...No?
You aren't paying for the merit badge per se, you're paying for the physical manifestation of it. You have to do the work and meet the goals in order to get the merit badge. Once you've earned the merit badge, there's no need to pay for the embroidered patch if you don't want to. It's not going to affect whether or not you are able to get your Eagle.
I mean.. not really? I get the meme but there are a ton of merit badges you can do sitting in your room. I was a scout 15-20 years ago, I remember going through my handbook and doing all of the badges I was able to without going anywhere or buying anything in one weekend and asking my leader for like 15 badges the next day.
Though I may have to correct myself, I think these were belt loops I was earning at this point, I don't remember the difference (I think the fancy sash comes a little later, at which point.. maybe my comment was unnecessary.)
Belt loops would have been for Cub Scouts. Merit badges are for Boy Scouts. There's definitely plenty you can do at home for both, but with merit badges you need a merit badge counselor, who may or may not be your leader
They're volunteers though, so it was often free. We only had to pay for supplies if the requirements for the badge included using supplies.
I always appreciate the memes that show up at Lemmy, but this meme reduces the amount of effort that also goes into earning some merit badges. I think it’s funny but kind of tone deaf.
Swing and a miss. Eagle scouts have some crazy community service requirements.
Absolutely not. The VAST majority of shit was inexpensive. Having an adult around interested was the top hack.
Most of them are free. You only need to pay for supplies for the ones that require it, like shotgun shooting merit badge, which requires ammunition. I guess you could say it's a plot to sell little books, but my troop would use our weekly dues to buy the books for us if we decided to take a merit badge class. At summer camp you could load up on classes and get 4-6 merit badges in a single week. Boy Scouts is honestly one of the coolest and best things I've ever been involved in in my entire life. It made me the person I am today, and taught me so much about the world. Be prepared!