This isn’t going to be a short and snappy rant, but it is definitely going to be somewhat of a moan. It is concerning a certain pop star who has recently caused a bit of a stir on Twitter. Which of course is Justin Bieber. Now I’m not going to insult him because I am above that and I’m not going to defend him because of the allegations, but I am going to tell the truth from my perspective.
For those of you who were lucky enough not to see this monstrosity of an event I shall explain. Basically due to the revealing of Mr Bieber being caught supposedly taking drugs his fans proceeded to tweet pictures of them self harming under the hash tag “#cut4bieber” because either they feel sorry for him, or they are offended because of what has become of their idol. Now I’m not offending any people who do self harm because I know it is a very sensitive topic and not one to be made a joke of, so apologies in advance if anyone misinterprets my opinions. I assure you my sympathy goes out to those who do have a problem with self harming. I’m afraid this will not be a quick post, but I will attempt to throw some light on the situation by explaining three points that will hopefully prove to be food for thought, as they were for me.
1. It has been well established on many occasions that Justin Bieber is a very successful artist and has risen to fame somewhat over the past couple of years. This also enlightens us to the amount of money he has earned through his career, which I am told is a substantial amount. This leads me to beg the question; why would he be unhappy with his life or be suffering? His fans took pity on him because he has supposedly snapped and resorted to drugs to make him happier. Now I’m sorry but someone who has had a career like his and has as much money as he has cannot have a life that is even slightly bad. Someone who has a large amount of money coming out of every orifice in his body doesn’t seem like someone who would be unhappy. I understand some celebrities have cracked under the pressure of a celebrity lifestyle, but they’re not usually the ones who have opportunities handed to them on a plate. And also for someone who is so successful, why do his fans always want him to be portrayed as the victim? He has supposedly done something wrong, which either way was part of his life choice. Deal with it.
2. As the title states the 60s were better for dealing with this kind of situation, because musicians and artists could take drugs and it wouldn’t cause such a disgusting uproar as the events of yesterday. I am in no one approving the use of drugs on a daily basis, it’s just in the 60s people had a better way of dealing with these issues. Take the Rolling Stones for example. If Mick Jagger or Keith Richards were found in possession of drugs, their fans wouldn’t be loading up their six shooters or sharpening their knives, they would just accept that it happened and accept that it’s part of the artist’s choices. They wouldn’t start an unnatural spin of self harm just to show their emotions about the artists or start protests that are equally controversial. If they did want to express their views then there are clearly better ways to do so. Then again, if the Stones fans did react in the same way they wouldn’t have any skin left.
3. Just a quick point that most people will understand, posting things on social networking sites that are deliberately aimed at celebrities does not mean a response will be gained from them. I’m not sure what the people who actually took part in this little exercise were trying to achieve, but the result was far from positive. Posting a message directed towards a celebrity is not the best way to present your opinion on a particular subject. I hope people such as those who were involved in the trend realise that there are better ways to present their thoughts. HINT do what I did, start a blog.
Most people I know including myself were disgusted by this little stunt because it did give a bad name for teenagers and people who are fans of the artist. Also it seemed like it was making those who genuinely have an issue based around self harming feel terrible, because it was taking something that they have a problem with and making people form negative opinions on it (such as it’s mostly teenagers over reacting, or it’s not a real problem because they bring it on themselves). Just because some individuals took their duties as a “fan girl” a little too fair, it doesn’t mean our opinions should change on those who do actually need help.
It was a disgusting idea to take a story from the news and take it completely the wrong way so that it is blown out of all proportion. I’m sure the artist would have explained his side perfectly well if he was given half a chance. But instead his fans decided to use it as an excuse to make him seem like the victim, and join him in his emotional torment. Shame on them. My opinion on those who used this little stunt in a negative way cannot be posted fully however, because a lawsuit of some kind is sure to follow it.
As I have said before I do not want anyone to feel offended by this post, it was merely me stating points that were thought provoking in my mind. If anyone is offended then I am truly sorry and if you talk to me about it then I will apologise to you directly.
It is with a heavy heart I say that I was heavily disappointed with many people yesterday and I hope that is something that is not repeated in the future.
Adam Lester. 