Summary of The Scouts are too woke, according to Pete Hegseth

Overview of Code Switch — "The Scouts are too woke, according to Pete Hegseth"

This Code Switch episode (NPR) responds to a public denunciation of Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hosts Gene Demby and B.A. Parker interview historian Benjamin Rene Jordan to place Hegseth’s claims in historical context and explain how debates over race, gender, militarism, and public support have shaped scouting from its origins to today.

Pete Hegseth — what he said and what he demanded

• Hegseth posted a video criticizing Scouting America as “gravely wounded” by DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion), gender inclusivity, and loss of religious focus; called some changes “anti-American.”
• Specific demands/positions he pushed:
  • Comply with anti‑DEI executive orders or risk losing Department of Defense support.
  • Ban transgender kids from participating under their affirmed gender (use sex assigned at birth).
  • Remove a 2020 “citizenship” merit badge created after George Floyd’s murder (he saw it as politicized).
  • Add a military service merit badge.
  • Waive membership fees for military families.
  • He gave Scouting six months to comply or face consequences.
• Timing note: Hegseth posted his critique publicly one day before the U.S. entered a crisis with Iran, a point the hosts mock as poor timing.

Historian Benjamin Rene Jordan — key corrections and context

• Jordan calls Hegseth’s account historically inaccurate and misleading.
• Early scouting (1910s–1930s) was massively popular and, in many respects, progressive:
  • Between 1910–1930, more than 5 million Americans were involved in scouting-related activities; the Scout Handbook was a top-selling English-language book, second only to the Bible in some claims.
  • The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was proactive about including marginalized groups—African Americans, Jews, Catholics, immigrants—relative to many other national institutions of the era.
  • The BSA publicly opposed exclusionary organizations like the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s.
• Scouting’s core early emphases: outdoor skills, civic engagement, community uplift, environmental conservation, and character/citizenship training—not a straightforwardly militaristic program.
• The narrative that scouting has always been conservative or exclusionary is inaccurate; BSA’s orientation shifted multiple times across the 20th century.

Scouts and the military — complicated relationship

• Origins: Scouting began in Britain with some military trappings but the American version deliberately positioned itself as civilian character-building, not a junior military force.
• There have been military‑sponsored troops (e.g., on bases), and the BSA received a federal charter (1916), which created preferred access to public lands and other forms of government support.
• Competing youth groups historically ranged from pacifist “Peace Scouts” to overtly militaristic groups; BSA chose a civilian-leaning path that nonetheless supported wartime home-front efforts (bond drives, material collection) during the world wars.
• Because of base-based troops and historical ties, the Defense Department can influence certain privileges; Hegseth threatened to leverage that.

Membership changes and why they happened

• Peak and decline:
  • Scouting’s cultural centrality peaked early–mid 20th century; declines began in the 1960s–70s.
  • Causes for decline: urbanization, changing youth culture (counterculture, anti‑establishment sentiment), and emerging alternatives for youth engagement.
• Policy shifts:
  • 1970s: Scouting tried to adapt to changing society (including some inclusion efforts) but continued to lose membership.
  • 1980s: A partial “back to traditional” pivot made the organization narrower and less broadly welcoming than it had been earlier.
  • 2000s–2010s: Legal battles over sexual orientation and later gender identity; some sponsoring groups left and splinter, more conservative scout alternatives formed.
• Girl Scouts vs. Boy Scouts: Contrary to common assumptions, early BSA was often more active on racial/religious inclusion than the Girl Scouts until mid‑20th century; the Girl Scouts later became recognized for progressive stances on gender issues.

What happened after Hegseth’s pressure — and the irony

• According to Jordan, Scouting America largely refused to reverse its inclusive policies: girls, trans, and gay youth and leaders remain part of the organization in practice.
• Hegseth’s demands removed a DEI committee and a newly created citizenship badge, but the organization kept its broader inclusivity. Jordan frames this as an anticlimax for critics: inclusive policies now make it possible for girls, trans, and gay youth to pursue the same opportunities (including a military service badge) that critics wanted to keep restricted—an ironic expansion of access.

Cultural and political implications (Jordan’s reading)

• Hegseth’s intervention exemplifies the partisanization of federal officials and institutions; nonpartisanship in roles like Defense Secretary is less assumed in current politics.
• The attack on Scouting reflects a cultural-battleground strategy: targeting a widely recognized, symbolic national institution draws attention and plays to cultural grievances even if practical leverage (e.g., withholding park access) is limited.
• Jordan argues that, on balance, scouting’s leadership largely “won” the policy fight by keeping inclusion, even if some symbolic concessions were made.

Main takeaways

• Hegseth’s “too woke” framing simplifies and misstates scouting’s history; the BSA has a long, complex record that includes early and significant efforts at inclusion.
• Scouting historically emphasized civic engagement, outdoor education, and inclusion as core to citizenship—contrary to the idea that it was always narrowly conservative or militaristic.
• Membership decline is multifactorial (social modernization, youth culture shifts, policy changes), not solely due to DEI.
• Current policy fights are as much about symbolic cultural positioning as about concrete programmatic needs; despite political pressure, Scouting America has largely retained its more inclusive stance.

Further resources

• Benjamin Rene Jordan — Modern Manhood and the Boy Scouts of America: Citizenship, Race, and the Environment, 1910–1930 (book referenced by the guest).
• NPR Code Switch episode: “The Scouts are too woke, according to Pete Hegseth” (for full interview and audio).