“THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE” is the message that was displayed on the big screen during this year’s Super Bowl halftime show performance. There is no other statement that perfectly encapsulates the energy, pride, and happiness that led Bad Bunny’s musical performance. But with every direct and definite idea projected into the media worldwide, both positive and negative reactions inevitably arise.
Specifically for the Puerto Rican community, this show was an incredible display of authentic culture and relatable experiences, further establishing a sense of pride in their ethnic group. Many people were supportive of this beautiful representation of heritage in music and admired its deeper cultural meaning beyond its vibrant tunes. A prominent element of Bad Bunny’s performance was that it was delivered entirely in Spanish, with him singing only in his native tongue, further underscoring Spanish as the second most-spoken language in the United States. Additionally, an unforgettable moment during the show’s finalization was the mention of every nation in the Americas. Many of the audience received this as a reinforcement of unity, reminding the population with a printed statement on a football that read, “TOGETHER, WE ARE AMERICA”.
By contrast, some audiences interpreted this message as an anti-nationalist attack on “genuine” American society, which raises the question of what America truly is. Selecting an artist with few English songs and who is firm in his Latin American culture causes negative controversies about having a true American performance. Additionally, race was considered among those who believed a white artist would be a better representation during this halftime show. An underlying unconscious racial bias against people of color is constantly displayed with strong performances of pride for ethnic heritages. With the rise of immigration attacks recently, especially towards the Hispanic community, choosing someone from this ethnic background becomes an especially debatable selection for those who support certain conservative American values. However, this completely disregards the blatant fact that Puerto Rico is a US territory, and that Spanish is a widely spoken language in this nation. On the whole, depending on your view of not only football culture, but also American society in general, it can be decided whether you deem Bad Bunny as a good representation of America or not.
