Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance did more than entertain — it revealed how contested the idea of being “American” has become.
The United States has long defined itself, at least in principle, as a civic nation where citizenship — not culture, language, or ancestry — determines belonging. The promise has been straightforward: if you are a citizen, you are American. No cultural checklist required.
Yet the backlash to Bad Bunny suggests something different is taking hold. Under the cultural influence of Trump-era politics and much of the MAGA movement, citizenship increasingly appears to be only the starting point. Americanness is treated less as a legal status and more as a cultural approval process — expressed through the “right” language, the “right” symbols, and the “right” version of patriotism.
Puerto Rico exposes the contradiction clearly. Its residents are U.S. citizens. They serve in the military, carry American passports, and live under American sovereignty. Yet when a Puerto Rican artist performs on one of the country’s largest national stages, some question whether he is truly American. That is not a legal judgment — it is cultural gatekeeping.
When belonging becomes something that must be demonstrated rather than assumed, the meaning of citizenship quietly changes. It becomes conditional — granted socially rather than guaranteed constitutionally.
If citizenship alone no longer settles the question of belonging, then we are drifting away from a nation defined by rights toward one defined by cultural acceptance.
That should concern anyone who believes the Constitution — not cultural comfort — defines who we are.
Bill Thurman, Salt Lake City
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