We Can Change the Zeitgeist!

Two separate pieces of media I have consumed in the last 24 hours are on my mind as I write today. The first was last night’s “debate” which I am not going to spend a lot of keystrokes on except to say, that my quotation marks are very intentional. The second piece of media came my way courtesy of Brendan Chaplin 's post of the Piers Morgan interview with Scott Galloway. In this significantly more poignant back and forth, Prof G covers a lot of ground in the roughly 35-minute conversation. However, his section on young people and especially young men articulated several of the reasons I advocate strongly for a scouting renaissance.

Young men are at risk on many fronts. They are significantly more likely to die by suicide, battle addiction, and be incarcerated than their female peers. The omnipresence of dopamine driven digital comparison (not to mention online porn), exacerbated by the pandemic, has significantly hampered their ability to form authentic relationships. The “toxic masculinity” messaging has caused confusion, self-loathing, and allowed for an alarming rise in apathy. The current prospects for college and housing affordability remain daunting. It’s a downright challenging time to be young, especially a young man.

"If we want better men, we need to be better men" - Scott Galloway

Professor Galloway challenges that “if we want better men, we need to be better men” and this resonates strongly with me. Young men need positive male role models. ?A role model is someone looked to by others as an example to be imitated. I would add the words "realistically” and “consistently” to that simple Oxford definition. Celebrities and professional athletes can be inspirational but how many of our young people will realistically become either? Do young men consistently interact with Tech CEOs or world leaders? The best role models for young men are ones they can consistently observe and who’s behavior they can realistically emulate. In other words, the adult men closest to them.

The best role models for young men are ones they can consistently observe and who’s behavior they can realistically emulate.

This is not to say that young men do not also need positive female role models. Women play an irreplaceable role in the shaping of young lives and their behavior has a huge influence on families and in communities. Being surrounded by loving and supportive adults provides young men (and women) their best chance to navigate the gauntlet of adolescence. More important than gender is the need for role models to be present, strong, and caring.

This brings us back to the relevance of scouting and our need for a renaissance. In Scouting America?, association with adults is a pillar. Scouts learn a great deal by watching how their unit volunteers behave. If these adults take a genuine interest in their scouts and work to consistently encourage them to care for others and “do their best” the effect will be profound. Scouters use the program framework to teach scouts how to take care of themselves, be helpful to others, and eventually reach what Prof G calls the ultimate expression of masculinity, “the willingness to get involved in the life of a young person that is not your own”

Yours in Scouting.

The above article reflects my personal perspective and is not affiliated, endorsed, or representative of Scouting America?