As someone who took a feminist literature class and was made very, very uncomfortable by the... intimacy I met (I felt that students going on and on about lesbian encounters, and talking about what it was like to be a lesbian jewish feminist - when we didn't actually get to any literature at all - was a bit much), and as someone whose sense of humor borders on the childishly crude, this idea makes me laugh out loud, and then promptly feel guilty for doing so, even though I don't know why.
Of course, as a young man who is sexually repressed by being Southern, Irish, and distantly Catholic, I have not seen the Vagina Monologues, so I can't say whether this article is a decent judge of what it's about. I can only expect that I would probably burst into flames within the first five minutes. I have a friend who is not so erudite who astutely reports that "it sucks," but that doesn't exactly sound qualified.
Personally, if sexual freedom means that I'm going to have to suck on a "vagina-pop" in public, or wax poetic upon the scent of vaginas to a total stranger, I think repression sounds okay. I feel guilty for saying that, but, again, I don't know why.
EDIT: I was going to say that I thought using the term "Penis Warrior" was too crude and childish, but then I remembered that, no, they were not simply making the term up and were making a play on the phrase "Vagina Warrior," which I had forgotten existed. Don't know what to say about that.
[ May 04, 2005, 03:22 AM: Message edited by: Book ]
Posts: 2258 | Registered: Aug 2003
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That article strikes me as extremely biased - it seems like the author took offense at the displays of sexuality on V-Day but doesn't understand (or doesn't care about) the real purpose of the day. V-Day isn't just a day to be gratuitously raunchy. It's a global protest movement to stop violence against women. You can read more about it here.
posted
"It's a global protest movement to stop violence against women..."
...by being gratuituously, arrogantly raunchy.
V-Day does women no favors, I'm afraid. Like Gay Pride parades, it's an excuse to cut loose and pretend like you're doing something beyond alienating the mainstream.
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Personally, I think The Vagina Monologues are great insofar as they give women a feeling of empowerment. And a few of the monologues are hilarious. From a purely theatrical standpoint, though, many of them are very poorly written.
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I know that Ornery spent 3 pages on this topic. I think it is hilarious and appropriate to satire V-day with P-day.
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quote: “Testaclese” tipped the scales when he approached the university Provost, Edward J. Kavanagh, outside the student union. Apparently taking him/it for a giant mushroom, Provost Kavanagh cheerfully greeted him. But when Testaclese presented him with an honorary award as a campus “Penis Warrior,” the stunned official realized that it was no mushroom. After this incident, which was recorded on videotape, the promoters of P-Day were ordered to cease circulating their flyers and to keep Testaclese off campus grounds. Mindful of how school officers had never once protested any of the antics of Vagina warriors, the P-warriors did not comply. The Testaclese costume was then confiscated and formal charges followed.
That's no moon...
But seriously, this is the first negative view I've heard of TVM--though to be fair I've never done much research. I heard about it from a few teachers of mine in the theatre program. One of my professors even said BYU put it on. Once.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I would hope that if they are actually charged, the students counter-sue on the basis of sexual discrimination.
I would not like to be around either of these things, and not because I'm "repressed". Far from it. I just think that some things can go too far, and a line has definitely been crossed.
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quote: That article strikes me as extremely biased - it seems like the author took offense at the displays of sexuality on V-Day but doesn't understand (or doesn't care about) the real purpose of the day. V-Day isn't just a day to be gratuitously raunchy. It's a global protest movement to stop violence against women. You can read more about it here.
~Jane~
I understand that V-Day may have a better intention and message than P-Day, but agreeing with the message shouldn't be a prerequisite for approving or allowing a similar demonstration.
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