Congressman Calls for the FCC to investigate Super Bowl Show by going after NFL and NBC Sports

[davideduardo]

And Sociology. Who wants to tell the people of Puerto Rico that they are not people of color?

Well, maybe the Puerto Ricans themselves?

Gee, in every Census since 1980 (the first that had "Hispanic" as a separate question) the overwhelming majority self-identified as "white".

Today, somewhere around 60% identify as "white". 30% are "two or more races" and around 10% say "Black".

A large percentage of the "mixed" responses come as a result of many Puerto Ricans feeling either that they have Taino blood, even though that has been disproved in about 90% of all cases... or because they think "Puerto Rican, Boricua or Puertorriqueño" is a race.

Remember, too, that "raza" in Spanish does not have the same meaning as "race" in English. Horses, dogs, cats and the like also have "razas" and it means "type" or "breed".

A major issue is that the forms for the Census and other studies show "Black or African American". Blacks in Puerto Rico don't like or generlly use (unlñess the have to) "African American" as they are "Afro Antillean" or something like that; they are not from "America" in the sense of being from the continental states.

In prior Censuses ("Censi"?) the figure was higher for "white" alone but many discovered that they were eligible for EEO opportunities and benefits if they put down "black" or something similar to "indigenous".

For several decades, there was resistance and objection to the term "Hispanic" which was made up by folks in Washington. So there were stickers and T-Shirts and other stuff saying "I am not Hispanic. I am not Latino. I am Puerto Rican¨ (in Spanish, of course).

Look at the governors of PR since Boricuas were allowed to fill that post in 1950. From Muñoz Marín to today, are any "Black"? Look at Ricky Martin, Menudo or Feliciano or local stars like Nydia Caro or Chucho Avellanet and ask the same question.

This may be a good place to note that Mr Bunny's last name is "Martínez" and the "Ocasio" name is his maternal "apellido", often not used today as many Latinos try to avoid confusion. On official lists and in databases in Puerto Rico you would find Mr Martínez under the M, not the "O".

 

[michael hagerty]

Well, maybe the Puerto Ricans themselves?

Gee, in every Census since 1980 (the first that had "Hispanic" as a separate question) the overwhelming majority self-identified as "white".

Today, somewhere around 60% identify as "white". 30% are "two or more races" and around 10% say "Black".

The 2020 Census for Puerto Rico shows 26.4% of respondents consider themselves "White alone"---and another line, "White alone, not Hispanic or Latino", is 0.6%.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Puerto Rico

Frequently requested statistics for: Puerto Rico

www.census.gov

For those not clicking through, from top to bottom, the rank is:

Hispanic or Latino: 99.0%

Two or More Races: 36.7%

White alone: 26.4%

Black alone: 5.9%

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 0.6%

Asian alone: 0.2%

American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.2%

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander alone: 0.0%

 

[davideduardo]

The 2020 Census for Puerto Rico shows 26.4% of respondents consider themselves "White alone"---and another line, "White alone, not Hispanic or Latino", is 0.6%.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Puerto Rico

Frequently requested statistics for: Puerto Rico

www.census.gov

For those not clicking through, from top to bottom, the rank is:

Hispanic or Latino: 99.0%

Two or More Races: 36.7%

White alone: 26.4%

Black alone: 5.9%

White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 0.6%

Asian alone: 0.2%

American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.2%

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander alone: 0.0%

Much of that, as has as recently as in January, been discussed on NotiUno and its Island network (the news-talk network I founded). The general conclusion of why it changed so much in 2020 from prior Census tabulations involves a number of factors.

But first, some data:

In 2010 the data was:

In 2010, Puerto Rico’s population of 3.7 million was
predominantly Hispanic (99%) and reported a high percentage of residents identifying as white (75.8%). Other categories included 12.4% Black or African American, 7.8% "some other race," and 3.3% two or more races.

The 7.8% "some other race" has always been considered to be those who think they are "Taíno" or "Puerto Rican" as the census term "race" does not directly translate to Spanish, where "raza" means more literally "tribe" or some other term for an affinity group.

In Spanish, "raza" is defined as:

• Antropología/Sociología: Construcción social, a menudo considerada desaconsejada en humanos frente a etnia o grupo étnico.
• Coloquial: Conjunto de amigos, familiares o gente allegada ("la raza", "la raza de la fiesta"). (This one is key: "A group of freinds, family or people with affinity).

Or this which was an answer to a Reddit (I know, use with caution) question I just asked:

• in many regions it is used colloquially to mean "people" or address the general audience, or to mean family/relatives or hometown.
• Some examples:
• Siempre hay mucha raza en el centro comercial. The mall is always crowded/it's full of people.
• A ver, raza, ¿qué quieren hacer hoy? So, guys, what do you want to do today?
• Conoces a mi raza, son algo apáticos. You know my family, they are a little apathetic.
• Allá con mi raza esto no se come. This type of food doesn't exist in my hometown. [lit. Back in my hometown/with my people this is not food that is usually eaten]

The above applies more in Mexico than elsewhere, but illustrates the difference in the meaning of the word in Spanish

These definitions also covers the "Two or more races" as a high percentage of Puerto Ricans believe they have Taino (indigenous) blood. There are even numerous hit songs about that, going back to Lucecita Benítez' huge 1967/68 PR hit "Soy De Una Raza Pura" ("I Am From a Pure Race") which talks about that indigenous heritage.

So what changed between 2010 and 2020 where about half the people decided they were no longer "white" any more? The factors involved have to do with entitlement. "White" does not get benefits. Anything else does.

"Approximately 47% of households in Puerto Rico receive welfare or public assistance benefits, marking the highest rate among U.S. states and territories. High poverty levels drive this reliance, with over 40% of residents receiving nutritional assistance (NAP) and nearly 50% relying on Medicaid for health coverage. "

The key here is that roughly half of all Puerto Rican households receive benefits. It helps to qualify if you are anything other than "white" and on the Island people are told by neighbors, friends and even some politicians to claim to be Taíno or Black or even "Puerto Rican" as their race in order to qualify.

Any other interpretation is applying white Anglo-Saxon standards to a different society with a different language and tradition. And, of course the fact that "raza" in Spanish does not mean "race" so absolutely as it does in English.

 

[michael hagerty]

So---white welfare cheats stealing benefits that don't belong to them?

 

[K.M. Richards]

This thread is becoming as potentially offensive as the Congressman's actions and remarks.

David, mi amigo ... Mike, my long-time friend ... the best way to solve the issue of racism is to simply be open, tolerant people and not discuss it to death.

(Death being the presumed thread closure by Lance any minute now, if you don't both knock it off. You know how much he hates threads straying too far from radio.)

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ba...m-viewers-slightly-down-2025-peak-2026-02-13/

Here are the ratings for the Super Bowl.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tr...ith-possible-midterm-consequences-2026-02-14/

Yes and how allies of Trump decided to make the Super Bowl a political issue for the midterms. As mentioned previously let’s hope the FCC does not go after the license of the NBC owned stations. Also the music labels and the NFL have a separate deal for the Super Bowl as far as we know. As far as we know we never heard of the music labels for Bad Bunny respond to this.

 

[michael hagerty]

This thread is becoming as potentially offensive as the Congressman's actions and remarks.

David, mi amigo ... Mike, my long-time friend ... the best way to solve the issue of racism is to simply be open, tolerant people and not discuss it to death.

(Death being the presumed thread closure by Lance any minute now, if you don't both knock it off. You know how much he hates threads straying too far from radio.)

Nonsense.

@gr8oldies suggests that the problem the right had with the Super Bowl halftime show was Bad Bunny's "lack of whiteness".

David says, through process of elimination, that Bad Bunny is white. He cites statistics.

I find Census data that doesn't square with those statistics.

David rebuts the Census data with insight suggesting that the people who are white are claiming not to be in order to qualify for welfare benefits.


Lance can kill a thread for any or no reason. He's made it clear that personal politics are the line.

This isn't that. This is facts pertinent to the Super Bowl halftime show, which a Republican Congressman is calling on the current admnistration's FCC chair to investigate.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Also the music labels and the NFL have a separate deal for the Super Bowl as far as we know. As far as we know we never heard of the music labels for Bad Bunny respond to this.

The labels are too busy pushing that radio performance royalty bill.

 

[davideduardo]

So---white welfare cheats stealing benefits that don't belong to them?

The case in Puerto Rico is that, until they were drawn into the obsessive American wish to segregate everyone with hyphenated classifications, there were really no racial distinctions. Much of that had to do with the fact that, like Italy or Spain, there is everything from pale white to "Mediterranean" bronze.

In Puerto Rico, where would one draw the line between "Black" and "White". When the PR Broadcaster Association petitioned back in the 70's to not be required to classify staff as one of those two, the reasoning was that it would be potentially offensive and discriminatory to arbitrarily divide our staff members.

One comment was, "If my sales manager comes back from vacation with a deep tan, is he suddenly 'black' or....?"

To answer your question, everyone right down to the staff at the various assistance agencies told people that they "moved to the head of the line" if they said they were black.

And it is significant to note that many variations on the word "negro" are widely used, even as terms of endearment. My wife at the time (in the 70's) on the island called me "negrito" and, in response, I called her "blackie". Music, particularly salsa and Puerto Rican "folk music" uses the terms "negrito" and "negrita" as signs of affection.

In one of Ismael Rivera's (known as the "sonero mayor" or the "dean of song styling") biggest songs says,

• Es tarde, ya me voy, mi negrita me espera
  Hasta mañana, porque cuando salí
  Dijo: "Negro no tardes en la ciudad"
  Es tarde, ya me voy, mi negrita me espera
  Hasta mañana, porque cuando salí
  Dijo: "Negro no tardes en la ciudad"
  Si yo no vuelvo mi negrita se desvelará no se acostará
  Déjenme irme que es muy tarde ya
  
  
• It's getting late, my little blackie is waiting
  Since the morning, since when I left
  She said, "Black, don't be too long in the city
  It's late, I am leaving, my blackie is waiting
  Till tomorrow, because when I left
  She said, "Black, don't be too long in the city
  If I don't return, my little blackie with wait up and not go to bed
  Let me go as it is too late already.

So my point is that the term "black" in Puerto Rico can be one of endearment or disrespect, depending on the case, and it really has nothing to do with skin color.

 

[davideduardo]

David says, through process of elimination, that Bad Bunny is white. He cites statistics.

I find Census data that doesn't square with those statistics.

David rebuts the Census data with insight suggesting that the people who are white are claiming not to be in order to qualify for welfare benefits.

But there is a sense of national pride here, as well. Most Puerto Ricans don't want to be thought of in the same way as one might think of "white people from Iowa" or an equivalent. Again, the popular T-Shirt that says (in Spanish) "I am not Hispanic. I am not Latina/o. I am Puerto Rican." shows how there is a well defined sense of identity with the Island and its culture.

Just look at the Census data from every modern (Post WW II) decade and you will find that the vast majority of Puerto Ricans who lived on the Island selected "white" as the option for "race".

But, given the vast increase in available welfare monies in 2020 and the fact that incomes are much lower on the Island than even in the poorest state, people found that the only way to qualify for some / many of the programs was to be of a racial minority.

Some picked "two or more races" claiming Taíno heritage. Others selected "Black" because of the belief that "everyone has a touch of Black". There is even a common response to those who claim pure Spanish ascendancy (in Spanish you "ascend" and not "descend") where the response to those claims is "And your grandmother, where is she?" (Y tu abuela, ¿dónde está?) meaning that everyone is Puerto Rican first.

In any case, claiming anything but "white" made "benficios" seemingly easier to get.

 

[TheBigA]

The case in Puerto Rico is that, until they were drawn into the obsessive American wish to segregate everyone with hyphenated classifications,

It's not really "obsessive." It's an attempt to be polite. Usually the hyphen is about nationality, not race. Such as "Cuban American."

Some people want to show pride in their ancestry, and celebrate their culture, in the way Bad Bunny did in the halftime show.

Seems to me to call someone a Puerto Rican-American would be redundant.

 

[davideduardo]

Seems to me to call someone a Puerto Rican-American would be redundant.

Good point. This is where we have another language issue: "Americano" or "Americana" in Spanish means "of the Americas, north and south. It does not generally mean someone from just the United States.

A Mexican or a Peruvian are "americanos". A gringo is "norteamericano" or "estadounidense" although the use of Americano for U.S. folks is becoming more blurry over time.

 

[K.M. Richards]

I long for the utopian future the late Gene Roddenberry envisioned with "Star Trek". These kinds of arguments never happened, because we outgrew the pettiness.

Aside from the fact that I have learned a lot about Spanish-language radio from David, his "race" or "ethnicity" doesn't enter into our friendship. It should always be that way.

 

[TheBigA]

"Americano" or "Americana" in Spanish means "of the Americas, north and south. It does not generally mean someone from just the United States.

Because the official name of the country is United States of America.

 

[michael hagerty]

@davideduardo , my sincere thanks for the explanation. There is clearly a unique set of circumstances in Puerto Rico that can't be understood simply by viewing the 2020 Census.

And this, thrillseekers, is why, unless rules are being broken, you let a conversation continue to a possibly constructive understanding.

 

[michael hagerty]

I long for the utopian future the late Gene Roddenberry envisioned with "Star Trek". These kinds of arguments never happened, because we outgrew the pettiness.

K.M, we weren't arguing about race. We were trying to clarify an allegation made by another poster. David said something that didn't square with the most recent census and it took some conversing to understand what was going on with that.

Aside from the fact that I have learned a lot about Spanish-language radio from David, his "race" or "ethnicity" doesn't enter into our friendship. It should always be that way.

It is. I've stated clearly my issues with David on this board. None of them involve his being white or his Illinois roots.

 

[K.M. Richards]

Okay, I will say nothing more except that this whole thing is getting very tiring. It seems to be one thing after another with this administration, too many attacks on our industry, and the discussions get too easily sidetracked with these allegations.

If I were Lance -- and I am glad I'm not, with this headache -- I'd be giving "time outs" to anyone who took a discussion down that path, and consider making it permanent after too many such issues.

And that is my opinion about it all.

 

[TheBigA]

If I were Lance -- and I am glad I'm not, with this headache -- I'd be giving "time outs"

Seems like a lot of work to me

 

[davideduardo]

Because the official name of the country is United States of America.

And pretty uniformly, in Latin America, it's referred to as the Estados Unidos de Norteamérica. There are other "United States" in the hemisphere, including Brasil and Mexico.

 

[davideduardo]

It is. I've stated clearly my issues with David on this board. None of them involve his being white or his Illinois roots.

I'm originally from Ohio. Great Grandparents or Great Great Grandparents from Massachusetts and Long Island. Before that, on one side it goes all the way back to what is Galicia in Modern Era Spain.