Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
Bullies
February 12, 2008
Larry Polyak, Scoutmaster

The Boy Scouts of America change the requirements for advancement and Merit Badges from time to time to keep up with our changing world. I looked up the changes for 2008 and there are just a few minor ones. One of the biggest ones though is a new requirement for Tenderfoot which is not yet in any of your handbooks.

Requirement 9 has always been:
"Explain why we use the buddy system in Scouting."
I imagine that all of you are familar with that one. You should always have a buddy on any scout outing and never wander off by yourself.

For 2008 they have added:
"Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is and how you should respond to one."

Now, I assume that none of you guys are bullies who go around picking on other kids. You certainly would not be living up to the Scout Oath and Law if you did. But we never talk much about dealing with those that do, so it is proably good that they added this requirement to get some open discussion going on about it. In fact at summer camp I remember hearing a couple of our own scouts talking to each other about getting bullied to one degree or another at school.

I have not seen what the new handbook says or what advice it gives, but I am told that it says to try to ignore bullies and tell an adult if it starts to get out of hand. And by the way it is written, you can tell that they want you to be aware of the fact that the buddy system is a good thing to use even outside of Scouting. Did you ever hear of the saying "There is safety in numbers?" Having a buddy helps.

When I was your age, because of my last name Polyak, some kids used to call me "dumb pollack". After a while, I realized that if I didn't give them the kind of reaction they were looking for, it wasn't fun for them any more and they stopped doing it. Bullies can be very clever sometimes. They try to find your weaknesses and exploit them to make you feel even worse about them. But sometimes bullies can become a lot more troublesome than just name calling and they can even be dangerous. So if a situation with a bully ever starts to get more serious, make sure you get some help in dealing with it.

I remember reading a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of former president Franklin D. Roosevelt. I thought it is very appropriate today, even though she said it way back in 1937. She said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." That's very true, you've got to realize that it is their problem, not yours. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Thanks for listening.