Why I don't/won't hate Justin Bieber

I simply don't hate Justin Bieber just like as an open-minded music listener, I don't hate any musician or anyone with any sort of talent. ( Yes yes, I see you snigger. Talent, what talent you ask?)

Ok so Justin Bieber is not Floyd. Not a John Mayer. Not even a "that dude who sang a decent song and disappeared forever after". But the best part is he is not even pretending to be one.

Here's a teenager churning out music for his kind, for the kids that lap up his stuff and he makes them happy. While also managing to be one of the most commerically succesful and popular kids of his age around despite all the negativity he faces. Probably he's not a fluke after all. Probably he offers millions of people music/entertainment that may be too lowbrow for you and me. But then who decides liking or making which kind of music makes one a fundamentally superior person, if it does? 

Why then is Bieber, of all the mediocre musicians that are around, the butt of all jokes on the internet or off it? Bieber jokes were funny around 3 years back ( actually not even back then) but most, in bad taste. Why is our humour level at such a low that we need him to provide us with matter for ALL of it?

Why grudge him his success? If you don't like his music, don't listen to it, simple. Actually if you did listen to it, you'd realise some of his stuff is actually good for his age. I like his acoustic album, sue me. Hating Justin Bieber is like opening the classifieds, not looking to buy anything but calling a seller and saying 'hey fuck you. That fridge you're selling is bloody expensive!"

I don't understand why should the world's hatred be channeled towards an 18yr old just trying to make music, however untalented or 'gay' ( So much for not being homophobic, bro) you think he might be. I cannot stand hiphop. I simply think it doesn't appeal to my taste. But no I'm not going to wish death on its promoters, people who've worked hard, seen through struggles and got to where they are because *I* dont like their music. Did you know Bieber started playing drums at the age of two? Or that he came to limelight after he was noticed by 'prominent' people from the music industry after listening to his YouTube videos? ( And no not because he has a rich dad to buy his deals as you'd believe)

So much is the hatred, that now it extends beyond a sensible artistical evaluation of his music and into his looks. The lanky boy who's barely coming out of his teens is ridiculed for being "girly". Would a death metal star be any better off looking girly?

Irony is people well into their 30s stoop down to making jokes about someone half their age and probably double their success. I personally think he's a charming 18yr old boy.

Having a healthy sense of humour and making jokes is fine. We all have fun at someone's expense or the other, yes but when collective negative energies of  millions of people are directed towards a harmless kid, it reflects more poorly on their sense of humour and general sensibilities of a human being than his talent. Luckily for him, instead of just sitting around on the internet looking at all the mean things people mete out about him, he's actually out there making something out of his life comprising of only some 18-19 yrs. But it's when stuff like a "Worst birthday" tweet from him results in hundreds of people replying with crap like "hope you died" or "why, your parents finally realise what a big mistake you were" to get retweets on twitter, it's not cool. Not cool at all. Don't forget that at the end of the day, he's just a person with feelings and emotions. What kind of human being hurts someone on a personal level based on something about his music/looks/popularity you don't like when he hasn't asked you to like it just like noone asks anyone to like anything that they outrage about not liking.

Who knows 10yrs down the line, how much Beiber will grow, what kind of influences will shape his musical realm that he's already got a hang of. Did you listen to the same things as you did 10yrs back? ( and if you didn't dance to a cheesy "The venga bus is coming" when you were around 10, I pity your childhood) Was your level of intellect the same then?

Let the kid be and do his thing. Don't hate on his music. Focus on exploring your own. There are worse things to hate in the world. Hate for example.


And as to why am *I* so concerned that I dedicated a whole blogpost to it? Because this is not just about Justin Bieber. He's only a symbol, if you will, of this herd mentality or a part of a mainstream internet thing to joke/comment about everything with zero or half-baked knowledge about it, in a bid for attention, in the process snowballing it into a bigger phenomenon than it needs to be- For its worse or for its better. ( Gangnam style ringeth a bell?)

P.s : And I actually like this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGX6HxE0E-Q