Hi, this is Monique Rhodes. Welcome to the In Your Right Mind podcast, where we’re learning to be happier by working with our minds. If you'd like to know more about what I teach, come to moniquerhodes.com, where you’ll find lots of information to help you—because that’s all I want: for you to be happier.
A Cultural Moment That Left Me Thinking
I want to talk about something today because it feels like a sign of the times. This past Sunday, I was invited to watch the Super Bowl. Now, I love sports—I really do. I love watching tennis, football, rugby, all of it. And I’ve watched the Super Bowl before. But what fascinates me about the Super Bowl is that it’s more than just a football game. It’s a cultural event.
As a non-American, I watch it as an outsider, and each year, I step back and wonder: What exactly are people celebrating here?
Advertising as Entertainment
Millions of people tuned in on Sunday, not just to watch the game, but to watch the advertisements. Think about that for a moment. In the United States, commercials—literal sales pitches—have become a main source of entertainment.
The Super Bowl commercials are massive productions. They’re clever, sometimes funny, and occasionally emotional. But let’s not forget their purpose: they exist to sell people things. Yet, instead of tolerating them, people celebrate them. They analyze them, rank them, and discuss them as if they’re art.
And I can’t help but ask: Are we so deep into consumer culture that we now see advertising as entertainment?
Corporations already shape so much of our reality—what we see, what we value, what we think we need. And the Super Bowl magnifies that on a massive scale. Instead of resisting this, people celebrate it. It’s as if we’ve fully embraced the idea that being marketed to is part of the joy of life.
But is it?
The Halftime Show and Conflict as Entertainment
Then there’s the halftime show. Kendrick Lamar, one of the most influential artists of our time, performed. But what stood out wasn’t just his music. He used part of his performance to take a public shot at another artist, Drake.
And people loved it. The drama, the conflict—it became something to talk about.
But I have to ask: Is this what we’ve come to expect? That conflict isn’t just something that happens but something to be packaged and presented for our enjoyment?
This isn’t just about entertainment; it’s about the message it sends. A halftime show is supposed to bring people together. Instead, it glorified rivalry and public feuds. What does it say about human nature that we want to see people take each other down?
Consumerism and Conflict: Normalized Spectacles
As an outsider, I find this deeply unsettling. There’s a cultural normalcy around celebrating consumerism. And this weekend, there was a cultural normalcy around glorifying conflict. People aren’t just accepting these things—they’re fully participating in them, as if this is simply how life is meant to be.
But it doesn’t have to be.
You don’t have to accept this as normal.
You don’t have to let corporations dictate your entertainment.
You don’t have to buy into the idea that being sold to is something to celebrate.
You don’t have to feed into a culture that thrives on public feuds, negativity, and spectacle.
Choosing a Different Path
You can choose kindness over conflict.
You can decide to engage with entertainment in ways that aren’t centered around competition and consumerism.
You can reject the idea that your attention, energy, and values should be shaped by what corporations or social media trends tell you to care about.
But this requires consciousness. It requires questioning what you’re consuming. It means not letting mainstream culture define what you find exciting, valuable, or meaningful.
Because if you don’t, this spectacle of ads, conflict, and consumerism will only grow. Before you know it, you won’t just be watching it—you’ll be living it.
Or maybe you already are.
As always, be kind, take care, and go gently in the world.
