World-famous pop star and long-time activist Lady Gaga will be taking the stage at the Superbowl half time show on Sunday, and as the latter part of that title may suggest, things are going to get political.
Gaga says that she believes in “a passion for inclusion” and “the spirit of equality,” and this will shine through at the performance. “[T]he spirit of this country is one of love and compassion and kindness. My performance will uphold those philosophies,” she says.
This decision has sparked criticism on the other side of the political spectrum, with the NRA asking Gaga to keep politics out it. “This is not the Kennedy Awards, this isn’t the Oscars, this is the Super Bowl where real Americans get together and have a real fun day and the last thing they want to hear is how stupid and racist they are,” said conservative political commentator Bill Whittle on NRATV.
While it is true that political dialogue may stir up some discomfort within the Superbowl audience, such a reaction is arguably the whole point. Activism and protest are not designed to make sure everyone feels comfortable, but rather to bring to light threats to and breaches of human rights. And in the wake of the “Muslim Ban” that President Trump signed into effect on January 27, political tensions in the US are particularly high. So we should not be surprised that, with hundreds of millions of eyes on her, Gaga will refuse to remain silent on such issues.
But what exactly will Gaga be talking about? Will she call out Trump specifically or will she address the issues in a more abstract way? As of now, we can’t be sure. But what can be said is that the NFL won’t be regulating her actions.
“Lady Gaga has said any number of times to us: when it’s all said and done, she wants to remembered for her performance, not something she said or did,” says Mark Quenzel, NFL senior Vice President of programming and production. “We’re all citizens of the world here, and we’re all going to have opinions on things, and we’re okay with that. At the end of the day, we leave it to the good judgment of the artist. Be a person, have an opinion, just be smart about it. And by the way, they all are.” Quenzel also says that Gaga has been agreeable to the NFL’s belief that the show should reflect unity and celebration.
So, it seems that the only way to find out how the show will go down is to tune in tomorrow night.
