Bad Bunny, not the Blue Square, offered the Super Bowl vision American Jews need to thrive |
When Bad Bunny took the stage at the Super Bowl, the world didn’t just see a global superstar; we witnessed a masterclass in the psychology of belonging. As a member of the Jewish community — a group that has spent generations navigating the delicate dance of integration and identity — I realized that the Puerto Rican icon was demonstrating a lesson that every minority community in America desperately needs to relearn.
For far too long, the “minority experience” has been framed as a negotiation. Whether you are Latino, Black, Asian, or Jewish, the unspoken rule has often been the same: to belong, you must first prove that you are “safe.” You must demonstrate your utility, minimize your differences, and, above all, politely ask for a seat at the table. We have been conditioned to believe that acceptance is a gift granted by the majority in exchange for our docility or our trauma.
But look at how Bad Bunny occupied the Super Bowl stage — during a 13-minute celebration of Puerto Rican culture all in Spanish and featuring the island’s iconic sounds and dances and imagery that alluded to its colonial history, its vivid street culture and even its historic challenges (like its overtaxed electrical grid).
Bad Bunny didn’t ask for permission. He didn’t ask for pity. He didn’t frame his community as a project to be fixed, a political talking point to be debated, or a tragedy to be mourned. Instead, he led with culture. He........