Dear Anna Boarini,
While your article ("Seriously, Saint Mary's," Feb. 11), seemed well intended, I feel your overall argument and excessive generalization of both Saint Mary's and Notre Dame women is unbearably flawed. We are all individuals, and with that comes the ability to define ourselves through personal value rather than by comparing ourselves to a group of equally unique and diverse women. I agree that our attitude toward the jokes made at the expense of Saint Mary's women during the Keenan Revue should be taken lightheartedly, but we should not bring this attitude with us everywhere we go. It will be impossible to stop people's erroneous beliefs of Saint Mary's women by laughing along when someone assumes we are less intelligent or sleazy. By laughing at ourselves, we will just reinforce the stereotypes towards Saint Mary's students. It is one thing to be able to laugh at yourself during a comedy skit and another to have such skits leave the show and reinforce the stereotypes we face as women of Saint Mary's College. We can try and show everyone how fitting we are for the Notre Dame community, or how much we actually study aside from partying, but if we keep strengthening those stereotypes by simply laughing at ourselves, well, then, don't expect the views of others to change. If you really want people to see us in a positive light, as individuals rather than a group of many derogatory terms, the first thing to do is to shut down those misleading stereotypes. Now, Ms. Boarini, if you want to just laugh at yourself while someone puts you down as part of a group of people, by all means go ahead and do it, but do not attempt to increase this type of discrimination by persuading other women to succumb to such an ineffective attitude. The College does not seek to make us into women who can laugh when being put down, the College seeks to make us into responsible, strong willed leaders who can stand up for themselves and falsify nonsensical opinions that only grow because of people like you who cooperate to make these statements seem funny and acceptable. It is never okay to put down others based on what group they belong in. Ms. Boarini, I invite you to look within yourself and find what makes YOU special and stop comparing yourself to a group of women who are individually unique as well.
Best of luck,
Crisel Casillas
sophomore
Regina Hall
Feb. 13
