One quote I found striking this week was when Esparza and Bustamente identify themselves and "pochos/as," a derogatory term for not of Mexican or American descent and use terms considered Spanglish. In many ways this reminded me of many other not so nice words used to refer to groups of people in the US. The most shining one brought to mind was the n-word. However, like these artists, how is that by reclaiming the word as an identity can it be twisted to have a positive connotation, or if not positive then at least be self-affirming? For example, the African American community has reclaimed in their pop-culture through music, television, stand-up comedy, etc. By accepting it through their art, have these women accomplished the same feat?
Another point I found interesting was the intention of the Coco Fusco performance art piece. While the couple's intention was to comment on the idea of discovery, spectators unexpectedly thought the artists in costumes were real natives on display. In what ways are other cultures spectacles, especially for those in the United States? It also seemed as though the people observing thought it was pretty normal to observe the artists in the cage almost as if (as reflected in the flashes of film) they were observing a freak show. What does this nonchalent behavior of the spectators say about us as first world citizens?
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