The (mis)trial of Justin Bieber
A spoiled musician or a 19-year-old having fun?
Justin Bieber is wading through a world of grief right now and faces jail in the U.S. and Canada, unwelcome publicity and a career that’s likely reached its peak.
There are opinions aplenty on the Canadian pop star and today, we’re putting him on trial on charges of making lousy music and being a spoiled brat who’s become a nasty bit of business.
Or is the pride of Stratford, Ont., just acting his age?
PROSECUTION:
Your Honour, over the past year Justin Bieber has been involved in scores of troubling incidents that go directly to his character. To whit: Bieber has been late for concerts, stomped on the Argentine flag, caught in a Brazilian cathouse, been charged with assaulting a Toronto limo driver, busted for drag racing on a residential street in Miami, peeing on a photo of former U.S. president Bill Clinton, threatening to punch out photographers and suggesting that Holocaust martyr Anne Frank would have been a Belieber.
We could go on, but the tawdry incidents are just too numerous.
DEFENCE:
It is true that Justin Bieber has had an eventful year. But let’s look at some facts: He is only 19 years old and how many boys that age aren’t out having fun? The difference is that most boys Justin’s age aren’t being constantly followed by an army of photographers and tabloid reporters. He is under a lot of pressure and doing the best he can under the circumstances. Has he made some poor decisions? Yes. But let’s put his sins in context: He is merely following the great rock ’n’ roll tradition of excess. We will call a number of witnesses who will steadfastly defend his character.