A little bit of background. Most of you have probably heard of this play that’s been getting quite a bit of attention called ‘The V Monologues’ (personally, I don’t have much of a problem with public use of the terms for any body part you like, assuming there is some more or less intelligent reason for doing so; but not everyone feels that way, so I’ll use ‘v’ for the remainder of the post). From what I’ve heard, it sounds to me like the play contains some good ideas mixed with a healthy dose of nonsense, of both the pernicious and merely silly varieties. So I didn’t think it merited the attention that it is receiving, but that’s hardly surprising news — I think that of a fair number of recent cultural items.
Anyway, three high school girls in Cross River, N.Y., were recently suspended for using the v-word at a high school forum where they were reading a selection from ‘The V Monologues’ (if you care to, you can read more about it here). Naturally, they have become a bit of a cause célèbre. After all, we clearly want teenage girls saying things like the following in front of their peers: ‘My short skirt is a liberation flag in the women’s army. I declare these streets, any streets, my v’s country’. How utterly paleolithic of the school administrators to protest. (Thought experiment: what do you think would happen if a group of male students had done a reading in which they said: ‘I declare these streets, any streets, my p.’s country’?)
In case it isn’t just perfectly obvious to you why saying these things publically is desirable, here’s the argument for why it’s so important that we do so: ‘It’s important to get things out in the air that might be uncomfortable to talk about. V is a part of the body, and it’s not vulgar, it’s not profane. It’s important to put that out in the open and to make people feel comfortable about it.’
This is the standard argument that one hears in association with ‘The V Monologues’; it also appears in many other contexts. As far as I can tell, most people think this is a sensible argument. Some people might think there are other relevant factors that should be considered that end up overriding this argument. But most people seem to think there is something to the argument. People listen respectfully and nod their heads when they hear it.
Here’s a different case. Suppose a close friend of mine confided in me and shared his deepest desires, struggles, etc. with me, i.e., said the sorts of things that you say in heart-to-heart conversations with people that you really trust. Now suppose I posted what he said on this blog, talked about it to my colleagues, and so. After all, it’s important to get things out in the air that might be uncomfortable to talk about. Such desires and struggles are part of our lives, and they’re not vulgar, they’re not profane. It’s important to put them out in the open and to make people comfortable about them. (This is where you’re suppose to listen respectfully and nod your head.)
So why exactly do people take this manifestly doltish argument seriously? (If you can provide me with an elided premiss that makes the argument sound plausible, I shall be impressed.)
Sorry for the long rant — I just heard this stupid argument one time too many and had to get if off my chest.
Sydney
Alan Schmierer