I want to start this out by saying I’m not a big fan of boycotts. As a matter of fact, I will pretty much tell you, I don’t plan on advocating a boycott of Girl Scout cookies for anyone but myself, but (unless I can be convinced otherwise), I think I’ve had enough.
I’m a conservative, and I’ve had fellow conservative friends suggest I boycott the Girl Scout cookies over their continued left leaning policies. I’ve always laughed it off. I have friends all over the political spectrum, and the social spectrum, and I don’t care that much about individual politics.
And I like my Tagalongs and Thin Mints.
In the past (we’ve lived in the same house for over 25 years), we had the same girl come to our house several years in a row. We live on the corner of a very short dead end street, but that girl (I suspect) knew we were an “easy touch”. We (meaning I, much to my wife’s chagrin) would typically order 8 to 12 boxes, so we’d be stocked up for a while.
Then one year, a different girl came to the house. I apologized, and told her we typically buy from another girl. She laughed and said “Oh, that was Mary (or some other name, I don’t remember). She aged out of the program, and told me to be sure to come by here.” It’s still one of my favorite “I’m an easy touch” stories.
Then one day, the replacement didn’t show up. I asked my wife what was going on; where were my Thin Mints and Tagalongs? She let me know times had changed, little girls no longer felt safe going to houses alone, and parents found it easier to take them to the grocery stores and sell outside of them.
OK, I was fine with that. Besides, it meant I could fool my wife (and myself) into thinking I was buying less by only buying 4 or 5 boxes. At a time. Three times. Once on the first day I saw them, then again a couple of weeks later, and finally a “last day to buy” excuse when they pulled up stakes. I didn’t have a personal dealer for my “drug of choice” anymore, but I still got my fix, and all was good. I even started a fun test a couple of years back (when they went to $4 a box) of saying “OK, give me four” to see if they would try to upsell me to five to make it an even $20. Most were trained well, and usually did.
Then the whole “boycott Girl Scout cookies” nonsense started. I laughed it off. I’m very conservative, and I’m a Christian, but I don’t insist that everyone I interact with believe the way I do. I still got my fix, and life was still good.
But today, I got information from a friend about an article from MyGirlScoutCouncil.com . Please don’t bother informing me that they are not an official Girl Scout web site. I know that. I’m an IT professional, I know how easy it is to obtain a misleading domain name. However, THIS particular news bothers me.
This was an article about a Girl Scout (Meghna Gopalan) getting a Gold Award for her work on women’s “reproductive health justice”. (see https://www.lifenews.com/2019/03/05/girl-scouts-gives-its-highest-award-to-teen-who-organized-campaign-promoting-abortion/ ).
I’m sorry, I think this has now crossed a line. Unless you can show me somewhere that the Girl Scouts, as an organization, at ANY council are similarly supporting right to life issues, centers for unwed mothers, or any other similar anti-abortion organization; I believe I’m done.
Next year, when I get stopped at the grocery store to buy cookies, I will hand the adults a paper explaining why I can no longer support an organization that tacitly supports what I consider to me another holocaust. I won’t hand it the children, because frankly some information about abortion is traumatizing, but I feel the parents should know why their fund-raising is being affected. Unless I can be shown something that indicates support, by the organization, of an opposing view, I’m left with no other choice but to agree that the Girl Scouts are supporting this atrocity.
Update 3/25/2019
I’m glad I found this out. Yes, I realize that Snopes is not exactly neutral on their fact-checking, but this one sounds legit. Apparently the young lady in question has not even yet completed the requirements for the award, and Girl Scout leadership for Southern Arizona confirmed that her project will not address abortion.
Like I said, I’m not fond of boycotts in general; and in this case, I may have climbed on board a little too quickly