Friend,
The Super Bowl was one of the rare times we watched television in the convent, precisely because it functioned as a genuine cultural touchstone. Everyone, from sisters to strangers, would be buzzing about the game and the commercials the next day.
There is no denying that what happens in and around Super Bowl Sunday serves as a bellwether for American culture.
Which brings me to this year's halftime show.
Parents across America who don't speak Spanish were fortunate that they and their children did not understand what was being said by reggaeton performer Bad Bunny.
It was not "PG-13." It was not "R." It was, by any serious moral standard, effectively "X-rated;" at least in the content this artist has normalized, monetized, and exported to the mainstream over the last several years.
In his songs, women are reduced to props and prizes, degradation is reframed as empowerment, and misogyny is laundered through rhythm and repetition until it is supposed to feel harmless. And this open contempt for women gets a pass only because of Bad Bunny's "activism."
The provocative dancing, twerking, crotch-grabbing, and overtly sexualized choreography did not soften or contextualize the lyrics. It translated them. The message was unmistakable.
In an era when Americans are constantly told to curb our sensitivities, to accommodate "unassimilated" cultures, and to allow them to flourish independently within our own, it is striking that the NFL chose this particular strain of reggaeton as the version of Hispanic culture worthy of elevation.
Reggaeton is not synonymous with Hispanic culture. It is a secular, hyper-sexualized offshoot that stands in sharp contrast to the deeply Catholic traditions that continue to shape millions of Hispanic families in the United States.
And this is where the establishment response crossed from confusion into outright absurdity. The Washington Post, a longtime opponent of traditional morality, had the audacity to describe the halftime show as embodying "wholesome, traditional family values" that would have fit comfortably alongside sentimental Super Bowl commercials.
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