Sims, Megan

My name is Megan Sims. I am a third year transfer student and I am majoring in Sociology. 

In "Out of the House" I found the reclaiming of the word "queer" and "cunt" as an interesting subject. How is it that by reclaiming these words, that I would think are hurtful, empowering? I would assume the constant use of the word would change the overall connotation of the word but what about the people who still use those words as an insult? The earliest feminists decided to reclaim those words as a way of empowerment but are they still an insult if someone uses it in a negative way? The idea of changing negative words into a liberating word is an creative way of changing the overall meaning and use of the word. Do these words only empower woman in the Chicano community or could others in the LBGT community consider those words empowering as well?

In "There's No Place like Aztlan" Aztlan is seen as a "conceptual homeland" for Chicanos. It was stated that more and more Chicanos do not learn about their Mexican culture and that Aztlan is becoming a memory but, could it be that Aztlan is evolving to more of a Mexican-American culture? Aztlan is a home for Chicanos and some Chicanos may be unknowledgeable about the Spanish language and the Mexican culture but could this mean that the culture is simply changing? America is still considered a new country and so I believe that Aztlan may be becoming more about the Mexican American culture as opposed to just the Mexican culture.