“i don’t pick subjects as much as they pick me” March 11, 2009

I’ve expressed my concerns about Girl Scout cookies and I know I’m not alone on this one.  In fact, I’m so not alone that I’ve seen eerily identical posts popping up all over the place.  But I read an article this morning (online) about the idea of online sales and the reasons against it, according to a select few.

 

Apparently it ticked off a bunch of parents who felt that it was unfair to take such an intelligent, productive, resourceful route to selling a ton of cookies.  One parent said that this creates the ability to “suck the opportunity from other girls.”  Might I add that this particular parent is a man who is still involved with Girl Scouts although his daughters are well into their TWENTIES.  When you’re old enough to drink, don’t you find it strange (and disturbing) that your dad is still lingering around little girls and candy?  It strikes me as a bit too white-van-with-blacked-out-windows-ish. 

 

I understand the chief concern of the Girl Scout organization to be the safety of their girls, but when you say something like “Girl Scout Cookie activities are designed to be face-to-face learning experiences” and then throw in some whack job parent of adults hanging around and being that face, I don’t like it. 

 

This same guy has evidently argued that online sales create an unfair advantage to those in rural areas who don’t have computers or access to the internet.  Here’s a thought:  it’s 2009.  You can buy cars and groceries online.  You can find jobs online and you can meet husbands/wives-to-be online.  You can see what your friends are doing every 15 minutes, check the weather and find out who, today, is the lucky girl that the current Bachelor has decided he’s in love with.  I’m pretty sure even rural areas in North Carolina, Mr. Markie, have libraries, which no doubt provide access to the internet.  So the only reason you’re not online is because that’s your choice. 

 

In fact, these girls are encouraged to learn internet savviness and earn “Computer Smarts” and “CyberGirl Scout” badges, so I think it’s slightly backwards to then tell them that online sales are off limits.    

 

Sometimes I feel like Andy Rooney minus the uni-bush scrolling across my forehead.

 

On a lighter note, this weekend I strolled into the farmer’s market and found those sweet little green jewels perched at their tables (sans creepy older men) wearing those funny brown yarmulkes over their braided pigtails and finally stocked up.  Had I been given the opportunity to order online, though. . .