Early Thursday morning, Jan. 23, 19 year old pop-sensation, Justin Bieber was arrested for drag racing and a DUI in Miami Beach, FL. Not exactly a surprise, with recent run-ins with local law enforcement and the arrest of rapper Lil Za in Bieber’s home. Many people, including myself, were left anticipating his approaching incarceration.
Although his time in prison was short-lived, Bieber’s actions have managed to stir up a frenzy of arguments on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, defending and bashing Bieber for his recent actions and possible deportation.
Bieber deserves all the heat he is getting. Being a celebrity does not entitle you to be an idiot and break the law, ultimately endangering your own life and the lives of others. According to drinkinganddriving.org, nearly 12,000 people are killed each year in alcohol-related accidents. If Bieber had not been pulled over, who knows what could have happened.
Thousands of “Beliebers” have taken to the internet to defend Bieber’s recent criminal activity and arrest claiming that “Justin just needs our support,” or “Everyone makes mistakes, he’s just a 19 year old kid.” While it is true that people make mistakes, I do not believe this was just a minor mistake.
Bieber is 19 years old, and for such persons under the age of 21 in the United States, alcohol consumption is illegal. Bieber’s actions were not a mistake, he did not mysteriously become drunk and decide to street race. He made that choice for himself, and now he has to face the consequences.
Aggressive results and mockery against Bieber have caused an uproar in his large fan base all over the world, while his fans are giving him their undying support. Do they not realize he could have killed someone? He could have killed someone’s mom, dad, brother, sister, or best friend. They claim he just needs their support, but he has had their support all along and look where he ended up.
While some people have stated their opinion by calling Bieber a “girl” or “stupid child,” I do not think those words are appropriate as they are not real insults relevant to him at all. No one deserves to be insulted, no matter what pathetic or indecent choice they have made.
Bieber is on a downward spiral, and he is sinking fast. He can only help himself now. No matter how many times you tweet or post about him, you are not going to suddenly turn his life around and make everything better. Everyone should be focusing on the greater issue at hand: drunk driving.
If people spent more time worrying about drunk driving dangers, maybe a change can be made. Until then, everyone needs to stop wasting their time on yet another celebrity’s downward spiral because it is disrespectful to everyone who has been victimized on an issue so much bigger than that person.
Huntley’s very own sophomore Jack Sover made this exact point on Twitter earlier today stating “The fact that #freebeiber is trending after he got arrested for DUI is an insult to anyone who has lost someone to a drunk driver… smh.” I do hope many people see this tweet because these opinions and thoughts are the ones that deserve to be expressed.