Good Bunny

Yes, I watched the Super Bowl this year, primarily because of the hype (and hand-wringing) around the halftime performance by Bad Bunny. From the time the NFL announced that Bad Bunny would be the headliner, there was backlash. He wasn’t American enough (even though he is a US citizen); he didn’t sing in English; and his gender-bending identity and his LGBTQIA affirming stands were not compatible with the family-friendly Super Bowl; blah-blah-blah.

There was so much angst about what he might do on stage that Turning Point USA organized an alternative “All-American” halftime show that would focus on the correct American ideals–Faith, Family, and Freedom–featuring Kid Rock, who made the comment: “[Bad Bunny has] said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish? Cool. We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.”

Wow! That’s a set-up. So, If you love America and hate “woke” DEI, you’ll watch Kid Rock. And if you watch Bad Bunny, you must hate America and love open borders, open bathrooms and men playing women’s sports. I decided to watch Bad Bunny–and I’m so grateful I did.

His show was an amazing journey (literally) that celebrated the history and culture and resilience of Puerto Rico. It was also a not-so-subtle rebuke of white colonialism and the US government’s current efforts to erase brown, black, and LGBTQIA history and presence. It was a multi-generational, multi-cultural, multi-faceted, joyous dance. (I’m a sucker for salsa and merengue.) IMHO, it was the best halftime show ever!. It was so good, I’ve watched it several more times.

Each time I’ve watched it, I’ve thought of my step-mother. She was born in Caguas, PR in 1931. She passed away last May. I’m so sad she didn’t get to see Bad Bunny’s halftime celebration. I know she would have loved it. Even though she lived in the US for many years, she loved her “Isla del Encanto” and returned often. My family was blessed to travel to Puerto Rico with her to experience the island through her eyes and to meet her extended family and see all the places that were important to her as she grew up. Through her, I fell in love with the island, its people, its food, its language and its vibrant and joyful culture. So when I hear a comedian at a Trump rally call Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage” or when I watch the president dismissively throw paper products to residents who had just experienced a devastating hurricane or when I hear someone tell my Puerto Rican neighbor to “go back to their country,” I burn. Puerto Rico is beautiful, and Puerto Ricans are not second-class citizens.

For the record, I did take time to watch the hour+ long Turning Point USA advertisement…I mean, the “All-American Halftime Show.” I came away from it empty. Its definition of “All-American” was white (no performers were people of color) and blue collar (though one watcher posted that a performer was wearing Louis Vuitton) and country (the violin/cello piece was a weird addition). Bad Bunny showed us what “All-American” actually looks like with the flags of the Americas–including the flag of the United States–parading to the stadium exit.

Bad Bunny reminded us that America is–and always has been–a place of linguistic and cultural diversity. He reminded us that we are all richer because of Puerto Rico and every other nation of the Americas. And he reminded us clearly (via the message on the Jumbotron) that “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.” It’s the message Jesus announced and lived. It’s the Beloved Community of Martin Luther King, Jr.. It’s heaven’s diversity where every nation, every tribe, every race and every language wave their palm branches and sing God’s salvation song. Love wins.

And for the record, Bad Bunny did all that without putting on a dress.