12/14/2012

I usually primarily write humor (or what I perceive as humor). As a father and a grandfather no laughter is in my heart. These words came to me last night. Feel free to share or pass on by.

Satan's in the schoolhouse
The seraphs hear his roar
The sound of evil coming
A sound we've heard before

School was let out early
The devil's taking roll
He's hunting huddled angels
Stalking children's souls

Spitting his fiery venom
One bullet at a time
Random acts of violence
Hateful senseless crime

Christmas in Connecticut
Won't be the same this year
Instead of exchanging presents
We're exchanging tears

Rick Wainright - 12/14/2012

Why I don't hate Justin Bieber

I haven't written anything in a long time.  That is not entirely true.  I haven't written anything I thought was blog-worthy in a long time.  I suppose it is time for me to change that.  I have several reasons which trump my other several reasons for NOT writing.  I noticed that my blog has received nearly 300,000 views.  I know many of those are my own visits to my blog.  Also, page views may be counted by the tracking service like Chicago tracks votes, and  the total may be skewed.  Regardless, even if actual views by different living and breathing people account for even a quarter of the total, I am humbled.

Also, I recently received a personal email from a very famous writer (respecting his request for confidentiality I will not name him) essentially expounding on what a disappointment I am to him because he continually stops by to find no new entries.  He called me several names including selfish and said my self-effacing act is getting stale.  He recommends I post everything I write and let my readers decide if it is blog-worthy.  He has faith in me.  I suppose I should find a way to also find worth in my writing.

This installment will be about something I have thought about for quite some time, yet have failed to document.   I didn't expect my reentry into writing would be about:

Justin Bieber

I am not sure there has been anyone since Hitler as despised by so many people as Justin Bieber.  I will admit that I don't have a single song of his on my playlist, but I certainly don't hate him.  From what I can  see, he is a very intelligent, talented, attractive (not to me), charitable, and kind individual.  So why such venom directed at him?  There is a plethora (one of my favorite words) of "I hate Justin Bieber" social media sites, each containing hundreds of thousands of members.   

I can  only assume that any stage entertainer that can cause so much animosity must be doing something right.  I have tried to figure out who comprises this body of haters.  I have come to the following conclusions:

1)  Much less talented musicians and entertainers who are jealous of his meteoric success, when they know realistically that they will continue to deliver pizzas and teach piano to snotty-nosed kids.  The only Usher that will discover them is the one sweeping the theater after a movie.

2)  Snotty-nosed  kids who are jealous that all of the tweener girls idolize Bieber and won't give their pimply faces a second look.  

3)  Pimply faced kids that voice their hate for Bieber because it is fashionable to do so and to admit that they are closet fans would make them uncool.  Kind of like people my age that claimed to have hated Tony Orlando and Dawn but when no one else was around would sing "Knock Three Times" complete with sound effects.   When anyone else was around they would turn on Zeppelin or Black Sabbath.  

4)  People my age that haven't listened to any music released since the 1970's and discount any "modern" music without even giving it a listen.  I think my parents did that with The Beatles.   They just didn't have the Internet to rant on and had to keep it to themselves.

5)  Some people may hate him because he is Canadian.  I don't have a single Rush song on my rotation but I don't hate Geddy Lee.  I would just rather listen to my clothes washer spin out of balance than hear his voice.  That goes for Michael Buble as well.  

6)  Then there are those miserable bastards that call themselves the 99%, that hate anyone successful.   To whom achievement is evil and rewards for accomplishments should be shared with their sorry asses.

7)  I guess the last category are those that can't stand someone who is basically a good person and has not been to rehab a dozen times.  They like to see their celebrities self-destructing and to believe their lives are as wretched as their own.   In all the negative comments about Bieber, I can't find one instance where he has done anything questionable.  He seems to make positive life choices and loves his mother.  He his lived under a microscope since he was 14 and has never stumbled.  (Hello, Lindsay Lohan)   That must drive his critics crazy.

I like a lot of "new" music.  I have heard some Bieber songs that while not IPOD-worthy, were not bad enough for me to initiate a hate campaign.   Music is like any other entertainment medium:  If you don't like it, turn it off or change the channel.  Is it really worth expending the energy required to hate?  There are so many more worthy things to despise.  Bieber doesn't even make my top hundred.  No celebrity does.