Seeing Bono say "Blessed are the shithole countries, for they gave us the American Dream,” was a weird moment of the 2018 Grammy Awards. Not because it's a variation on a Kendrick Lamar lyric. Not because it was a response to Donald Trump's "shithole countries" remark. And not because these countries didn't give us the American dream.
Rather, it was weird that Bono exclaimed that phrase on a barge in front of the Statue of Liberty, after a U2 performance of "Get Out Of Your Own Way." Weirder still, that set was presented by Camila Cabello, a Cuban immigrant, in a speech about supporting Dreamers. Confusingly, the juxtaposition of Cabello's speech (Bono's words, too) and the group's lyrics implied that it wasn't the American government holding back immigrants, but themselves.
Trump's reign of terror affects all countries, partcularly in terms of immigration, this much is true. But giving one of the most politicized lines and locations of the night to a band of non-immigrants, who seemingly don't have a dog in the fight, was an odd choice. Was there no one better? Cabello proved her prowess at giving speeches, and, considering the sucess of her album, she's an able singer. Couldn't she have performed?
