Dear Notre Dame students,
As an alumnus from Our Lady's esteemed University, I have a suggestion to you: Don't limit yourself. You are some of the absolute best and brightest students that America has to offer. I have spent countless hours analyzing Notre Dame's academic freedom debates throughout the years, especially with regard to the Vagina Monologues.
I have to admit that I was pretty ignorant regarding the Monologues back in 2002, so in 2005 I started to read them. Then, with the wonderful invention of "YouTube," I have been able to watch almost every skit. Not only is this play inappropriate for Notre Dame, its performances are not suitable for any university, even the secular.
Religion really has nothing to do with it. The play is vulgar, tasteless and destroys the spirit of womanhood. My question to so many universities is, "why do so many believe the Monologues are the answer to end violence against women?" I do not see it as an answer but as an additional problem!
We will not end violence against women until we appreciate women physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I am trying to be as open-minded as possible, but I cannot see how the Vagina Monologues could ever achieve this task. Wake up Notre Dame and use the gifts God has given you. Stand up for women and women's rights. There are countless ways to cooperatively work together as a university to end violence against women.
The Vagina Monologues, which are unarguably antithetical to Catholic teaching, do not allow the University to work together to fight this battle. The Vagina Monologues turns off a majority of students and alumni due to its graphic nature and inappropriate language and actions. Let's work together. Let's really make a difference to end violence of all kinds, as a university united in Christ. You are all intelligent enough to find solutions to the world's problems in which all members of the Notre Dame community can take part. There are better ways to fight these battles, ways that are in line with the teaching of the Catholic Church. Your job is to think of these ways. Don't ever sell yourself short!
Dump the Monologues and begin fresh, and by the way, kudos to those students who have worked so hard over the years to develop the "Edith Stein Project." What a hero and role model to help shape the world's view of feminism.
Greg Bergman
alumnus
Class of 1997
Feb. 13
