John Hunneman's defense of "The Vagina Monologues" ("Steer your own ship," Jan. 27) bears comment.

For starters, he made the statement that, though the play was initially controversial, it has been so frequently performed since 1996 that the shock value has "worn off." Unquestionably, people become desensitized as boundaries of morality and decency in the popular culture are pushed ever downward. The same holds true for violence in movies.

Thanks to this phenomenon, we now have kids who proudly boast that no amount of human torture or gore depicted in movies bothers them. Likewise, we see the pornification of American teenage girls, whose overtly vulgar language, dress and behavior reflects their sex-saturated world of MTV, movies and music.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm astounded that Hunneman sees this as a positive development. If so, we can't be far from having to legitimately ask, "Is there even any such thing as pornography?"

Patty Drew, the play's director, asserts it isn't pornographic because the actors stay clothed.

When the entire play consists of women graphically depicting scenes of sex onstage - mostly with themselves, other women, or in groups of women - raucously emulating orgasms, chanting the words vagina (more than 100 times) and its obscene four-letter synonym, detailing the experiences of a lesbian dominatrix prostitute, and sympathetically portraying the lesbian rape of a 13-year-old girl - at the end of which Ensler wrote, "It was a good rape" - nudity would seem a moot point. And I must wonder from what "context" certain critical letter writers felt these scenes were taken that would dignify them.

Also, despite the "Monologues" claim, dutifully repeated as fact by Hunneman, Paul Jacobs and reporter Nicole Sack, there's no evidence that Ensler based the play on actual interviews with real women. She herself wrote "sometimes I just began with the seed of an interview and had a good time."

Bottom line: "The V-Day Campaign" is a massive movement that identifies women as sex objects, and vilifies men - not, as asserted, to stop sexual violence, but to promote the breakdown of traditional morals and standards of decency.

Promiscuity is glorified, and women are encouraged to embrace lesbianism as a wonderful avenue to explore as a vehicle to empowerment. On campuses nationwide, students are bombarded by offensive activists' displays promoting the play, including a 40-foot inflatable vagina at ASU, a "(insert crude reference here) Fest" at Penn State, banners asking "What does your vagina smell like?", vagina lollipops at Boise State, and an "orgasm workshop" at Florida State.

Are these the ideas for which Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought? Did Margaret Thatcher, Florence Nightingale or Mother Teresa ever worry about "speaking through a vagina"? No. They used their hearts and minds to better themselves and society.

Abused women, starved for empowerment, should rightly be advised they'll find it by emulating this successful model, rather than wallowing in the gutter. They could try taking a self-defense class. They could lobby for stronger sex offender laws. Or, they could even exercise free speech by writing an opinion piece for the newspaper.

- Julie Gilbart is a Temecula resident.