Prince Andrew, Duke of York, named in underage 'sex slave' lawsuit

[dessiato]

Based on the figures given earlier, and assuming from 1955 to 2020 there’s “only” been an average of between three and four convictions a year of scout leaders. Obviously it would be better if the number was zero. Given how many scouts, and leaders there must have been during this period it seems wrong to tar them all with the same brush. I’m sure most are honest and decent people.

 

[Dom Traynor]

I got kicked out of the cubs for going to a Catholic church instead of CoE.

 

[Dom Traynor]

The Boy's Brigade has always given me the creeps for having more than a passing resemblance to the Hitler Youth.

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I always thought they had quite strong links to the Orange Order as well...?

 

[SpookyFrank]

I remember my Akela talked about God for about five minutes once. Or he didn't use the word god, only, 'the man upstairs, whatever you want to call him'. That was the extent of Christian influence on my cub/scout experience. Maybe there was a church carol service once but I always loved those anyway.

 

[danny la rouge]

I always thought they had quite strong links to the Orange Order as well...?

And the Tory party. Well, here anyway.

 

[Sue]

I got kicked out of the cubs for going to a Catholic church instead of CoE.

I always thought they had quite strong links to the Orange Order as well...?

The brownies/cubs in my town put up with the Catholic thing - it wasn't really mentioned but even as a kid, could feel the slight disapproval about the (Catholic) school I went to.

I didn't know anyone who went to the GB/BB and it was kind of disapproved of. Was never sure why but maybe it was the Orange Order thing (though whether that was on 'their' side or 'ours'... )

 

[danny la rouge]

I was never in the Scouts or Cubs. I wasn’t interested in uniformed clubs. This was probably my parents’ influence. I don’t think they’d have stopped me, but I knew the disapproval. It was the rolled eyes and references to Hitler Youth.

 

[two sheds]

I got kicked out of the cubs for going to a Catholic church instead of CoE.

how was your skipping?

 

[JimW]

I got kicked out of the cubs for going to a Catholic church instead of CoE.

Weird, my mum ran the cubs in our village for a while as the well-known only Catholic, that would have been seventies at a guess.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Based on the figures given earlier, and assuming from 1955 to 2020 there’s “only” been an average of between three and four convictions a year of scout leaders. Obviously it would be better if the number was zero. Given how many scouts, and leaders there must have been during this period it seems wrong to tar them all with the same brush. I’m sure most are honest and decent people.

That's just the convictions, of course. Who knows how many got away with it?

The point I would want to make about that would be about the institution and its failings, not the individuals. Of course, most scout leaders are honest and decent people. Most priests aren't kiddie fiddlers either. But that doesn't mean the institutions don't have questions to answer about how they allowed this to happen on their watch.

 

[Serge Forward]

I was in cubs for a bit. Playing dodge ball and stiggy staggy (local variation on British Bulldog, as I recall) was great, as was the bottles of corona pop at the end... but then we did a "church parade" (our family never set foot in a church, aside from weddings, funerals, etc) and I punched a sixer... and my days were numbered

 

[seeformiles]

The Boy's Brigade has always given me the creeps for having more than a passing resemblance to the Hitler Youth.

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TBF Hitler nicked jdeas from both BB and Scouts for the HY uniform. Apparently BP did like the idea of a German Youth movement that promoted resourcefulness, health and public service but after closer examination wasn’t so keen on Hitler himself or the way things were going in the late 30s.

 

[Plumdaff]

We had cubs, guides etc. split on heavily sectarian grounds in the 1980s. I went to the Catholic Brownies . And this wasn't Belfast, this was Warwickshire. I grew up with the impression I was banned from the Girl's Brigade being a Catholic, which I resented as I liked all the stick twirling they got up to at village fetes and the shinier uniforms.

 

[Spymaster]

I got kicked out of the cubs for going to a Catholic church instead of CoE.

The brownies/cubs in my town put up with the Catholic thing ...

Catholic kids were very welcome in our pack/troop, and were also excused church parade which made the rest of us quite jealous.

 

[A380]

 

[seeformiles]

We had cubs, guides etc. split on heavily sectarian grounds in the 1980s. I went to the Catholic Brownies . And this wasn't Belfast, this was Warwickshire. I grew up with the impression I was banned from the Girl's Brigade being a Catholic, which I resented as I liked all the stick twirling they got up to at village fetes and the shinier uniforms.

In NI, the scouts made a point of not being heavy on religion - just as well given the politics at the time.

 

[not-bono-ever]

Being "the spare" is an odd position. You start out being well and truly in the spotlight and being treated as important and relevant, and over the years you fade further and further into the background- still at the public expense.

He is really just a repository of spare organs should the actual important royals need some repair work and bits replaced

 

[Badgers]

 

[not-bono-ever]

Our local cub and scout group are run by dads and it’s an excuse to drink around a campfire. I think things have moved in from the old scoutmaster nonce era

ETA the pack massively subsidises trips for kids , sometimes totally free for those who can’t contribute. My boy did 3 weeks in Argentina and Patagonia with his pack . They do good work locally as well

 

[SpineyNorman]

I think I must be the only bloke on urban who went to cubs and fucking hated it. Mum wouldn't let me leave but I managed to get myself kicked out after some unpleasantness on a camping trip.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I think I must be the only bloke on urban who went to cubs and fucking hated it. Mum wouldn't let me leave but I managed to get myself kicked out after some unpleasantness on a camping trip.

I wasn't mad keen. No idea what compelled me to join but I wasn't allowed to leave either. Of course eventually I just refused to go.

 

[seeformiles]

I wasn't mad keen. No idea what compelled me to join but I wasn't allowed to leave either. Of course eventually I just refused to go.

I stopped going when I was about 14 as I had got a band together and that felt like a better time all round. Mind you, did a “gig” at the Scout Hall before I left. From memory, set list included “Smoke on the Water”, “Stairway to Heaven”, “Right on, Fight on” (Pink Fairies cover), “Badge” and several originals

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I stopped going when I was about 14 as I had got a band together and that felt like a better time all round. Mind you, did a “gig” at the Scout Hall before I left. From memory, set list included “Smoke on the Water”, “Stairway to Heaven”, “Right on, Fight on” (Pink Fairies cover), “Badge” and several originals

What didn't help was that none of my close mates joined. And I wanted to be out with them rather than giving up an evening for this regimented flag raising crap.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I think I must be the only bloke on urban who went to cubs and fucking hated it. Mum wouldn't let me leave but I managed to get myself kicked out after some unpleasantness on a camping trip.

I lasted two weeks. Hated it instantly, was allowed to leave.

 

[seeformiles]

What didn't help was that none of my close mates joined. And I wanted to be out with them rather than giving up an evening for this regimented flag raising crap.

Indeed. The lure of the “rock ‘n’ roll” crowd was much more alluring - esp. since they had drugs

 

[equationgirl]

I liked Brownies, hated Girl Guides. It was all traditional female role ideology and after sticking it out for two years, I told my parents I had had enough.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

I think there's lots about the scouts that are good. Especially nowadays where kids just stare at screens for joy. It's a shame that it comes with a particular kind of indoctrination. It didn't work on me but it's there doing it's job.

Sometimes having early contact with entities that try to indoctrinate you, give you the understanding and mental reserves to fight it off.

 

[surreybrowncap]

 

[elbows]

I think I must be the only bloke on urban who went to cubs and fucking hated it. Mum wouldn't let me leave but I managed to get myself kicked out after some unpleasantness on a camping trip.

I hated it but had no idea it was optional so I stuck it out but did not proceed to the scouts, thank fuck.

Reasons for hating it included hayfever, not loving sports, being bored out of my mind, and not appreciating uniforms and the level of discomfort they offered.

I went to one camp and managed to enjoy a few aspects of it but then I got to leave early because I got a massive splinter lodged under my fingernail and the practical skills of the cub leadership failed to dislodge it. The kids spent a lot of the time winding eachother up with ghost stories, culminating in me being the one brave enough to piss on a 'witches grave', only to later discover that the cross actually marked the spot where a previous camp had buried their toilet waste

 

[JimW]

I think I must be the only bloke on urban who went to cubs and fucking hated it. Mum wouldn't let me leave but I managed to get myself kicked out after some unpleasantness on a camping trip.

I went for a bit and then stopped bothering, liked the camping not fussed about the rest.