Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticCat
I'd agree that 13 is probably too young for OA. But I'm sorry you consider it hazing, because I can assure you it is not, not by any reasonable definition of that term. (Sorry if I'm being too blunt.) No way would the BSA approve of it if it were. Like I said, it was a pivotal event in my youth, and there was not a single second of it where I thought I was being hazed then or, looking back on it now, where I would consider anything done to be hazing.
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I think the fact that it is overseen by adults helps. I don't see the day of service as hazing. I think the "not speaking" and the camping out alone are the iffy parts. I will say that I did appreciate that they were upfront about what the Ordeal involved. Most of the boys in our troop receive an invitation to OA as soon as they get their First Class, which is usually at age 11/12. This troop is an Eagle producing troop. They encourage achieving Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class in your first year. Star after 6 months, Life after 6 more months and then they may take a year or two to finish Eagle. My son had just turned 11 when he crossed over so by 12, had achieved Tenderfoot and Second Class and had one requirement left for First Class. He has all the requirements for Star now, except the Board of Review and he'll be 13 next week. In fact, he'll probably have his BoR on Monday, the day before his 13th birthday. So yeah, they're on a fast track. If he decides some day to do OA, I won't stop him, but I don't know that *I* will feel totally comfortable that weekend! I just kept thinking during that video that if a fraternity didn't allow their members to talk and made them sleep alone in a remote area, it would be considered hazing. The video made a point to say that it IS not hazing like fraternities do, which kind of got my goat too..lol.
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