Chixe

I think censorship of words referencing bodyparts is stupid.

I agree with RightOn. As long as the words are not being used in a derogatory way with the intention of being mean, people should be taught to use the correct terms for all parts of the body. Using other words can very easily be offensive.

To me bad words are the words that people use to hurt one another. Vagina is not a bad word. I have never heard someone say “You are such a vagina." lol

well you are! I really think it depends on the context. From what I hear, the vagina monologues are controversial to begin with.

I call people vaginas, dicks, penises, cunts, twats, tits and various other body parts and their slang terms. I usually mean it in a semi-offensive method although sometime it's meant to be more endearing than it might sound (between close friends, I mean).

Rose if you hung in my social group at school and college you would have heard all of us calling one another "big sweaty vaginas" on a fairly regular basis. It's not for everybody though and I respect that.

But I agree that it's totally context based. You can't blanket-ban the word vagina because some people think it's rude. I've the same feeling about other words that have sparked controversy.

I could easy call somebody a spoon in a really offensive way. Should we ban the word spoon? No.

Political correctness goes a little insane from time to time, but things have a habit of levelling themselves out.

well you are!

Rose I have heard that said, in fact it came from my own mouth.

I have no problem with Vagina or any of the other words used to describe the female genitalia, but I refrain from using certain ones as I know others find them highly offensive like "c---", and I at least try not to offend anyone, especially anyone with a vagina.

That's really stupid.

I'd rather have my girl say vagina instead of something else. It's part of your body... :sheesh:

Because, like penis, it's a nasty dirty word and refers to sexuality. And remember kids in the U.S. violence is fine, but sex is dirty, wrong and bad.

*sigh* That, and people are huge morons that get offended too easily by words.

Shadesofgray you better not have just called me a vagina boy. Pay backs are not pretty. :)

It's an offensive word? Since when?

any person who would censor the use of a body part is a total dick.

They were told by their school not to say the word - purely because there were a lot of younger people in the audience. They were asked and agreed not to say it.

As far as I see it, they were suspended for disobeying, not because they said a crude word.

I don't find it offensive, personally but you will have some people who may if their five / six year old child hear it. You never know. Clearly the school board just wanted to be on the safe side of things...

That is why they were suspended but really the whole thing of not telling a five or six year old child what a vagina is is ridiculous.

I'm sure most kids ask what is it long before that age. How many girls get to the age of six without knowing something is down there and wondering what is it called.

If it is nothing to be ashamed of, just another part of the body why is it such a big deal?

There are no offensive words in any language unless you choose to make them so.

Since when?

When America learned the idea of political correctness, and the system of beliefs that involve completely giving up your word choice because someone else doesn't like the way it sounds.

Should we ban the word spoon? No.

I'm afraid I disagree. Spoon is a disgusting words, and the sexual connotations are too base and vulgar to even describe.

What I'm most confused about in this whole story is why they would even allow those girls to DO a reading of the Vagina Monologues if they weren't allowed to say the word "vagina" during the performance. I mean, seriously. It's not like the school agreed to let them perform the "Hoo hoo Monologues" and then got a nasty surprise.

How about this, on the classic TV show, "I Love Lucy", when Lucy was pregnant, the word "pregnant" was never used because in that day and age, the word was offensive. Lucy was said to be "in a motherly way".

I think in 40 years this conversation about "vagina" will be as laughable as THAT is today.

I saw the girls involved in this ridiculous suspension on The Today Show about two weeks ago.

According to them, they had been asked not to use the word "vagina" while performing. The principle was concerned about young children in the audience, and how their parents would feel if "vagina" was verbalized. The girls decided to say it in the performance (after all, it is in the original script).

After much outcry, discussion and debate, the principal decided to lift the suspension, acknowledging that the vagina is a part of the female anatomy.

The entire episode is absurd, and never should have happened to begin with.

To me bad words are the words that people use to hurt one another.

I have yet to witness someone become physically harmed by a word... isn't it "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never harm me."

So what if someone calls you a name... by becoming offended you're just validating their control over you.

Perhaps a younger audience has no business being brought to The Vagina Monologues in the first place? I have worked in a couple of high schools, and people don't generally come to a high school performance just for the sake of it. They come because they hear that a particular show is being put on, or because a family member or friend is in the show.

At the very least, the title of the production should have been evident to all by the time they took their seats. People are always free to leave if they are uncomfortable with the content of the show. Unless, of course, a condition of purchasing a ticket was that they were chained to their seats, unable to get up even to go to the bathroom.

I was not referring to someone being physically harmed. I was referring to hurt feelings. You know- emotions.