Cookie Monsters: Religious Right Marks Anniversary Of Girl Scouts With Bogus Attacks
Rob Boston printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 11:46:56 AM EST
I was doing some grocery shopping this weekend, and as I left the store I was persuaded to make one last purchase. Outside were several Girl Scouts sitting at a table surrounded by boxes of cookies. I immediately reached for my wallet.

Girl Scout cookies rock. I'm partial to Thin Mints, Trefoils and Samoas. Plus, my daughter was a member of the Scouts when she was younger, so I've always had a soft spot for the organization.

But now there's an added bonus to buying the cookies: You get to annoy the Religious Right.

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, so it's an especially meaningful time for the organization, its leaders and members. Unfortunately, the anniversary has also sparked a raft of new attacks on the venerable group by Religious Right cranks. The Girls Scouts, you see, are accused of promoting feminism, abortion and godlessness.

This is nothing new. Back in 1994, Focus on the Family blasted the Girl Scouts after the group made a religious oath optional for membership. FOF founder James Dobson asserted that the Girl Scouts had "lost their way" and accused the group of "pushing a philosophy - a philosophy that includes humanism and radical feminism."

Seven years after that, FOF's Citizen magazine reprinted a hatchet job on the Girl Scouts that had originally run in the National Review. The article concluded ominously, "There are currently 2.7 million Girl Scouts in the U.S. That's a lot of liberal feminists to look forward to."

Two years ago, culture warrior Charles W. Colson piled on in a column, labeling the Girl Scouts dupes for Planned Parenthood. Colson exhorted his followers to boycott the annual cookie sale.

The right-wing attacks on the Girl Scouts are fueled by misinformation and, in some cases, outright lies. For example, the American branch of the Girl Scouts takes no stand on issues like abortion. And their alleged godlessness is also a myth. The Girl Scout Promise includes a vow "to serve God and my country." Most girls still say it, but it's no longer required. The Girl Scouts favor inclusion and didn't want any girl who might feel uncomfortable reciting a religious oath to be excluded.

So what the Religious Right's real beef with the Girl Scouts? I think it boils down to the fact that the Girl Scouts produce something the Religious Right fears: confident, self-assured women. As we've seen in recent weeks, so much of the Religious Right agenda is about control of others. In the case of women, it's about controlling their reproductive freedom - even to the extent that the theocrats are now trying to undermine access to birth control.

Are the Girl Scouts producing "feminists"? If you define that word as any woman who believes she has the right to determine her own destiny, then yes, they are. As the father of a soon-to-be 18-year-old young woman, I'm thankful for the range of opportunities that await her. My wife and I have worked to give her to skills to take advantage of them. We couldn't do it alone, and if the Girl Scouts helped bring that about, then more power to them.

The Religious Right will just have to get over it. We aren't going back.

So take my advice and pick up a couple of extra boxes of Girl Scout cookies this year. If you're watching your weight or can't eat the cookies due to allergies, give them to friends as gifts or donate them to a local food bank. You get great-tasting cookies, the Girl Scouts get support and the Religious Right gets a merit badge in impotent intolerance.

Talk about a win-win.    



To discuss this story, sign up for a free account

Display:
Cookie Monsters: Religious Right Marks Anniversary Of Girl Scouts With Bogus Attacks | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
Heck yes Thin Mints (5.00 / 2)
In Addition, the Girls Scouts recently accepted a trans girl despite protests from right wing radio reactionaries in another state.

by Hirador on Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 06:29:55 PM EST
How appropriate. (none / 0)
Just recently, as in less than an hour ago, I gave my last roll of Thin Mints to my nephew and him mother to share. I searched in vain for something suitable to share instead, and finally gave in to the fact that my less-than svelte figure could go without just fine. Hehe.

More on-topic, or at least as much as I can usually muster, how crass and base that an entity that labels itself as a pro-fambly org. would stoop to such despicable depths, all in the cause of their woefully hateful rhetoric bashing of those who do not kowtow to their beliefs. I doubt that many Christian GS leaders were happy to read/hear such malarkey spewed at them and their troop members, but I'm guessing that they'd be considered CINOs by FOF and their ilk.



by trog69 on Mon Mar 19, 2012 at 05:22:55 PM EST
Parent


Good thoughts (4.50 / 2)
I was a Girl Scout for a time when I was a kid, my sister-in-law has been a Scout mom, and two of my nieces have been in Girl Scouts. I think you're on to something with the observation that the Religious Right fears the confident women that Girl Scouts encourage girls to become. Some parents in Southwestern Ohio decided to start their own group called "American Heritage Girls" as they thought the Girl Scouts to be insufficiently religious or patriotic (I thought that one was crazy.) The American Heritage Girls groups have spread throughout the country, particularly in areas where the Religious Right is strong. The area where the American Heritage Girls originated is in suburban Cincinnati, which is John Boehner's constituency and tends to be rather conservative.

I'm also embarrassed that Bob Morris, the legislator who led the attack on the Girl Scouts in the Indiana Legislature, is a fellow Midwesterner (I was born in Indiana) and Catholic. He's pretty embarrassing. I've had my differences of opinion with the GOP dominated Indiana Legislature, but in this case, the majority of legislators showed common sense, and Speaker Brian Bosma went out and bought many boxes of Girl Scout Cookies to hand out.

by khughes1963 on Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 01:06:35 PM EST

A comparison (5.00 / 1)
between the "American Heritage Girls" and the Girl Scouts would be enlightening.  As I've heard, the AHG focus on submission to authority (and that being the case, I'm sure they also suppress the self-esteem of the girls or tie it to religiosity), while the Girl Scouts encourage them and build their self-esteem.   Of course, my information is second-hand (from three or four sources), but if someone could get their training manuals and so on and compare them to the real McCoy, it would be a worthwhile endeavor.  (My information says they are solidly of the Reconstructionist/Southern Baptist branch of dominionism.)

Then there are the "Missionettes"... by the Assemblies/NAR branch of dominionism.  I know more about them than I do the AHG, and they're definitely focused on submission to authority and religiosity - and forcing one's religion on others.  Their idea of womanhood is 50s "Beaver Cleaver household" at best, except that they do encourage young ladies to be very pushy with religion.  Take everything bad about dominionism and focus it into an organization made to be an ersatz replacements for scouting - and you have the "Royal Rangers" and "Missionettes".

I just wish that the GS would also have a sugar-free version of some of their cookies, btw.  I rather liked them, the few times we could afford to buy some.

by ArchaeoBob on Tue Mar 13, 2012 at 10:01:51 AM EST
Parent



I love Samoas! (3.50 / 2)
I liked your post and agreed with everything up to the point that you wrote, "the Girl Scouts produce something the Religious Right fears: confident, self-assured women. As we've seen in recent weeks, so much of the Religious Right agenda is about control of others." If we want to engage intelligently with the folks on the right, we need to understand them and not just speak out against caricatures and straw men. Most folks on the right don't hate women and don't want to control women. It isn't hate that motivates them; it's fear. They feel that "liberalism" is advancing and their culture and values are under attack. They feel that they are being pushed out of the public square and that their children are being brainwashed by secular media, public schools and now the Girl Scouts to adopt secular values. I think the attack on the Girl Scouts is over-blown. Most folks on the right have no problem with the girl scouts. And the few that do are reacting to some bad information. The truth is that the Girl Scouts are neither pro-choice nor pro-life. They are neither pro-religion or anti-religion. And neither pro-contraception or anti-contraception. For the most part they have done a great job of staying clear of political, ethical, and religious issues. I think most people agree about that. And, besides, with cookies as good as theirs, who could ever really oppose them? Armed with thin mints and samoas, those little brats could probably conquer the world if they set their minds to it! :)

by dscribner on Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 02:02:21 PM EST
fear (5.00 / 1)
I'm a bit perplexed by your comment. You quote the article accurately that "the Girl Scouts produce something the Religious Right fears," but then you go on to write that it is not hate that motivates the RR, but fear. Well, yes ~ you and Rob Boston are both saying the same thing, so why do you frame your statement as a contradiction to his?

As for the RR's desire to control women, this is precisely what we are seeing and follows naturally from fear. The usual human response to something we fear is to try to subdue it, to neutralize or remove its power, to eliminate it from our lives, if possible. Obviously women cannot be completely eliminated, so the RR's policies are aimed at disempowering women, and right now they are doing it primarily by targeting women's reproductive health and choices. That is certainly evidence of a desire to control.

And by the way, NO ONE gets between me and my Thin Mints!

by MLouise on Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 05:26:12 PM EST
Parent
Great question! (none / 0)
Yes, I can see how I was a bit unclear. What I mean is that it's not confident, strong women that that the RR fears. They LOVE Sarah Palin. They love Michele Bachmann. And remember: half the people in the Religious Right are women themselves. So it's not strong, confident women that they fear. And it's not control that they want. They are responding to what they feel are attacks against them and their value system. They fear marginalization. They want to protect their children from what they see as elements in society with an anti-religion agenda.

by dscribner on Tue Mar 13, 2012 at 01:12:14 PM EST
Parent
I'm not so sure about that (5.00 / 1)
Palin and Bachmann were very adept with the dogwhistle, and there is evidence that they're much less strong than they appear.  Bachmann really side-stepped when they asked about her being submissive to her husband, after all.  If either of them were elected to office, I am certain that they'd really just be figureheads for their husbands (and for the people "in authority" over their husbands - the preachers).

As far as control... don't make me laugh.  I've lived around them for decades (wish we could live somewhere that wasn't so dangerous and full of thought control), and it is EXACTLY what they want.  If you don't submit or you resist, they will do anything, including violence, to try to force you to obey or erase you from being an irritant.  They speak about protecting their children, but that too is dogwhistle and part of their justification for trying to take over the country.

There are too many examples that show your comment to be wrong... where the dominionists (the Republican party has been steeplejacked for years) try to force teaching religion in the science classroom, forcing religion into government, and so on.  If anything, they fear that their comfortable but false "world" will come tumbling down around their ears one day, which unless they force that world on everyone else (dominion-ism after all), will happen.  As many of us have commented at one time or another, saying "NO!" to them is viewed as an attack, as is refusing to submit to the authority of their preachers/leaders, or buying into their value system.  In fact, I say (based upon experience) that being nice to them is only viewed as "I'm interested, give/tell me more!".

by ArchaeoBob on Tue Mar 13, 2012 at 05:13:51 PM EST
Parent

Hate is to fear as peanut butter is to jelly (none / 0)
If any woman is not ladylike and virginal, fear turns to hate very quickly. Bachmann and Palin themselves are very good haters, and hating little girls for being transgendered or supportive of kids who are different (Not go along with the bullying! Shame on you!) is a good example of stepping down hard on girls and women who don't toe the line. Rush Limbaugh and "abortion clinic" protesters are extreme examples of hate, but shame and exclusion are everyday examples of the fear and hate that awaits women if their behaviour or just the way God made them isn't "right".

by arachne646 on Fri Mar 16, 2012 at 02:20:29 PM EST
Parent
Very true (none / 0)
Women aren't the only ones who've been put through those ringers.

They do it to ANYONE who doesn't toe or spew the line.

That hate will also ramp up to violence, and it's far more common than most people realize.


by ArchaeoBob on Fri Mar 16, 2012 at 10:43:04 PM EST
Parent


I might add (none / 0)
that in my experience, fear and hate are NOT connected, unless one doesn't react properly to fear.  I don't associate them at all... they are completely different emotions and have completely different pathways.

One can fear AND hate at the same time, but it's the same sort of relationship as love and sadness.

Maybe I'm really strange or different, I don't know.  But connecting fear and hate is about as strange and foreign to me as people saying that love and hate are related.


by ArchaeoBob on Fri Mar 16, 2012 at 10:46:56 PM EST
Parent






Culture and values in transition (none / 0)
In a sense, the "religious right" is correct: Their culture and values are indeed under attack. But they have incorrectly identified the source of the attack. In 1873, the following words were penned: "The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System -- the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed." These words, by Baha'u'llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith, refer to the impending unification of the entire human race in a worldwide civilization and the eventual establishment of global peace, a time and condition prophesied by every great religion in history. Obviously, many of humankind's old ways, concepts, cultures and values must change before we can achieve this new stage in our development, so, since Baha'u'llah revealed those words, the nations of the world have gone through an ever-accelerating revolution. This revolution is not being led by the Girl Scouts or even by the political left (which has its own version of disorientation because of the change). It is being led by God, Who revealed His will for humanity in this time through Baha'u'llah.

by eeyore on Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 09:45:56 PM EST
Parent
You may be right (none / 0)
But I think a lot of people (on both the right and the left) would disagree with you.

by dscribner on Tue Mar 13, 2012 at 01:13:11 PM EST
Parent

proselytizing (none / 0)
This comment reads a lot like proselytizing to me. It's fine to explain another faith's viewpoint and beliefs, but I don't think preaching it is particularly appropriate on this website. Please consider using qualifying language in the future. Thanks!

by MLouise on Wed Mar 14, 2012 at 12:21:57 PM EST
Parent

A Word From The Management (none / 0)
eeyore, we do not argue theology on this site. Nor do we engage in making unsupported claims for our respective faiths, even as they may inform our perspectives.

We have people of many faiths who participate here and many people on the spectrum of non-faith views. All who share our concerns about the religious right are welcome. We are not here to convert one another to or from our religious beliefs or to debate them. The Terms of Service and the site guidelines are clear on this. Comments such as yours are off topic.  The site topic is the religious right and what to do about it. Any future such comments will be deleted and may be grounds for banning.

by Frederick Clarkson on Fri Mar 16, 2012 at 03:15:33 PM EST
Parent




Hello (none / 0)
With the anniversary of the Girl Scouts of America, it is disheartening to see the Religious Right use such baseless attacks against the organization.  peter veres fitness training Not only do their claims lack evidence, but they are also highly offensive. The Girl Scouts have always been a source of inspiration for young girls and women, and it is sad to see that their work has been maligned in this manner. The Girl Scouts should be applauded for their work in empowering and educating young women, not maligned through false accusations.

by isabelladom on Sat Feb 04, 2023 at 03:13:27 AM EST

Cookie Monsters: Religious Right Marks Anniversary Of Girl Scouts With Bogus Attacks | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)

WWW Talk To Action


Cognitive Dissonance & Dominionism Denial
There is new research on why people are averse to hearing or learning about the views of ideological opponents. Based on evaluation of five......
By Frederick Clarkson (374 comments)
Will the Air Force Do Anything To Rein In Its Dynamic Duo of Gay-Bashing, Misogynistic Bloggers?
"I always get nervous when I see female pastors/chaplains. Here is why everyone should as well: "First, women are not called to be pastors,......
By Chris Rodda (195 comments)
The Legacy of Big Oil
The media is ablaze with the upcoming publication of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon. The shocking non fiction account of the......
By wilkyjr (110 comments)
Gimme That Old Time Dominionism Denial
Over the years, I have written a great deal here and in other venues about the explicitly theocratic movement called dominionism -- which has......
By Frederick Clarkson (101 comments)
History Advisor to Members of Congress Completely Twists Jefferson's Words to Support Muslim Ban
Pseudo-historian David Barton, best known for his misquoting of our country's founders to promote the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation,......
By Chris Rodda (113 comments)
"Christian Fighter Pilot" Calls First Lesbian Air Force Academy Commandant a Liar
In a new post on his "Christian Fighter Pilot" blog titled "BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code," Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan......
By Chris Rodda (144 comments)
Catholic Right Leader Unapologetic about Call for 'Death to Liberal Professors' -- UPDATED
Today, Donald Trump appointed C-FAM Executive Vice President Lisa Correnti to the US Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women. (C-FAM is a......
By Frederick Clarkson (126 comments)
Controlling Information
     Yesterday I listened to Russ Limbaugh.  Rush advised listeners it would be best that they not listen to CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS and......
By wilkyjr (118 comments)
Is Bannon Fifth-Columning the Pope?
In December 2016 I wrote about how White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who likes to flash his Catholic credentials when it comes to......
By Frank Cocozzelli (250 comments)
Ross Douthat's Hackery on the Seemingly Incongruous Alliance of Bannon & Burke
Conservative Catholic writer Ross Douthat has dissembled again. This time, in a February 15, 2017 New York Times op-ed titled The Trump Era's Catholic......
By Frank Cocozzelli (64 comments)
`So-Called Patriots' Attack The Rule Of Law
Every so often, right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan lurches out of the far-right fever swamp where he has resided for the past 50 years to......
By Rob Boston (161 comments)
Bad Faith from Focus on the Family
Here is one from the archives, Feb 12, 2011, that serves as a reminder of how deeply disingenuous people can be. Appeals to seek......
By Frederick Clarkson (176 comments)
The Legacy of George Wallace
"One need not accept any of those views to agree that they had appealed to real concerns of real people, not to mindless, unreasoning......
By wilkyjr (70 comments)
Betsy DeVos's Mudsill View of Public Education
My Talk to Action colleague Rachel Tabachnick has been doing yeoman's work in explaining Betsy DeVos's long-term strategy for decimating universal public education. If......
By Frank Cocozzelli (80 comments)
Prince and DeVos Families at Intersection of Radical Free Market Privatizers and Religious Right
This post from 2011 surfaces important information about President-Elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. -- FC Erik Prince, Brother of Betsy......
By Rachel Tabachnick (218 comments)

Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (211 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (156 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (330 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (148 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.