Chicano Identity II and Tourism

Reading this week's texts, I was fully engaged and intrigued by the writing. Alicia Arrizon's work juxtaposed language appropriation with gender division within the context of the Chicano theatre movement, while Coco Fusco and Nao Buscamante use performances to expose sex tourism.

Taking a word that was originally thought of as derogatory, many Chicanos have come to identify and embraced the term "pocha." It is an extension of their Mexican ancestry and American upbringing and the meaning has been altered for the young people that use it. This example immediately brought up to mind the "n-word" and how the original meaning has been subverted. Of course this can be argued and I argue that the meaning has not changed and it still carries a ton of weight when spoken. But with the "n-word" there is a racial divide that makes its use more contentious than the term "pocha". "Pocha" when used, positively or negatively, is amongst people from a relatively similar ethnic/cultural background, where the only difference that can be discerned arises out of the use of language, which is one of the most important markers of identity. *

Additionally, the a/o hybridity allows for Spanish speaking females to reclaim their womanhood without succumbing to the male dominant hegemony of Chicanismo. By adopting these two ideals as a form of identity, Chicana artist are able to tell their stories and "herstories" with their history, gender, sexuality and culture in tact. My first question is a response to my statement: Is too much emphasis put on gender differences in Chicana art?

The work of Coco Fusco and Nao Buscamanete in "Stuff", is both hilarious and revealing, underlying a sinister truth that lies behind tourism. Sex tourism as one of the many themes in this story and takes the point of view from the tourist and the sex workers themselves. From Straight makes and homosexual females looking for a "fun time," to unsuspecting woman and prostitutes who become part of this subversive sect of tourism. Stuff manages to bridges these two ideas and make the audience think about the lives of the people involved. With this week's title being: Chicano/a and Latino/a performance art, does anything about the work strike you are particularly Latino/a apart from the languages? And if not, do you think that is the artists' aim?

*This statement is made from my personal opinion and is in now way meant to be taken as fact. While some points I bring up may be true, I was making generalizations for simplicity's sake.