Vagina Debate
Oh the Monologues. They come to campus every year and each time the self-righteous super conservative Catholics get all hyped up about the poor Virgin Mary who is now crying on top of the dome. Forget that vaginas can be raped, abused, and degraded...no no, on this campus vaginas are for one thing and one thing only - sex. (shudder) Sex. Oh just the word Vagina sends chills down their spines such that they feel it necessary to develop their own theories about what VDAY stands for instead of coming to see the play or at least doing a bit of research about it. So, in an attempt to combat it with a little bit of middle of the road support from two new VDAY women, Karla and I wrote into Viewpoint in the campus's Observer newspaper. Here is the saga:
Celebrate the V-Day mission
Published: Thursday, January 27, 2005
Last year we went to the show just like everyone else. We laughed, we cried and then we decided that next year we definitely wanted to be a part of it. But the "it" we wanted was to be a part of the production - to get up on stage and talk about how our vaginas would wear jewels or to get a chance to wear that super short skirt that we bought from Meijer for an unsightly price.
So, we tried out and found out that the Vagina Monologues is so much more than a show about vaginas. It's a show about women - all sorts of women - old, young, Catholic, Jewish, liberal, conservative, blond or brunette. So if you've got a vagina or know someone that does, you can relate to and love the show.
The Vagina Monologues is not a sex show or a degradation of the female population. Actually, it is the exact opposite. Eve Ensler's play celebrates the unique beauty and intelligence that every woman possesses. The mission of V-Day is straightforward - Until the Violence Stops.
By becoming a part of this fervor, we learned about the V-Day dreams - that one day, the women in Africa will be free from the horrors of female genital mutilation, that the women of Pakistan can show their acid-burned faces to the world, that the women of South Bend will be cherished instead of brutally beaten and that the women of Notre Dame will use the blessings that God gave us and speak out with and for the women of the world.
So come and see what it's all about.
Karla Bell
Molly Savage
seniors
off-campus
Jan. 26
It's so absurd it makes me giggle...
And his glorious rebutal...
Play doesn't protect women
Published: Monday, January 31, 2005
Violence against women, like many things in our world, is something that not only contributes to the breakdown of society, it also is just sad. As is our Catholic mission here at Notre Dame, we must reach out and protect all in society who are defenseless - battered women, victims of abortion, the poor and the list goes on.
However, I think those involved with the Vagina Monologues fail in this mission. I was absolutely appalled at the nature of Karla Bell and Molly Savage's letter on Jan. 27. How does this production help stop women's violence? If anything, it makes a woman's anatomy into something to be joked about, dishonored and trivialized. I believe this type of activity would promote violence against women more than protect against it. Why do people in the world mutilate these women and their bodies? The answer is that the women are seen as lesser, as not worth dignity and respect.
Trust me, ladies, by talking about your God-given bodies in such a vulgar way, you do not promote dignity for yourselves - you destroy it.
During early World War II, the Nazis would execute individuals by shooting them with guns into a pit of bodies. However, they later changed methods. Not only were bullets becoming too costly, but the executioners were having trouble killing so many people, especially ones who spoke German. This was because the Nazis saw the people they were killing almost as equals. To hurt someone, a person must see the other as inferior. Otherwise, the task becomes more difficult.
The same applies to this case. Women who are abused, raped, prostituted and murdered are seen as less than human beings by their victimizers. We ought to promote things that go against this trend, not support it.
Even if some aspects of this production really do aim at goals of stopping violence, one cannot ignore the glaring ways in which this message is brought across. The body of a woman is sacred, and we should treat it that way, not only in our actions but also in our words.
Dan Allen
sophomore
O'Neill Hall
Jan. 29
Celebrate the V-Day mission
Published: Thursday, January 27, 2005
Last year we went to the show just like everyone else. We laughed, we cried and then we decided that next year we definitely wanted to be a part of it. But the "it" we wanted was to be a part of the production - to get up on stage and talk about how our vaginas would wear jewels or to get a chance to wear that super short skirt that we bought from Meijer for an unsightly price.
So, we tried out and found out that the Vagina Monologues is so much more than a show about vaginas. It's a show about women - all sorts of women - old, young, Catholic, Jewish, liberal, conservative, blond or brunette. So if you've got a vagina or know someone that does, you can relate to and love the show.
The Vagina Monologues is not a sex show or a degradation of the female population. Actually, it is the exact opposite. Eve Ensler's play celebrates the unique beauty and intelligence that every woman possesses. The mission of V-Day is straightforward - Until the Violence Stops.
By becoming a part of this fervor, we learned about the V-Day dreams - that one day, the women in Africa will be free from the horrors of female genital mutilation, that the women of Pakistan can show their acid-burned faces to the world, that the women of South Bend will be cherished instead of brutally beaten and that the women of Notre Dame will use the blessings that God gave us and speak out with and for the women of the world.
So come and see what it's all about.
Karla Bell
Molly Savage
seniors
off-campus
Jan. 26
It's so absurd it makes me giggle...
And his glorious rebutal...
Play doesn't protect women
Published: Monday, January 31, 2005
Violence against women, like many things in our world, is something that not only contributes to the breakdown of society, it also is just sad. As is our Catholic mission here at Notre Dame, we must reach out and protect all in society who are defenseless - battered women, victims of abortion, the poor and the list goes on.
However, I think those involved with the Vagina Monologues fail in this mission. I was absolutely appalled at the nature of Karla Bell and Molly Savage's letter on Jan. 27. How does this production help stop women's violence? If anything, it makes a woman's anatomy into something to be joked about, dishonored and trivialized. I believe this type of activity would promote violence against women more than protect against it. Why do people in the world mutilate these women and their bodies? The answer is that the women are seen as lesser, as not worth dignity and respect.
Trust me, ladies, by talking about your God-given bodies in such a vulgar way, you do not promote dignity for yourselves - you destroy it.
During early World War II, the Nazis would execute individuals by shooting them with guns into a pit of bodies. However, they later changed methods. Not only were bullets becoming too costly, but the executioners were having trouble killing so many people, especially ones who spoke German. This was because the Nazis saw the people they were killing almost as equals. To hurt someone, a person must see the other as inferior. Otherwise, the task becomes more difficult.
The same applies to this case. Women who are abused, raped, prostituted and murdered are seen as less than human beings by their victimizers. We ought to promote things that go against this trend, not support it.
Even if some aspects of this production really do aim at goals of stopping violence, one cannot ignore the glaring ways in which this message is brought across. The body of a woman is sacred, and we should treat it that way, not only in our actions but also in our words.
Dan Allen
sophomore
O'Neill Hall
Jan. 29