Justin Bieber is Officially The Worst: What Happened?
We all know Justin Bieber has a bit of an ego. How can you not when you have over 45 million followers on Twitter, a cult following that go by the name of Beliebers, and your very own line of perfume? This baby-faced pop singer has been praised and worshipped ever since he was discovered by Scooter Braun, an American talent manager. Justin is smart, too (or at least is the ingenious product of his managerial team). He has invested in tech start-ups such as Spotify and Stamped and made millions. Bieber also makes sure to give back to the community; he supports Pencils of Promise, a charity organization that builds schools in developing countries, and endorses PETA.
So when this well-rounded and beloved pop star start acting rude, mean and downright crazy, why wasn’t it made into a bigger deal? It’s so easy for us to criticize the twerk-happy Miley Cyrus (who is approximately the same age as Bieber), psychologically analyzing her rebellion and pin-pointing her attention-seeking maneuvers. Besides the whole Anne Frank fiasco earlier this year, Justin hasn’t gotten much criticism at all. No, he didn’t show up on stage at the VMAs and offensively dance on another singer in his underwear, but he has done some pretty messed up things lately.
Just this year, Justin Bieber has:
1. Gotten into a fight with a photographer in London and was restrained by his own bodyguard. Bieber cussed the photographer out, threatening to “f**king beat the f**k out of him.” He blamed this outburst on a “rough week”.
2. Arrived over two hours late to his own concert.
3. Leaned over a balcony and spat on his fans… not to mention the death threats/alleged spitting in his neighbor’s face.
4. Peed in a mop bucket at a restaurant. Bieber’s grandma justified her grandson’s actions by saying, “Anybody else’s kids have done the same thing!” I mean, obviously.
5. Walked through airport security shirtless in Poland.
And just last Monday, he forced his body guards to physically carry him on their shoulders up the Great Wall of China. I’ve seen pictures of Bieber without a shirt on. You have. We all have. His 19 year-old body is no way incapable of walking up a few hills. Okay, so pretty much a mountain. But really? Make your bodyguards carry you on their shoulders while you play around on your phone?
The day before, Bieber’s bodyguards had to run after him as he skateboarded around town. Ladies and gentlemen, if you ever need a new workout plan or are over the Insanity Workout, just apply for a job as Justin Bieber’s bodyguard. You will get fit in NO TIME.
But in all seriousness, this bratty behavior isn’t okay. No matter how entitled a celebrity feels, they shouldn’t be taking advantage of people and disrespecting their fans. Instead of standing up to Justin, his fans are applauding him. After the skateboarding and Great Wall of China incidents, fans tweeted, “I would never run, but if Justin was skateboarding I’d run after him,” and “Only Justin would have somebody carry him up the Great Wall of China. Aw my baby boy.”
Maybe that latter tweet is the essence of the problem. Justin is still a kid, a boy. He’s a teenager who has turned into a multi-millionaire and has fans crawling at his feet. He’s watching Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg (Lion?) and Eminem swagger around Hollywood and the music industry and he’s trying to join their club. His thug-like, “I-don’t-give-a-sh*t” attitude is the projection of what he wants to be: tough and reckless. Essentially what’s going on in Miley’s world (fetishizing Black culture and causing a scene for the sake of it) is also happening in Justin’s. Except his fans find it cute or funny.
If Justin Bieber doesn’t get his act together, he’s going to be another Lindsay Lohan. He’s going to get his first DUI in a year, and then he’s going to get his second with six months. Then he’s going to get photographed doing hard drugs. Maybe then his fans will stop and wonder what is going on with their boy wonder.
I hope Bieber grows up. I hope he finds his true identity and not the one the industry has stapled to his body. Maybe he can do some soul-searching in a third-world country and the experience will humble him forever. But that probably won’t happen.
