Arrow is one element that "exemplifies the much larger phenomenon of 'playing Indian'...Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts, Order of the Arrow. Order of Red Men. Campfire Girls. Woodcraft. Boston Tea Party. 'White Indians' – white New Agers as Native American 'wannabes.' ... To pursue the argument a step further, what is 'playing Indian,' 'playing Native,' 'playing an Other,' all about? It is about play, for one thing, in the sense of dressing up, masquerade, the Bakhtinian carnivalesque...It is also about appropriation, in the sense of taking on, assuming an other's identity, taking another's identity. The implication here is replacing one with another, silencing another, speaking for another." Elections to the Order of the Arrow have likewise sparked controversy as being little more than popularity contests, especially in troops where scouts attend the same schools and are friends outside of the troop. As such, deserving scouts, who are not popular among their troop mates, frequently remain excluded from the Order of the Arrow. In larger troops, the election of younger scouts almost never occurs since older scouts dominate the troop leadership and will frequently only elect their peers rather than scouts who are several years younger. The Chairman of the Order of the Arrow acknowledged in 2011 that elections were a challenge, and that steps had been taken for adult leaders to make a greater effort to convey the serious nature of Order of the Arrow membership to members of the troop. References External links The Internet Guide to OA Insignia Boy Scouts of America Youth organizations established in 1915 Honor societies