Questions for Dr. Alicia Gaspar de Alba

Being a Chicana whose entire life has revolved around patriarchy, I was unfortunately not surprised to read about Chicana artists having to deal with it too. It is astonishing that women were just seen as baby-making machines and a place to dump emotional, physical and sexual tensions on. It might be cliché, however, the fact that women and men are equal and deserve the same treatment. But it would not be cliché if people, especially men, would open their eyes and realize that women have the potential to do many things, and even accomplish things that have an impact on the world they live in. With this I would like to take the opportunity and ask the following question(s) for the essay entitled: "Out of the House, the Halo, and the Whore's Mask: The Mirror of Machismo" 

 1. If patriarchy were to cease, and the practice would disappear in the US (and possibly the world), would Chicanas be considered equal to Chicanos and to an extent all males? On the other hand, if patriarchy continues to be present, is there any effective way Chicanas can work together to end it?

     On another note, I especially liked the reference of Dorothy from the film depiction of "The Wizard of Oz", as having the urge of wanting to return home because that is where she belongs. I see that sentiment in many of my relatives and friends, of wanting to go back to their homelands because it constitutes a large part of who they are and how they identify as. With that realization, I began to think about what I long for, of what I miss that make up a large part of who I am. I am puzzled because I am not considered as "American" in the United States due to my physiognomy, nor am I seen as "Mexican" in Mexico because of my lifestyle. Then is my utopia in a place where I am not wanted? With those thoughts in mind, I would like to ask the following question(s) for the essay "There's No Place Like Aztlán": 

 1. Sometimes individuals, like myself who identifies as Chicana and with the Mexican and American cultures, are regarded as being ni de aqui, ni de alla, or not being either from here (e.g. the United States) or from there (e.g. Mexico). Is it possible to coin a term that describes people who regard themselves as being "ni de aqui, ni de alla"? What would these individuals consider their utopia to be?