Poor Justin Bieber. It seems the 19 year-old can’t seem to do anything right these days.
Maybe it was his break-up with Selena Gomez that unleashed all this. Maybe his intentions are misunderstood. Maybe it’s just being a famous teenager growing up in the public eye.
Take your pick, but in recent months, he’s managed to offend or baffle:
– Many fellow Canadians for wearing overalls and a backwards baseball cap to receive an award from Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In response to the uproar, Bieber said he simply didn’t have time to change after concert before meeting Harper.
– Some people – for grabbing the breast of a young fan for a photo opp and posting it (and later removing it) on his site. The fan later defended him saying it was a joke and her idea.
– British authorities – for showing up with his under age entourage to a London club. The result? Bieber and his crew were turned away resulting in him tweeting that this was his “worst birthday ever”.
– His neighbour – for spitting on him during an altercation. The neighbour is apparently pressing charges.
– Polish airport officials – for going through the airport with no shirt on and barely-hanging-on-there-pants. It was -19C and no one had asked him to remove his shirt.
– His German fans – for being two hours late for a concert. This made many fans cry and others simply gave up and left.
So what’s his latest faux pas?
While visiting Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Bieber did something that some feel is insensitive. What did he do? After spending an hour at the museum, he wrote the following in the guestbook:
“Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.”
Many have taken to social media to blast Bieber for that last line, claiming he is full of himself and is not showing the proper respect. But the museum defended him, posting this on their official Facebook page:
“We think it is very positive that he took the time and effort to visit our museum. He was very interested in the story of Anne Frank and stayed for over an hour. We hope that his visit will inspire his fans to learn more about her life and hopefully read the diary,”
So, what’s your take? What do you make of Bieber’s latest brush with controversy? Is he getting a rough break from the media? Or should his handlers know better?
(photo credit: Instagram)
Amazing. Words fail me. What a quote. Here’s the link to the article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/fashion/03bieber.html?_r=1&
Good point on the adolescent brain’s development, and the adults who suppposedly have developed brains and the ability to think (Scooter Braun, Bieber’s Mum I’m talking to you.) These are the *grown ups* surrounding and advising Bieber so quite frankly he doesn’t stand a chance and we have more of these incidents to look forward to. Lots of blogger fodder!!!
oh and check out this NYT article and quote from Bieber’s mum:
“I prayed, ‘God, you don’t want this Jewish kid to be Justin’s man, do you?…God, I gave him to you. You could send me a Christian man, a Christian label!’” — Pattie Mallette
Very very interesting re. teenage brain! I guess I’m in for quite a treat when my guy gets old enough. Eek. I’ve been warned 😉
And re. your last statement —> YES!!! He’s in the public eye, no matter how old he is. He may be proud of working out and beefing up a bit, but someone SHOULD have the guts to tell him to throw a shirt on! I would gladly volunteer to be that person. I wouldn’t even need to be on the payroll.
I once heard a psychiatrist addressing an audience of teachers, parents and mental health practitioners on the topic of the adolescent brain. And here’s the thing – the whole entire teenage brain goes through a massive shift. You simply lose a fair number of your faculties for the whole of high school and (some experts suggest) into your early 20s. The psychiatrist said this:
“never ask a teenager, ‘what were you thinking?’ because they answer is simply this: they weren’t.”
I think this is what we’re seeing in the case of Bieber, coupled with the whole Hollywood pressure bit. But I will get a wee bit judgy though and say, isn’t that what parents are for? To guide us through our growth and development and help us make the right choices, or at least support us in make better choices if we make mistakes?
Somebody needs to take this lad aside and shield him from the pressures of the public eye until he has grown up a little bit. Or at least say, “for god’s sake, Justin, put your damn t-shirt back on…we’re in an AIRport!”
For sure. But if his handlers actually tell him to stop, they’d all be out of a job. Hence the dilemma.
True. When you’ve been famous and rich for most of your teen years, you don’t know what normal is anymore. His idea of girls’ normal behaviour is that they scream each time they see him. Even though he earned it, what typical 19 year-old has his own mansion, drives a Fisker Karma and is the main breadwinner? All this throws the parental power off-balance.
I’m with Tracey here – sorry but I’m done. His mother and handlers need to get him away from all this shizz now or it’s just going to be another Lohan situation.
I too hope it is just a blip for this talented young man. But the public nakedness is baffling and leads me to believe that he has a “tiny” ego problem. When you are growing up surrounded by Yes Men I think it is impossible to stay grounded in reality.
“young buck”. Too hilarious. Love it!
I’ve not heard that about Anne Frank but if that’s the case, his comment makes total sense. Sadly, it’s coming on the heels of all that other bizarre behavior so that doesn’t help his cause.
Tracey, I like your idea of him taking a break. Maybe he can join his fellow Canuck Ryan Gosling and take some time off. If not, I hope it’s a teenage blip. No one wants to be seeing another Britney or Michael Jackson situation where a kid pop star is driven too hard.
i read something interesting and i hope this is where he was coming from. anne frank was huge into pop culture at the time. she had her room decorated with pictures of movie stars and the like and that was his reason for saying that. almost like a wish of sorts. not, “whoooo! i’m aaawesome!” but i wish you could have had your dreams come true. fingers x’ed that was it.
I have no interest in this kid – NOT AT ALL – but from all reports, he seems like a hard-working kid who is doing his best. And I think growing up in the public eye has got to be the fastest and best way to ruin a person… he’s a child. And his world is mostly fabricated, and unlike most people’s. I don’t know if any 19-year-olds ever say the right thing even half of the time…I’m sure I didn’t.
Indeed – he needs a little lie down. Or a time out. Or a year-long break. But, that would bankrupt The Machine. No one wants that, I’m sure. (Poor Biebs.)
I know I am in the minority here, but I genuinely feel bad for the Biebs. He experienced fame and fortune at such a young age, it is impossible to turn out normal. I think he needs to take some time off to relax and re-group. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for this young buck.