THE ‘VAGINA MONOLOGUES’ SPEAK ON ST. VALENTINES DAY

Temecula, CA – People stepped up to protest the proposed play production of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ to the T-town City Council recently in a story credited to fellow journalist Nicole Sack (The Californian, 1/24/08). The Old Town Community Theatre, which featured scene band Nice Day and Foghat several months back, is now set to produce the feminist thought provoking play, The Vagina Monologues.

Nicole’s story was interesting to me from the standpoint that the protestors were not representing any particular religious group and included both men and women. Not like when the Catholics turned out in force to picket ‘Dogma’ and ‘The Golden Compass’, these singular individuals seemed offended by use of the very word ‘vagina’, as if this was the foundation of something new and startling. However, seeing that a ‘vagina’ has been around ever since Eve (see Genesis), the disgust voiced over even saying the very word that brought each of them into existence seems destined to provide a sobering clue to their (loveless) sexual existence endured by their spouse.

I remember hearing a woman from my grandmother’s day talk about how she would lay there and tell her husband to ‘do his business’ and deposit his ‘trash’. In this day and age I really thought that any modern woman had progressed past this puritanical perspective. I guess I was wrong. Still, I have never understood the logic of being ashamed of what God designed for sexual/reproductive purposes. This is not to be confused with the idea of covering one’s nudity or being modest. This is a case of accepting reality. But since this is America and you can still have a dissenting voice, I respect the people who complained to the City Council though I don’t agree with their point of view.

For me, the idea of naming a play ‘The Vagina Monologues’ is a shrewd marketing ploy and the fact that this play which is in its 10^th year, has raised over 50 Million dollars to help benefit abused women (not men, though they too are abused, just not in the same numbers, as men tend to keep it on the DL when their spouse is kicking their ass and not report it) shows this strategy works. Perhaps the women and men who take exception to the play’s name would like the title to be the question/answer, ‘What Do You Say To A Woman With Two Black Eyes? Nothing, You Done Told Her Twice.’ At any rate, this journalist will be acquiring a ticket to said play for the Feb. 14 production. Stay tuned for the Review of it.