As I read Theresa Thomas' Letter to the Editor ("'Absurder' in poor taste," Apr. 4), I was bewildered to find that she considered the article about "vaginas" being discovered on campus to be offensive. She claimed that "... vulgarity in calling women by a single private body part is abhorrent." She went on to say, "If I were a female student ... at Notre Dame, I'd be making an appointment this afternoon with school officials over the discriminatory and hateful joke."Ironically, The Observer was satirizing the very attitude that Thomas' statements embody: an embarrassment of the word "vagina" and the significance it holds. It is called a "vagina," not "a single private body part." The article used sarcasm to make fun of the fact that many people at Notre Dame appear to have a fear of using the word "vagina" when a little over half of the world's population has one. The demonstration of this fact can be seen in the recent debate about "The Vagina Monologues." There were several people I encountered (not to mention a few Viewpoint letters ) that managed to talk about the controversial play at length and not use the word "vagina" once. I recommend that Ms. Thomas look up the word "satire" in a dictionary and then consult a basic anatomy book about the purpose of a vagina. She will hopefully discover that vaginas are nothing to be ashamed of and that the Observer article was doing this university a service by pointing that out.
Michayla SullivansophomoreWalsh HallApr. 4
