DEI, Politics and Super Bowl Half-time

 

Why does everything need to be political today, vaccines, library books, Super Bowl half-time? I’ve been fascinated by all the controversy over choosing Bad Bunny to perform at the Super Bowl. We have people calling again for making English the national (read “only”) language. We have ICE planning to raid the stands looking for illegals. We have others freaked out that another culture is taking over our Super Bowl and from there end our world as we know it. What ever happened to just watching the game, enjoying the commercials and preparing food during halftime?

Unfortunately, a lot has to do with the current focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, DEI.  There is this strong outcry against supporting anything that isn’t a win for white people. In the push to make America great, we seem to have forgotten America is made up with more than just white people. I heard the Hispanic population makes up around 20% of our country’s demographics. So a Hispanic performer at the Super Bowl seems more than fitting – not to mention Bad Bunny is popular with a lot more than his own ethnic group; he’s an international phenomena.

But it isn’t just the Super Bowl. Universities have had their funding cut or threatened, because of their DEI policies and curriculum that supports DEI. Public Schools are being told to stop teaching about slavery, the pushing of Native Americans on to reservations, and the quest for civil rights, even women’s rights. We are told all of that is racist??? Racist against whom? White people? Of course, those of us living today didn’t make the decisions that led to slavery or reservations. However, we could still be perpetuating the stereotypes that came out of those awful scenarios, especially if we are holding people back. Another part of DEI focused on education, with the intent to stop hampering, bullying, harming our minority populations. How is that racist?

Our country began as a haven for immigrants, yes, but predominantly white, Anglo Saxon, Protestant men. Those were the people in leadership, those were the people who set the agenda for this new country, which wasn’t so new. There had been people living here for centuries before these white men arrived. But our founders saw fit to erase the existing cultures upon arrival. So white people, especially affluent white men, have had it pretty good through the past 250 years of our country.

Why the push back? There is talk of these non-white immigrant cultures coming in and usurping “our” culture. That fear has been here from the beginning. They may have been male and white, but Irish and Italian immigrants were feared and dissed because they were Catholic. We hear people talking about “preserving” our culture – but our culture is totally a mix of everyone who has ever lived here.

Since white people have controlled everything in America for our entire history, I guess it’s not surprising the ebbing of that power might cause them some fear. But having Bad Bunny present an entirely Spanish half-time show isn’t going to have us wake up the next morning speaking Spanish any more than having a woman as a boss is going to make someone less of a man. There is really nothing to be afraid of, except maybe these minority groups banding together to form a voting block that would bring DEI back into play.

DEI programs were designed to even the playing field. All the players had originally been white. But people of all ethnicities were living here, contributing to our country. They deserved a shot at college and jobs, home ownership and a place in the community. But the odds were stacked against them by the dominant culture that created the job requirements, admittance tests and loan requirements.  Once someone could get into a school or take on a job or be given a loan, they did as good as or better than their white counterparts. For example, women have made terrific fire personnel and soldiers. Women and people of color have made terrific doctors, lawyers, teachers, and politicians. Their qualifications have nothing to do with their gender, their skin color or their country of origin. If they can do the job, they can do the job.

I’ve heard complaints about seeing too many people of color in TV commercials. So what? People of color buy stuff too.  Our sports teams are full of players from a variety of cultures (although that didn’t happen without a fight either). Why wouldn’t we have halftime programs that speak to them? Haven’t we had our share of white focused advertising and programming?  I can’t get the image out of my head of the little girl seeing the live-action Ariel in The Little Mermaid and saying in amazement, “she looks like me.”  It was a magical moment for that child. White people have seen themselves on TV, in movies, on sports teams, in classrooms and in public office for always. We don’t even think about it anymore. Our children probably don’t see a white Disney princess and think “she looks like me”. We don’t really understand what that means anymore, because it’s all around us. We’ve had that privilege forever.

What really hurts me is how callous we are towards people who are not like us. The disposing of DEI simply says to the people who need and benefit from those programs, “we don’t care about you.” That is heart breaking. Our world is richer for all the diversity in it.

Christians especially should be supporters of equality for all. Instead, our history is quite spotty on the issue. We forget Jesus would have been a person of color, not the white man too often pictured in our art. He was Middle Eastern. He wasn’t a Western man. He was poor. I wonder what He would think of all of this? The fact is, we are all made in God’s image, regardless of gender, color, sexual identity, whatever. In God’s sight we are the same. He sent his Son to die for all of us – no exceptions. Jesus evens the playing field by allowing us all into His family. What right do we have to do the opposite? Our constant creation of divisions only keeps people from seeing God. Jesus commanded us to go and bring people to Him, not pick and choose whom we think are welcome.

Acceptance of people who are different from us needn’t be so difficult. People are people. To paraphrase Shakespeare, ‘scratch us and we all bleed’. As a nation we had really made a lot of progress in the areas of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Hiring practices, educational curriculum – including a broader look at history-, creation of new opportunities have assisted a lot of minorities. Those assisted have then become role models for ones coming up. Obviously, we have a long way to go. Under the surface of progress, bigotry still exists. And today’s politicizing of everything doesn’t help.

DEI programs are necessary until the majority can accept and welcome in those who are not like them. DEI should be supported by both sides of the political spectrum.  As long as the majority puts up road blocks, we will need to have programs to tear them down. I’m not sure that will ever be totally possible, being human beings with sin natures that make us fearful of anything we deem different or somehow threatening. So DEI programs will probably always be necessary, and Christians should be the biggest supporters.

 How crazy is it that a Puerto Rican Superstar, performing at the Super Bowl, is made out to be a threat to the universe as we know it? Bottom line: I don’t have to like Bad Bunny, or even listen to him, to support his right to perform on the half-time show and delight those listeners who adore him. Who knows, this might be one of the best ever half-time shows.  That could actually shift the universe bit.