As the season approaches when we load up on Thin Mints, we might want to ask ourselves what happened to the group that sells them. Where Girl Scouts of yore were taught to be prepared, parents of today’s troopers may ask themselves “For what?”
Christina Hoff Sommers, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, has shown in her book, One Nation Under Therapy, how the Girl Scouts have morphed into a touchy-feely organization. “The Girl Scouts now give out stressless badges which they can earn by focused breathing, exchanging foot massages or keeping a feelings diary,” she said in a seminar at AEI three years ago that we reported on.
At least one observer puts the tipping point for the transformation of the venerable group down to the time that the Girl Scouts national council invited feminist icon Betty Friedan to its board. Indeed, the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital (GSCNC) provides a brochure on Sleep Away Camps that the Obamas might be comfortable sending their daughters to but the Palins may not be so wild about.
Actually, some of the camps look like they are designed for parents rather than their progeny. Consider this GSCNC catalogue offering: Camp Evening Shade.
“How Green Are You?” the catalogue asks. “Come join us and find out.”
“Do you know your carbon footprint? Explore creek bed and learn what is happening in our wetlands.”
“Have fun while going green with us at camp. What are you doing to improve our environment?”
“All they have are half-baked computer models that are totally out of touch with reality and have already been proven to be false.” The GSCNC should meet Dr. Hertzberg.
If Camp Evening Shade is designed to prepare Girl Scouts to make the world a better place than they found it, Camp Girl Power seems like the perfect preparatory program for women’s studies courses. “Begin with some group initiatives and then choose from a menu of activities to create the camp program that YOU want,” the catalogue urges. “Dance, sports and games, crafts, archery, yoga, nature activities, canoeing and more await your power!”
As the camp is for girls in grades three to five, that could leave eight-year-olds in the lotus position. And the archery portion may prove problematic if anti-gun groups find out that there are weapons other than firearms.
Nevertheless, it seems clear that the GSCNC, like voters in the last presidential election, embraces change. For instance, where the Girl Scouts of old emphasized self-reliance, the new millennium version seems to be experimenting with self-indulgence.
Thus, the GSCNC has concocted a camp that mommies may also find appealing—Camp Fabulous. “Are you fabulous?” the GSCNC asks. I wonder what the answer will be.
“Swim, play games, and hang out with your friends,” the GSCNC suggests. “Take some time to de-stress by treating yourself to facials and trying out different shades of nail polish.”
“And how about sleeping in a few days and enjoying brunch instead?” How about it?
Since this camp is approved for grades five through eight, apparently the fifth-graders have to de-stress from no longer being in fourth grade, and so forth and so on. Guess whose ten-year-old wants to sign up for this one?
Malcolm A. Kline is the executive director of Accuracy in Academia.
