Rasquachismo means things that include or are a part of everyday life for working class people. There are many layers and elements to Raquachismo. It can be being resourceful and reusing items for a different purpose. It can also be attitudes or behaviors. I first heard the term rasquache when I was at the Beach once and my dad had cut up some pants to use them as shorts at the beach, because he did not have any. Then while at the beach used his pocketknife as a tool to cut some of the vegetables we needed for our lunch. One of my relatives made the comment and said it to my dad. I did not know what it meant, but it did come off as a negative term. When I heard the word again it came up in my Chicano Theatre class and I was not sure of what the term meant, but I said it was a negative term, I associated it with the slang term often used in my neighborhood, ‘Ghetto’ (and I understand the issues with the word). However, in that theatre class I learned about how Theatro Campesino, with Luis Valdez, original performances were rasquache. Because they were a traveling theatre that set up a tent (where Carpa came from) and just put on a show with the limited resources they had. They had no ‘real’ actors because the people in the Actos were actual campesinos. They did not have many props or costumes and used makeshift signs to determine characters. Although they did not have the resources, they did not allow that to deter them from the end goal, which was to spread a message and awareness.
Rasquache can be reusing the pasta glasses and mole containers as drinkware, which is what I’ve done. It can also be using an old chair as a plant stand, to keep them off the floor and away from my neighbors’ dogs (See Picture). I did not want to go out and buy more plant shelves and holders because it is not cheap for the amount of plants I have, also I can save that money for when have my own house, so or now I’ll do with what I have, it doesn’t take away from the growth and care of plants.
Hi Evangeline. I wasn’t familiar with the term until recently which is astonishing to me considering I’ve grown up in a Mexican household. It’s interesting how a lot of words within the Chicanx community transform from a negative connotation to a word of reclamation. I wasn’t aware rasqauche was also considered ghetto. A lot of the time I’ve known other Mexican families have that same form of reusable attitudes to everyday things so it’s shocking to me that others in the community use it in a derogatory manner. I don’t know if it’s my own internal ignorance, but I have always been around working class people so to think that others have shamed those who don’t want to repurchase or spend money on things is hurtful to think about. Not everyone has the means, but it’s also fun to transform what you have. We also reuse mole containers and other containers as either glasses or tupperware. I like your idea with the plant shelves too! We rarely use our outdoor seating so why not put our potted plants on them too.
ReplyDeleteHi Evangeline
ReplyDeleteI also did not know what the term Rasquache mean't until this class. Using a foldable chair as a shelf is also something my Nina would do at her house, but would not have realized it to be Rasquache. I feel like these types of aesthetics happen so easily where it's unconsciously but you end up liking how it because it has been sitting there for so long! I didn't notice that I do these things, until I found out the term.