Super Bowl LX - FOOD, ADS, HALFTIME SHOW

[4thgenheel]

ain't nothing "all of a sudden" about it either, lmao.

 

[ZenMode]

I'll quote myself from facebook last night

I’ll bet every single person on my feed complaining about not understanding Bad Bunny has sat in a Mexican restaurant enjoying the vibe of an atmosphere you didn’t truly understand while stuffing your faces full of food.

Sure. Me included.

But, football is 'murica's game. We can't any of those brown people speaking "Mexican"!

 

[8992Tiger]

There is a set of people who believe the Super Bowl halftime show, like nearly every other aspect of day-to-day life, should be tailored specifically to them.

Si, and that is sort of the opposite of a pluralistic democracy.

 

[aGDevil2k]

You don't need to be perfect. But don't be upset about Spanish songs when you cannot even master English, yourself.

 

[lawtig02]

Michael Garrett:

“Bad Bunny didn’t say “ICE out” tonight. He didn’t need to. He just showed the whole world what America looks like when we are not afraid of each other. When culture is shared, not policed. When language is music, not a threat.”

 

[donbosco]

A friend of mine wrote this...

"I'm often late to pop-cultural stuff, and today is no different. I didn't watch the game last night, and honestly don't give much of a damn about football. But given the politics, I tuned in for the halftime performance, and I'm so glad I did.
What a show!

I've been living in Latin America for the past 21 years, and there are countless moments that animate my memories as to why I love this place, so much. Yet, the one that rang through during the performance last night was recalling a party I was invited to by my first Spanish professor, Gustavo Solorzano back in 2004. It was at the house of a local salsa instructor and about half the crowd were Chapines (Guatemalans) while the other half were different variations on the gringo theme. It was about a half an hour walk out to one of the aldeas surrounding Antigua, and we arrived to a house in full swing. The music was playing, and as soon as we hit the door, all the Latinos immediately caught the beat and drifted to the dance floor. We gringos, on the other hand, did what we do. We looked for the bar, grabbed beers and then stood in the corner shouting to one another over the music, while watching the fun.

At some point, one of our Guatemalan friends came over and said, (in English, so we'd understand), "I don't understand Gringo parties, man! If you just wanna talk, stay home with your sister. But you're in Guatemala now, so dance!"
He had a point, and so we did. Awkwardly and badly, but it was amazing. It was so liberating. And it was, for me, a turning point - a fork in life's road.

I was reminded of that moment watching the halftime show last night, because, to me, that's what it was. It was surely many things to many people, but to me it was another invitation to the party.

There are a billion souls living in the Western Hemisphere, and 70 percent are Latino or indigenous. Yet, for the past 500 years, there's been a military, cultural, and economic hegemony enforced upon Latinos and indigenous peoples, first by European powers and later by Uncle Sam, corporate power, and Hollywood. Now, finally after half a millennium, that broken, undemocratic, and unjust system, is finally careening toward collapse, and the only way to save something of value is to recognize the enlivening power of our hemisphere and simply join the damn party.

The visuals from the performance were much commented upon, and rightly so. But the one that struck me most powerfully was Bad Bunny climbing the overtaxed electrical poles of his homeland of Puerto Rico while singling El Apagon, or The Blackout. That's a dark, dark memory for so many on the island, yet, beneath him, the celebration of life just kept rolling, because THAT is the energy of the culture, the people, la gente.

Doing any cultural analysis these days is dangerous, particularly for an outsider like myself, but for me, understanding the resilience of joy in the face of danger and threat is critical for understanding what's happening in the 21st century in the Americas. At present, in the United States, from so many white people, there's this sense of persistent fear, danger, and threat. There is, to take an obvious example, an "Alamo mentality," this belief that we white people need to band together to defend our "culture" and the "values" of the old hegemonic United States against some invading army.
But it's not an invading army. It's a culture and a way of life that says, "Yeah, there are problems everywhere and we'll deal with them, but, brother, sister, let's live!"

And, man, couldn't we all - white, black, brown, polka-dot - use some of that energy right about now?

It's remarkable when you think of it. Despite centuries of abuse, colonization, disrespect, and marginalization, there's no mood for destruction. Instead, despite lifetimes of othering and cruelty, we white folks meet an open hand. We meet an invitation to lose our inhibitions, let the past lie for now, and come dance.
To me, that's how the show landed last night.

It was not Bad Bunny jumping into our living rooms to destroy the United States from within. Rather, it was a hot, sexy, confident, and powerful Boricua reaching out to anyone, of any race or tradition, who would take it and join him on the dance floor.

It might be a little scary for those of us born without rhythm and raised on Wonderbread, but these are our neighbors, our friends, our family, and goddamn, do they know how to throw a party!
¡Vamos a bailar!"

I'm in, and I hope you are, too. The Latin Party that enlivens the Western Hemisphere, and increasingly the world, ain't gonna stop anytime soon. They got the DJ booth, they got the concession stand, they got the tacos and the mofongo and the churros, 'mano, and we gringos have a choice: We can accept the invitation, join the party, and dance. Or we can stay wrapped up inside our own sad Alamos waiting for Kid Rock and Donald Trump to save us, yet that can't happen, because what we really need to be saved FROM ourselves and our tendency to self-isolate, judge, and presume.
Yet, no matter what we choose, and despite all the bullshit from politicians, there's not gonna be an "invasion." Latinos aren't going to storm into your house and steal your shit, kill your kids, or hurt your spouse. No one is going to force you to drink horchata. Rather, the party is just gonna keep growing out there in the backyard, while those barricaded inside keep getting smaller, and smaller, and smaller until they give up or disappear.

It's not a bad thing to remember that "America" is a hell of a lot more than the United States, and it's a blessing to recognize that that is a very good thing, and for my dime - for my peso, for my quetzal - I wanna thank Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio for the celebratory reminder.

What a show!
Love and music to you all."

 

[ZenMode]

Michael Garrett:

“Bad Bunny didn’t say “ICE out” tonight. He didn’t need to. He just showed the whole world what America looks like when we are not afraid of each other. When culture is shared, not policed. When language is music, not a threat.”

 

[rodoheel]

While I'm not sure there's much point in trying to isolate one phrase from a much larger statement, what's your disagreement with that sentiment?

 

[8992Tiger]

I can't really speak to PR, because I haven't been there. However, I feel damn lucky to have Mexico on our southern border. My company has a lot of manufacturing in a border town, and I go there pretty often. The folks in the plants, and their culture is amazing. Every time I go down there, I feel like Norm walking walking into Cheers. They are the most welcoming, kind people I know. I could go on and on with details, but they place a high value on family, friends and community. We could learn a LOT from them. I will miss that when I retire.

 

[kidryancorn]

You don't need to be perfect. But don't be upset about Spanish songs when you cannot even master English, yourself.

Oof

 

[kidryancorn]

Well, that is a good movie. I'll grant you that. But you trying to school me on music is not only laughable but quite demented. Boy, I was playing music professionally when the best part of you was running down the inside of your momma's thigh.

I'm sure dozens were impressed by your performances...keep up the good work!

 

[UNCatTech]

This year it was the "we'll make our own halftime show because BB speaks Spanish." How long until it is "we'll make our own halftime show because the performer is black"...?

The people who want a separate half time show are the same people that wanted separate water fountains and restrooms.

 

[ZenMode]

While I'm not sure there's much point in trying to isolate one phrase from a much larger statement, what's your disagreement with that sentiment?

The implication, which is often one of my complaints about some liberals, that good feelings and, in this case, music can fix everything. We need CBP and a secure border. We need ICE to remove people that we don't want here.

 

[aGDevil2k]

Oof

Try harder. That comma is perfectly ok and denotes emphasis. It can be included or omitted, and both are grammatically acceptable.

 

[donbosco]

The implication, which is often one of my complaints about liberals, that good feelings and, in this case, music can fix everything. We need CBP and a secure border. We need ICE to remove people that we don't want here.

We'd need to fully agree on who "we don't want here" first I reckon.

 

[ZenMode]

We'd need to fully agree on who "we don't want here" first I reckon.

We know that's not going to happen. We just need laws that clearly define it. Everyone won't be happy, and that's fine.

 

[uncgriff]

 

[ZenMode]

I'm listening to the Ben Shapiro show, which I do most days on my way home from work.

He's so desperate to find something wrong with the halftime show, that he's going off about the fact that there weren't a bunch of American flags. That's basically all he's got.

 

[kidryancorn]

Yet you're too dense to realize I said nothing about the songs being in Spanish...bad music is bad music regardless of language. I also gave credit to the message conveyed which was excellent...not quite as good as Trimble draining the game winning three while that puss Scheyer made up stories about staff members getting punched.

 

[rodoheel]

The implication, which is often one of my complaints about some liberals, that good feelings and, in this case, music can fix everything. We need CBP and a secure border. We need ICE to remove people that we don't want here.

I don't think there was any implication from the language you quoted that good feelings and music can fix everything, but I would agree that sentiment is a big schmaltzy. But I really don't see how "we need CBP and a secure border" is inconsistent with the language you quoted.