Halloween is here again, and the search for costumes inevitably leads you to the staples of the season: witch, ghost, zombie, or vampire. But each season, some people consider dressing themselves as Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts. And apparently it’s enough of a problem that at least one Scout Shop has chosen to address the issue head-on.
At the excellent (and massive) Scout Shop located in the National Scouting Museum, there’s a sign at the entrance that reads: “Scout uniforms WILL NOT be sold as Halloween costumes.”
So we want to know your take. Should Scout uniforms be purchased for use as Halloween costumes? Let us know in the comments area below.
I have seen people wear firefighters uniforms, police uniforms and even our Armed Service Uniform for Halloween. Many people wear these uniforms to so respect to these everyday Heros. I do not feel any different with people wearing Scout uniform for Halloween, as long as it is done with respect for the Scouts. As a paramedic, I am proud to see people dressed up as Paramedics, and as a Scout I am proud to see people dressed as Scout, again as long as it is showing respect.
I agree, but I am reminded of the fiasco when the prince of England dressed in a Nazi uniform. He got a lot of bad press for that, but can see on one hand how there are no greater monsters in our nightmares than the Nazis. Sometimes we dress as monsters for Halloween and sometimes we dress as heroes.
I wore my scout uniform this Halloween season as a sign of respect, and a contribution to scouting. I am not an adult leader. I do not have children in scouting, but scouting had a HUGE impact on me. Here I am years later remembering what it meant to me to put that uniform on. I never made it to Eagle, or into OA, or anything, but it still meant a lot to me. I miss that feeling, and for me, Halloween gave me the opportunity for a valid reason to not only re-live that feeling again, but to show other people what a scout is.
I wore the whole uniform properly, with a sense of pride, and respect, and the whole weekend leading up to Halloween, I went about my business constantly mindful of the scout oath and law. I did not set out to make a mockery. I set out to do something positive with a commercialized holiday that often carries so many negative images, and acts as a manner of “fun” or ” entertainment”
I initially just intended on going to one event Friday, but the experience in uniform on Friday was so overwhelmingly positive! people at work, at the party, and even as I traveled to and from work would stop and strike up conversations, we’d share stories of what scouting meant to us. I met leaders new and old, several eagle scouts, and a lot of folks like me, who wished they had stuck through it to Eagle. It was such a great day, that I spent the entire weekend and through Monday Halloween itself, as a scout, exemplifying a scout in every way I could. It was a wonderful experience meeting old scouts, sharing stories, talking to parents who had lots of questions about how to get their boys and girls into scouting. In that 4 days, it became far more than me wearing a uniform, it became an experience, and I found that I really missed those days, and I can’t imagine now, what life would be like without that influence growing up.
In many ways, for that whole weekend, I was an ambassador, and it felt really good to talk up something that had such a huge impact on me, and it felt like I finally had a chance to give something back.
Scouting gave me that sense of adventure that now makes me prefer to go out and do all the real world things that kids today only simulate in video games. I’m a firefighter, SCUBA diver, motorcycle rider, camper, hockey player, and many other things. I find it frustrating to see kids simulating things electronically that they can do for real, and scouting gave me the drive to go and do things. For real. Halloween may not make super heroes real, but scouting gave me the drive, pride, and motivation to be my own person, a real life action hero, not some imagined or made-up character in a video game only role played in some unattainable fantasy world.
Someone said that scouting needs to be made “cool” again , maybe some blockbuster movie that makes it look cool again as said above. I agree. hopefully someone will figure out a way to give it that cool factor, and get kids back into it, so they can live life in the real world, and not behind a computer screen or gaming console. I know that if I had the opportunity to shape scouting’s future, and make it “cool” again, I’d be putting a large emphasis on getting kids out there and doing things that are exciting, building that spirit of adventure, challenge, and excellence that I got out of it nearly 25 years ago.
I’ll be looking for more of these sorts of opportunities to be in uniform again, and feel that sense of pride and honor more often. I just wish I didn’t have to wait for Halloween to have an “excuse” to do it.
A vintage uniform is always nice touch, especially if you are going for the young Indiana Jones.
No. The uniform is special, sacred, honored & not to be used as a costume. Should be treated with the respect that is earned from it.
There is nothing sacred about the scout uniform. Boys can wear it while they do almost anything. They can wear it to school, they can wear it to church, they can wear on camping trips, etc. Sacred clothing includes the vestments of the pope which are occasionally seen out on Halloween, so some might say that on Halloween, nothing is sacred.
I think there is a big difference between dressing up as a Scout and using an official Scout uniform as a costume. I don’t think anyone should wear an official uniform to dress up as a Scout for Halloween, but a non official uniform is all right. I see it like how the military sees the use of the official uniform. Unless you are in the military, you shouldn’t wear the uniform as if you were (name, rank, branch).
All I have to say is the Scout uniform is for Scouts to show ther pride of being a Scout AND here is some words to think about also
A uniform is a type of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization’s activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates in prisons. In some countries, some other officials also wear uniforms in their duties; such is the case of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service or the French prefects. For some public groups, such as police, it is illegal for non members to wear the uniform. Other uniforms are trade dresses (such as the brown uniforms of UPS).
The Scout uniform is a specific characteristic of the Scouting movement, in the words of Baden-Powell at the 1937 World Jamboree, “it covers the differences of country and race and make all feel that they are members one with another of one World Brotherhood”. The original uniform, which has created a familiar image in the public eye, consisted of a khaki button-up shirt, shorts and a broad-brimmed campaign hat. Baden-Powell himself wore shorts since being dressed like the youth contributed to reducing perceived “distance” between the adult and the young person. Nowadays, uniforms are frequently blue, orange, red, or green, and shorts are replaced by long pants in areas where the culture calls for modesty, and in winter weather.
All I have to say is the Native regalia is for Natives to show their pride of being a Native American and to honor OUR ancestors.
I wore my uniform to a party at my sister’s group home. She had never seen me in the uniform. Her housemates were very impressed that I am an Asst. Scoutmaster. I did not mean any disrespect of the uniform and wore it proudly. A few of the men at the home told me stories of when they were young and were scouts! I felt real proud to be involved with the BSA!!!
My son, who is a first-year, First Class Scout, has decided he wants to dress as a Scout for Halloween. We tried to get him to put a twist on it, like a “zombie Scout”, “lost Scout” or somesuch but in the end, he’s doing it (I think) because he doesn’t really like scary things and a Scout isn’t scary. It is his uniform and he earned everything on it, so I don’t see a problem with it from that respect. As an ASM for the last 10+ years, I don’t see that it impacts the program at all except in a positive way. If the kids think its cool and it helps promote Scouting in a positive (or at least, non-negative) way, I think that’s a good thing for the program in general.
I would suggest a Scout could wear an historic uniform, but even then, it would depend on the circumstances (where it would be worn…) so as to maintain proper respect.
I have seen young girls wearing the uniform at a hardware store for Halloween costume and I wanted to say something then but I didnt. I personally think wearing a scout uniform in any way other than at an official scouting event is not acceptable. I read some the other posts talking about police officers, firemen and kind of laugh because those careers dont actually depict a particular department or organization. They just usually have a pretend badge and a coat of some type. And in fact it is against most department policies to have a picture taken that could show the department in a negative way or showing endorsement of some kind (which I know is against BSA policy). In regards to a comment about scouts wearing Native American regallia, I have to respond that we are in NO way degrading those persons, in fact we are honoring them by trying to keep their beliefs and traditions alive.
NO, NO, NOT A COSTUME IT IS A UNIFORM TO BE PROUD OF.
wjlilly@hotmail.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fenglong/7918309226/ – Looks like marching in the Dragon*Con parade was a pack activity. I wasn’t sure about the uniform as a costume, but as a pack activity in the spirit of the event, I thought it was done well. And the council posted it on Facebook, so I think they were proud.
I disagree. There is nothing sacred about the Scout uniform. It is play clothes. Unless trick-or-treating is an activity inappropriate for scouts, then I don’t see any problem with it. Now if the playmate of the month appears wearing nothing buy his neckerchief, I would take offense.
“Play clothes” really?
Dressing up as a scout should be flattering to the BSA. If I see kids dressed as a firefighter, it makes me smile that they want to grow up and be like me. If they want to wear scout uniforms for halloween, maybe they will join scouts and see how much they can get out of it.
I love Scouting and I have for years. I am also in the US Navy and take pride that I serve in many ways. So I understand the importance of a uniform and what it represents. But please … aren’t we taking ourselves a little too seriously if we believe that we cannot “allow” people to wear the Scouting uniform because it dishonors the Scouting tradition.
Let’s all step back and remember what is important. It’s not the uniform or the organization. It is the boys that fill those outfits and make the organization.
BTW … our armed services get mocked daily by professionals. We don’t post signs saying you can’t wear our uniforms for Halloween.