“On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help people at all times;
To keep me physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
– Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America have been a fixture of American life for decades, teaching many boys the values they need to develop into fine young men and upstanding citizens. Unfortunately, the Boy Scouts of America have strayed from their own stated values of honor, integrity, and remaining “morally straight”.
As recently covered by the New York Post, the organization faces bankruptcy as the financial cost of their sexual abuse scandals comes to bear.
“It’s going to be a mess. If it takes a long period of time, it’s an open question whether the Boy Scouts will have any resources to keep operating while the bankruptcy is pending,” said an attorney familiar with the pending bankruptcy.
A quick look at recent headlines leaves one wondering how they managed to make it this long before crumbling under the weight of their own indifference, recklessness, and callousness in the face of credible sexual abuse allegations against scoutmasters and other officials. Recent examples include a Long Island scoutmaster being busted for sexually abusing a boy and a Louisiana Boy Scouts leader charged with 500 counts of child pornography charges.
This serves as a reminder that no matter how pure the origins of an organization, large institutions are prone to corruption and will often overlook the terrible behavior of their members in order to protect the reputation and profitability of the institution. Whether someone suffers abuse at the hands of clergy, a scout leader, or a teacher, it can be difficult to come forward. However, we must remember that evils such as sexual abuse need to be punished. Holding abusers accountable serves the greater good no matter how painful it may be to act against an institution that has done so much good for so many.