Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 466 Editor's Choice: 25
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Jumped the Shark..
[Read the article: My vagina's school district]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]When an adult-themed (during the original run, no-one under 17 was allowed unless accompanied - just like an R-rated movie) "play" is recited in the context of a high school production, it's officially jumped the shark.
What could the average 16-year-old REALLY understand about the Vagina Monologues? They're only 3-4 years into having a functioning one! Most female teenagers I've know regard their "functions" as "gross" and its many years (typically) until they're truly comfortable enough to feel "empowered" by them (as opposed to boys, who joyfully yank on their "junk" from the moment they discover them). The VM's always struck me as an above-30s sort of "play" that would appeal only to those with a little better undestanding of how woman are ACTUALLY treated in the world - vs. the coddled princesses that are female teenagers today. With dress codes being what they are today, I doubt these girls were even allowed to wear the kind of skirt that would be short enough to allow them the take over a country (I hope everyone gets that play on the word "country" - its meant to be performed with a pronounced accent on the first syllable - sort of shoots holes in the "at least they didn't say THAT WORD" arguements) with their vagina.
And I have to defend the administrators here. The highly litigious nature of public schools these days cannot help but force the hand of administrators in this case. Another poster chimed in about "lawsuit" (like our public school systems need LESS money), well it seems to me the admin. might be a bit more worried about the audience than the students.
Plus, these kids did do something that the admin. expicitly asked them not to do. They should deal with the consequences. That's what being an adult is about.
I'm pretty sure not saying the "V" word was one of the conditions under which they were given permission to read an excerpt at all. Would the rah-rah posters here be so supportive if the girls decided to perform "Hair" as originally intended. How about if they added some "reality" to "Death of a Salesman" by using real alcohol?
Rules can sometimes be arbitrary but some are there for a reason. As adults (you know, the rule-makers) we should have the capacity to make these judgement calls. But we should also be teaching our kids that breaking the rules can have consequences - sometimes consequences beyond what law enforcement could do to you. Sometimes breaking rules can get you killed...
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So far, the Slate board is winning!
[Read the article: "300"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This particular post is quite applicable:
http://fray.slate.com/?id=3936&m=18922800
A particularly good part (the "Dana" referred to is Dana Stevens, the Stephanie of Slate)
Dana also seems to have more than squeamishmess about the nature of ancient Greco-Persian combat, in which case he/she ought to become better informed. Basically, the idea was that two armies threw themselves in a violent clash together with the front ranks thrusting with spears and swords while the farther back ranks pushed to throw the whole crowd in the direction of their advance. While this kind of warfare was actually a lot less deadly than modern planes, tanks, machine guns, etc., it was definitely a very bloody business for about a hour at most until everyone got too tired to keep up the exertion (see John Keegan books on this subject). It would have been typical for the front ranks to leave behind heaps of dead or badly wounded so that those following up from behind would have to step over or stand on them to keep up the fight. It may not be a movie for everyone, but if you're going to make a movie about Thermopylae, it's hard to see how one could avoid depicting this kind of fighting.
And the piece de...
Finally and perhaps most importantly, there is Dana's obvious reluctance to embrace any part of the notion that Thermopylae was a kind of historical turning point for Western vs. Eastern civilization. But the fact is that these were two quite different civilizations and the Greeks did prevail in the end. That end came later the same year at the naval battle of Salamis when Athenian-led forces soundly defeated the Persian navy, rendering any further persian effort to push into Europe impossible (a wide range of modern histotians agree that Salamis was one of history's true turning points). We don't know what would have happened if the Persians won, of course, but we can say that something other than the rise of Hellenic and later Roman civilization might well have dominated the development of the Mediteranean world for the next 10 centuries. If Dana doesn't think that's a big deal, he/she ought to go back to college.
Its funny how in modern times and our increasingly feminized society how anything muscular is either gay or dumb. You know what I think is gay and dumb? "Music and Lyrics" or any other "chick flick" where the male lead might as well be a girl with a penis...
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I would also like to add...
[Read the article: "300"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]..that morale-wise, the self-sacrifice by no less than the King of Sparta was what drove the rest of the Greeks (in later battles) and seriously demoralized the Persians (having lost a significant amount of troops to the Spartans paltry 300 soldiers).
War is basically an exercise in morale. And no, this has no bearing on our present conflict, in which, at this point, neither side has morale...