Usually I read John Donegan’s columns and just shake my head. But his recent “A Bad Hare Day” (March 12) rant was too full of specious and mythological hot air to ignore.
I don’t care that he didn’t like Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show. But to claim that probably 80 percent of the audience didn’t understand Spanish? That’s emulating Trump spouting fabricated numbers to make himself valid.
But, more egregiously, to assert that the “traditional melting pot” has served the U.S. well is nothing but white-biased fantasy.
If it were true that “each incoming group adopted the culture and identity of the majority,” the pilgrims and other colonists would have joined the many First Nations peoples already here. And then how were the huge numbers of kidnapped and enslaved Africans meant to blend in to the “majority” white culture? Finally, I agree that recent immigrants tend to be fiercely loyal Americans when welcomed. But only as members of the “club” and not to take advantage of “opportunities”? What club?
The so-called melting pot that excluded, and still does, people of color and non-European origins? That is clearly the goal of the current federal administration through its cruel and discriminatory deployment of ICE. Mr. Donegan envisions an American national identity that strictly limits diversity in beliefs and culture to that of one “majority” based on a historically European model. Clinging to that old myth has never worked well. It’s just not the true story of the Americas.
Sara Kelly
Los Osos
This article appears in Spring Arts Annual 2026.
Most of the people I see panhandling are Caucasian. At this point, “white privilege” is a relic of the past. Everyone is broke.
If Ms Kelly questions my estimate that roughly 80% of the country does not speak the language that Bad Bunny’s show was delivered in, perhaps she should take her beef to Wikipedia, which states that around 14% to 18% of Americans speak Spanish. It may annoy Ms Kelly, with her distate for the “melting pot” model, but successive generations of Latino immigrants, as well as other immigrant groups, tend to adopt English, as they assimilate into the American mainstream and prosper. And, as recent elections have shown, Latinos and other immigrants are increasingly questioning an affiliation with the Democrat party which seems controlled by wealthy white “cause people” and college students trying to exploit social divisions for their own purposes.
“Latinos and other immigrants are increasingly questioning an affiliation with the Democrat (Democratic is the proper title in this case—I see Mr. Donegan is a fan of Joseph McCarthy and Rush Limbaugh) party…”
According to Somos Votantes, more than one-third of Latinos who voted for Trump are disappointed or regret their vote. And, according to the BBC, “support among US Latinos for Trump has fallen to 36%, a marked decline from a high of 49% in early February following his return to the White House.”
Not surprising, considering the main issue for most Hispanics was the economy. More than a year into Trump 2.0, inflation is at its same level as when Trump took office, gas prices are spiking and, according to a headline from NBC News, “US had almost no job growth in 2025.”
Never underestimate the ability of the Democratic party to further alienate Latinos and every other sane group, with whatever wacky new bandwagon they decide to jump aboard for 2028.
At least it won’t be the bandwagon of war, pointless tariffs, terror in the streets, election denial, presidential grift, etc.
They alienated me when they started giving and operating MLRS rockets to shoot into the Russian heartland by their buddy, the dictator, Zylenski.
I immediately renounced my membership in their Jim Jones suicidal death cult party, thank you very much.
Well at least Fly is still on Putin’s bandwagon, REGARDLESS OF HIM INVADING ANOTHER NATION, and John has the MAGA hate still going strong against those “not like us”. 125+ million (avg) watched the super bowl, while 128 million watched the halftime show. “The 2026 game saw a significant 47% increase in Spanish-language viewership over the previous record” Hmm considering the NFL is a business, that wants to expand, pretty sure they are happy with the results.
But I’d bet John still supports MAGA as Cheeto interferes in business left and right and takes US to another unfunded war on false premises!
You might re-read my column. I endorsed the NFL’s right to run the half time show in Spanish, even if I found their choice to use a language that 80% of the audience doesn’t understand to be strange. If they figure it serves their business interests, good for them. I pay little attention to the half time shows, anyway.
And where do you find “MAGA hate”? Latinos were not enthusiastic about the Democrat’s open border, either. Only the Democrat’s notorious “identity group ideology” requires that they embrace it. As taxpayers who are also being forced to pay for it, they tend to have another perspective.
Yes, I still support Russians right to self defense from NATO installing military infrastructure on their border.
As a reminder, your party, Jon, was supplying and firing MLRS rockets into the interior of a nuclear power. I’m not even a Boomer, and I can appreciate what the nuclear consequences of doing so is.
It is clear, both parties are a war party. Third parties aren’t even viable. I was literally looking for fallout shelters while Democrats were bombing Russia, who wouldn’t be. I even had to tell my wife and son which drainage tunnel to jump into and not to forget bringing some water with them when Russia decided to retaliate. You can actually THANK PUTIN for not nuking you, me, and everyone we live into oblivion.