I'm from Detroit. We're saddled with the Lions. This means I've never faced a scenario where I actually care about the outcome of a Super Bowl. For me, the game is more about having friends over, opening a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle, and stirring up a massive pot of my award-winning* chili. We watch the game, the ads, and the usually-terrible halftime show without any real investment in the winners and losers.
It's an "entertainment thing" more than a "sports thing."
When you work in politics, you eventually come to relish the time you spend thinking about something - anything - else. Escapism becomes a coveted commodity. Sadly, this year, it appears the NFL is looking to bleed the "entertainment" out of the big game.
Lady Gaga will be performing the halftime show and, per the Huffington Post, it's going to get preachy...
Though Gaga kept the details of her halftime performance under wraps, the singer revealed during a press conference on Thursday that her show would be about “equality” and “inclusion.”
“The only statements that I’ll be making during the halftime show are the ones that I’ve been consistently making throughout my career,” Gaga said. “I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality, and that the spirit of this country is one of love and compassion and kindness. My performance will uphold those philosophies.”
The singer didn’t give any hints as to how her set will convey those messages, but insisted that the performance is “for everyone.”
“I want to, more than anything, create a moment that everyone that’s watching will never forget,” she said.
Now, if you know anything about Lady Gaga, this is no surprise. The political message has always been part of her shtick. That's perfectly fine. She can - and should - express whatever political views she likes.
However...
The left's knee-jerk desire to cram nuance-free political rhetoric into events that have absolutely nothing to do with politics is completely out of control. They may not realize it, but they're not "making a difference." They're stomping all over America's last, frayed, nerve and driving people away from their causes.
I've been arguing in favor of the legality of gay marriage - on a constitutional basis - for years. But even people like myself, people who generally agree with Lady Gaga's message (if not all of her politics), are sick of the constant, painfully unsubtle, preaching. Instead of anticipating a good show, I'm now anticipating a screed about rights that aren't really under attack, the conflation of legal and illegal immigration, and the insane tolerance of a belief systems that seek to destroy the very people Gaga wants to "include."
Leave it to the NFL to make me crave the comparatively understated days of "Up With People" and their terrible performance at the Silverdome.
*"Award-Winning Chili" recipient of participation honors in Laurie family chili cook-off 1993.
