“Brownies”

“Brownies”

A reader explained the naming, now abandoned, of the girl scouting organization “Brownies.”

Brownies, originally called Rosebuds,[2] were first organized by Lord Baden-Powell in 1914, to complete the range of age groups for girls in Scouting . . . Originally the girls were called Rosebuds, but were renamed by Lord Baden-Powell after the girls had complained that they did not like their name. Their name comes from the story “The Brownies” by Juliana Horatia Ewing, written in 1870. In the story two children, Tommy and Betty, learn that children can be helpful brownies instead of being lazy boggarts.

brownie or broonie (Scots),[1] also known as a brùnaidh or gruagach (Scottish Gaelic), is a household spirit or Hobgoblin from Scottish folklore that is said to come out at night while the owners of the house are asleep and perform various chores and farming tasks.

In other words, ‘brownies” performed helpful chores.  So why is the name “offensive”?  Why should some freak have the right to terminate the name of an organization?  How can the organization’s leaders be such weak wimps?

Do white people have the strength of character to stand up for anything?

Another reader associates the name with the brown color of the uniforms.

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