attending live theater. The Girl Scout activity most familiar to the general public may be the annual sale of Girl Scout Cookies, which started in 1917 as a money-earning opportunity for councils and troops.

Gewisse Ähnlichkeiten scheinen also vorhanden zu sein, das Programm der Girl Scouts scheint aber eher an der klassischen Mädchenrolle ausgerichtet,

In dem oben verlinkten Artikel heißt es dazu:

“The problem with the Girl Scout curriculum is that it’s very focused on who your leader is for your particular troop,” said Rebecca Szetela, a mother of four from Canton, Mich. “If you have a mom who’s really into crafts and girlie stuff and being a princess, then that’s what your Girl Scout troop is going to be like. If you have a daughter who’s more rough and tumble, it’s not going to be a good fit.”

Some girls, like Ella Jacobs, 12, of Sebastopol, Calif., have long argued for the chance to be allowed into the Boy Scouts.

“My point has always been that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Girl Scouts, but they weren’t the right fit for our family,” said her mother, Danelle Jacobs, a lawyer. “Girls should have the choice.”

Brian Seeton, a scoutmaster in Canton, Ohio, predicted that the acceptance of girls would play out much like the acceptance of gay Scouts and leaders. “Parents and kids didn’t care one way or the other,” he said. “It’ll only be an issue for the first couple of years and then it’ll carry on as it always was.”

Natürlich lässt sich bei „Boy Scout“ gut begründen, dass man männlich sein muss, damit man teilnehmen kann. Ben Shapiro macht das hier beispielsweise in diesem bekannt gewordenen Clip:

Ich war bei den deutschen Pfadfindern, die zusätzlich zu der militärischen Idee von Baden-Powell, dem britischen Gründer der Pfadfinder, viel aus den bündischen Bewegungen übernommen haben.  Sie haben daher auch eine etwas von dem internationalen Pfadfindertum abgelösten Weg genommen und hatten insofern auch kein Problem mit Frauen. Wo Boy Scouts Lager machen, machten die deutschen Pfadfinder eher Wandertouren und das militärische ging stark zugunsten eines Gruppenlebens zurück, in denen es zwar auch Gruppenleiter und Stammesleiter gab, aber eine flachere Hierarchie.

Es gab in den mir bekannten Stämmen Mädchensippen (also Gruppen) aber auch gemischte Gruppen und bei Treffen mischte sich eh immer alles. Was mich auch nie gestört hat. Und insofern kann ich mir gut vorstellen, dass sich auch Mädchen für so etwas begeistern können, ich kenne genug, die die deutsche Version sehr mochten. Es ist ein recht unkomplizierter Typ Mädchen gewesen, die eher bodenständig waren, Dreck abkonnten, mit Rucksäcken unterwegs waren und bei Wind und Wetter draußen waren, weil das auf einer Wandertour kaum zu vermeiden ist.

Ich fand das gar nicht schlecht und ich verstehe auch Mädchen, die lieber so etwas machen wollen als eine Bastelstunde.

Insofern glaube ich nicht, dass eine Öffnung der Boyscouts so schlimm sein muss. Jede Organisation muss sich eben auch dem Wandel der Zeit anpassen. Warum überhaupt sollte eine Trennung nach Geschlecht da so wichtig sein?