Justin Beiber

So, I've got a little topic I'd kind of like to rant about.
Justin Bieber.
Anyone who is a fan of Bieber, I apologize if what I write here offends you. Frankly, I'm offended by the little pop wonder himself. I want to tell you a little story about J.B... so bear with me.

A few years ago, before I had my son, I used to hang out at the Stratford Youth Centre with my son's father Taylor. Both of us are musically inclined and Taylor used to play guitar for the other youth sometimes. All of us enjoyed it... all of us except Bieber. That kid used to insult Taylor, insult me, insult all of my friends. He was self-centred and ignorant, and he made everyone feel awful about themselves whenever he came around (which, thankfully, wasn't too often). He told one of my friends that she had "donkey teeth" (amoung other things) and made her cry for a week. Mhm... he's SOOOOO sweet! (sarcasm)

One of my best friends, Samantha Mckiel, competed with Bieber in Stratford Star (run through the youth centre)... I watched him perform long before he got famous, because I was there to support Sam. To be honest, all I could think about when I watched him sing his juvinile boy-band song about Basketball was that I hoped he would fail in his musical career just so he'd be knocked down a peg. The opposite has obviously happened. This kid, who made so many people feel awful about themselves, is now a million dollar star living in the south... and frankly, fame hasn't helped him gain any sense of reality or humilty at all, it's done the opposite.

In some of his interviews Bieber has failed to even acknowledge Stratford at all, or it's role in his climb to fame. In another interview, he finally DID mention Stratford... but had the audacity to say he was the first person to get famous from here! Let me clear that up... here's a list of all the famous people I know of that have come from Stratford (several of which were mentioned to Bieber... he didn't know who any of them were):

Colm Feore (festival actor, has played roles in several films including The Chronicals of Riddick)
Lloyd Robertson (CBC anchor and actor)
Shawn Roberts (actor)
Dayna Manning (musician)
Steve Joles (world famous sound mixer-recorder)
Richard Manuel (musician, from The Band)
Cynthia Belliveau (actor)

Loreena McKennet lived in Stratford, Timothy Findley lived in Stratford, even THOMAS EDISON worked in Stratford for a short time. Tim Taylor got his start here, as did many others. If Bieber honestly thinks he's the first "big thing" to come from this town... someone needs to give him a smack upside the head, or at very least remove the wool (or rather, really AWFUL looking bangs) from his eyes.

(In all seriousness, that kid needs a haircut, he's had that style for years... think he can afford some scissors with his mansions and cars... that he can't drive....)

I take comfort in one thing, and while this sounds terrible I'm being completely honest... in a couple years that kid's voice is going to crack, and that'll be the end of it. Maybe then, just maybe, he'll have the bloody compassion to apologize to all the people he treated like crap back here.

Sorry, end rant.

Language, language!

In several of my peers blogs I've noticed a recurring theme. Language. Some of my classmates agree that the bad language in the media is just "too much," others have resigned themselves to the idea that such language is just a part of our culture and cannot be avoided. I'd like to give my opinion on the subject.

First of all, swearing is NOT a natural part of our language. People have taken words that used to have completely different meanings (i.e. slut used to mean a candle holder) and turned them into insults. It's unnecessary, and half of it doesn't even make SENSE!

Second of all, CHILDREN! Yes, it is the parent's responsibility to sheild their children from R rated films and music written in poor taste... but it's society's responsibility to make that possible for the parents to do! When you drive down the street blasting Eminem on top volume... do you take into consideration the small children walking home from school? Kids are like sponges... I would know. My three year old gets on the bus with me every morning, and we're surrounded by teengers on their way to school. You would be amazed at the words he picks up on a half-hour bus ride from our apartment to his daycare. Can you imagine the embarassment of dropping him off with his teachers one morning and hearing him repeat things like "f***" or "bulls***" when the kid isn't even old enough to spell his own name yet? How does that make ME look as his parent? I can't avoid him hearing those things unless other people help as well.

My opinion is this. If you want to swear, listen to inappropriate music or share a film on your iphone on top volume, do so in an appropriate setting. I'm not going to say that I never let a bad word slip out when I stub my toe at home (or, more recently, spill an entire glass of grape juice on my freshly cleaned carpet), but you're not going to hear me standing in front of a bunch of small children cursing like there's no tomorrow. Respect the people around you! Turn down your music, and turn down the dial on your OWN volume as well. Little kids don't need to hear that, and frankly... it doesn't make you look like you've got a good grasp of the english language when you f**king talk like f**king this about every f**king thing.

End rant.