this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2026
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Donald Trump is the president of the United States, but the population believes that Bad Bunny better embodies American values. According to a survey published by Yahoo and YouGov, a company specializing in market research, the artist best reflects the North American country, with 42% of positive responses, compared to the Republican president, who had 39%. The study was conducted days after the Puerto Rican’s performance at halftime during Super Bowl LX, which took place on Sunday, February 8.

Trump said on social media that the show had been one of the worst in history. “It is an affront to the greatness of the United States and does not represent our values of success, creativity, and excellence. No one understands a word this guy says, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children.” But the numbers tell a different story.

The partisan difference is striking. About 78% of those who identify as Democrats view Bad Bunny favorably, and only 7% reject him. On the other hand, among those who identify as Republicans, only 12% approve of the Puerto Rican, compared to 70% who disapprove. Among independent voters, 46% voted for the artist, while 27% voted for the president.

Bad Bunny’s performance at one of the most watched events in the world has also generated increased interest in learning Spanish and traveling to the Caribbean island. Duolingo, one of the most popular language learning apps, shared a graph on its social media showing a 35% increase in Spanish learners minutes after the artist’s performance ended.

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[–] TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 5 hours ago

The country's values consist of slavery (although now limited to incarcerated), money inequality, war, racism, narcissism and abuse of power. I think Donny does a great job showing the country's values. Although they make me sick to my stomach.

[–] Prior_Industry@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

American values feel like they can be summed up as "I got mine, fuck you". Trump is the perfect messenger.

[–] SchwertImStein@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 5 hours ago

Like fuck he does

trumpo's approval ratings last September:

[–] jmankman@lemmy.myserv.one 12 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

Depending on whether you're looking at the values America represents, or the values America says it represents, either could be true.

[–] Creegz@lemmy.world 12 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

As a Canadian, what I saw in that half time show and the few things I've seen him say elsewhere indicate he has displayed the values and mentality that I was told while growing up that America is all about. These values are not what I see perpetuated by the a large portion of the American population.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

1/3 of the American population is literal Nazis with a weird worship kink who want nothing but to cause pain and suffering

1/3 of the American population wants to live as a civilized society, sharing the same values as much of Canada (as someone who lives/lived in both)

1/3 of the American population is disinterested in trying to tell the difference between the two and will happily sit on the sidelines and let the status quo rule

So yes, you are correct

[–] fierysparrow89@lemmy.world 58 points 1 day ago (1 children)

With respect to Mr. Bunny, this is not saying much. Think about it, how many random picks would it take to find someone who better embodies those values than the orange baboon?

[–] MajorasTerribleFate@lemmy.zip 3 points 14 hours ago

How many random picks would it take to find someone who worse embodies those values than the orange baboon?

I watched Bad Bunny's performance. He was entertaining, he danced well, and the sets were nice. There were no subtitles so I could not tell what he was saying. I still felt like I understood him when he named off all the countries in North and South America. I understood that he was saying everyone in those countries is American and should be united. I can't say for certain though, but that was the message I received.

Meanwhile, not only is Trump going after brown people, but his thugs executed a woman on the spot for what she saw. No trial, just straight to execution. Then they executed a protester. Trump said they were both terrorists. If Ms Good was a terrorist for what she saw that day (we will never know exactly what she saw that warranted her immediate execution), what does that make the rest of us who see this kind of thing day in and day out on the news?

Apple and Google have both advertised products which will translate speech in real time. They've never said anything about music. But maybe one day we will live in a world where it won't matter what language a person uses, whether speaking or singing, we will be able to understand them, at least to some extent. (I've tried Apple's solution with music. It works, but it struggles to keep up. So you get one line and maybe another a minute or so later. It is definitely not ready for prime time. Also, I used a Japanese song, and Japanese and English are the most foreign to one another, so Spanish might have yielded better results.)

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 15 points 22 hours ago

Bunny has better values I'm sure and Americans might want to believe he represented them but personally I think Trump pretty accurately represents Americans values. He just says the quiet part out loud and in an inelegant way.

[–] novibe@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

After all this shit is over, the America I want to remember (as a non-American), is the America of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, of Albert Einstein, WEB Du Bois, of John Brown, of Tupac, of the creation and heights of new arts and sciences. For being the first truly fully modern nation on earth. Where the ideals of the new age first became law. For fighting for freedom and the wellbeing of every individual.

But when Trump was first elected, I remember feeling “damn he is the most American guy ever huh”. And he is. He’s a grifter and a scammer, a heir failson who fell upwards in life due to his evilness. And that’s America as well. It’s also Rockefeller, Carnagie, Mellon, Morgan all the robber barons, Joseph Smith, Roy Cohn, Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lanski, the Dulles brothers. Of eugenics and “enhanced interrogations”. Of forced sterilizations and experiments on unwilling subjects.

America was founded on genocide, conquest and slavery. And it rewarded the people that most embodied the ideals necessary for that up until this day.

The world can only be free when the empire falls, and America is returned to the natives and reparations are made to all descendants of enslaved people. When we all face the reality that no nation can exist founded on the principles of white supremacy and simply “reform”.

But after that, I’ll remember America for all the good that it was. Not for being the most evil nation on earth. I hope.

[–] tiny_hedgehog@piefed.social 11 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I don’t know who Bunny is and why he’s bad, but I believe a steaming pile of faeces embodies America’s value better than Trump.

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 14 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Puerto Rican singer/rapper.

He turned the Superbowl halftime show into an actual wedding for a friend.

He's got a good voice, but if I spoke Spanish I'd likely not enjoy the music as much, he mostly seems to sing about clubbing and the ladies and other typical young adult party music stuff, which just isn't my bag anymore because I still use terms like "my bag".

[–] tiny_hedgehog@piefed.social 5 points 19 hours ago

“My colostomy bag.”

Thanks for explaining the Bunny.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago

If the comparison is Trump, King George III passes; and we literally fought a war to not be under his rule.

[–] chisel@piefed.social 16 points 1 day ago (3 children)

and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children

The USA's aversion to the human body is so strange to me. Is there a tangible negative to children occasionally seeing thicc booty once in a while? And don't even get me started on nudity. As long as parents are present to provide guidance, as they should be in all things, seeing different bodies can be a valuable learning experience and a boost to body image. That said, if the only women your child ever sees are mommy and twerking latinas, you're in for a bad time.

[–] muxika@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It's all a virtue-signaling smokescreen. The infant mortality and child poverty rates are staggering.

[–] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 20 hours ago

As people have recent found out, a lot of thinking about children amongst the power and money elites in the US is of the inappropriate kind.

[–] sakuraba@lemmy.ml 2 points 16 hours ago

Thanks to the abortion ban

[–] Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 11 points 23 hours ago

Country was founded by prudes.

[–] SwingingTheLamp@piefed.zip 3 points 20 hours ago

Honestly, it's a weird sex thing. Taboo stuff is hotter.

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 6 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

It'd be hilarious if bad bunny ran for president.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 10 points 21 hours ago

A presidential candidate from a non-state territory (other than DC) would absolutely break MAGA brains.

[–] orclev@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Neither party would let him. He's the antithesis of everything Republicans stand for, and the old guard in the Democrats would black ball him even harder than they did Bernie Sanders.

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

Still funny to think about

[–] ReallyAngryNerd@europe.pub 11 points 1 day ago (3 children)

What are US values? Imperialism, corruption, racism, intimidation, doing whatever you want if you have enough power...?

[–] M137@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Depends on what you mean. US values as in the rulers of the country or US values as in the major of its people?

[–] ReallyAngryNerd@europe.pub -2 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Aren't these the same? The rulers are elected by the people.

[–] WindyRebel@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Sounds like you don’t understand the people of America. Yes, the people vote and we have an electorate that is supposed to vote on what people want.

However, a vast majority of Americans do not turn out to vote. Either they can’t because of logistics, they abstain, or some other reason. We still, historically, have under half of the population actually turn out to vote. Voter turnout graph of the United States by share of population.

[–] ReallyAngryNerd@europe.pub 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

For most people not voting is a choice. It's accepting whoever wins.

[–] WindyRebel@lemmy.world -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Just curious, but do you have statistics to back that up or are you just angry with Americans and making a statement?

As an American, I don’t even know what most people’s decision to not vote is beyond a multitude of reasons I have read about.

[–] ReallyAngryNerd@europe.pub 6 points 1 day ago

I don’t even know what most people’s decision to not vote is

As you say, it's a decision (a choice). That's all I'm saying as well.

[–] Jankatarch@lemmy.world 5 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

Tbf the president is elected by States, not the people. Process is known as "Electoral College."

States don't have to vote as their population did, they can vote complete opposite if they want.

CGP-gray video "loophole that could end electoral college" is pretty short explanation.

[–] Gathorall@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago

But they have voted according to the will of the people and this was it.

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If everyone was electable, that statement might hold true. In the current system, people vote for the lesser evil.

[–] ReallyAngryNerd@europe.pub 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I get your point, there are many elections where people vote for the lesser evil. But voting for Trump two times, in my view, wasn't voting for the lesser evil.

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 4 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

Trump was the lesser evil in many minds apparently. Still, equating a whole population with the leader it elects is too drastic a shortcut. Just like I don't want to be identified with any of the idiots at the tops of the many hierarchies above me.

[–] Gathorall@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

Well hierarchies beside the goverment, like companies, work more like old world nobility where any jackass can be on the top because their grandfather made or did something neat one time. Why would you be identified with that?

[–] myrmidex@belgae.social 1 points 14 hours ago

Never met a Musk-fan I take it.

[–] Gathorall@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Bad Bunny may indeed be more in line with US ideals, but Trump is like the actual country incarnated into human form.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Unlimited power for the nepo babies of wealthy families.

[–] tehn00bi@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

American here, no idea what bad bunny stands for. The halftime show was probably the first time I’ve listened to him and I didn’t recognize a single track.

[–] Cherry@piefed.social 5 points 1 day ago

That’s a lot better than the stuff emerging from the orangeturd artist.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

I thought it was great all the trees were people.

[–] TheSeveralJourneysOfReemus@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

It's really funmy how duolingo became a socio-cultural benchmark. And it isn't even that good. But hey it's something.

/edit also don't associate with that kid rock guy ever, he's one of the worst thing i have ever heard, and i am not talking on a political sense, but on human terms.

It is an affront to the greatness of the United States and does not represent our values of success, creativity, and excellence.

~Quite the opposite, the history of the US is, in fact, a history of migrations. Something the many if you used to be proud, especially in the 90's, the idea that the 'melting pot' was open.

I was thought the concept of melting pot in history classes, as the idea that a society that stays open can function as a gateway and not as a gatekeeper.

The kkk and the racist religious and fanatical organisations have always acted as a regressive force, and it's no news that these criminals thrived in poor or less developed areas. They are attempting to rewrite history there.

[–] aeration1217@lemmy.org 4 points 1 day ago
[–] sakuraba@lemmy.ml -2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

I really don't get this super bowl shit, it amazes me that people will look for hope in a show made to show ads in the biggest flex from the marketing branches of every major US company

Don't get me started on inviting Lady Gaga, known zionist, to perform there

Yeah no to both