Dear Beliebers: How to be a Fan

I’ve reached a milestone, of sorts- I’m getting hate tweets and hate email from Justin Bieber fans! As much of an honor as it was to be accepted into and become a member of The Recording Academy, and as proud as I am when I see people around the world quoting things I’ve written, I have to say, the Justin Bieber hate tweets make me feel like I’m sitting at the grown-up’s table for the first time.

In his latest brush up with rules, authority, respect, and human decency, Justin Bieber has made headlines for allegedly throwing a sucker punch at DJ Michael Woods’ manager at a South Korean nightclub. Woods was in the middle of his DJ set and, allegedly, Justin Bieber (sans shirt for reasons unknown) went up to Woods and “demanded” the DJ play hip-hop rather than the house music he’s known for. When Woods wouldn’t comply, Bieber threw punches at his manager. (If you care for more detail, go HERE).
Bieber and his manager are claiming that isn’t what happened, which may be true, but do remember that NO manager is going to publicly speak out against the artist they represent. There isn’t likely to be a situation in which a high profile artist is accused of something debaucherous, violent, or illegal and their manager responds by releasing a statement saying ‘Yes, they did that! I saw the whole thing and it was awful! This artist is way out of control and was definitely in the wrong.’
What does happen is that when it becomes undeniable that an artist has actually done what they’ve been accused of (and have lied about denied), the management team goes into overdrive behind the scenes making donations to charities, arranging photo ops that make the artist look like a decent person (i.e; visiting sick children, feeding the homeless, helping the elderly cross the street), and they release a generalised comment. (Choose one: “They’re young,” “They’re learning,” “They live a life in the public eye, they’re no different than anyone else their age.”)

The bigger problems seem to arise post-incident, when the fans go into defense mode to defend the honor of their favorite singer.
In response to the South Korea incident, Deadmau5 sent a tweet which sent the Beliebers into a tailspin:

While it’s fine to disagree with someone who doesn’t like your favorite music and defend those who make the music you love, there becomes a point at which people go too far. Remember the death threats and all around horrid and inappropriate things One Direction fans were sending to GQ Magazine a couple months ago? Those would be appropriate examples of going too far.

So what does it mean to be a true and loyal fan? Let’s enumerate:

1) Music is the most amazing thing in the world. It allows people to unify for common causes, it serves as a panacea, and it is the friend that we always have to turn to, no matter what. Whether you’re having the best day ever, the worst day ever, you’re missing someone, you want someone to be missing you-there’s a song for that! Be it happy, sad, angry, or any other emotion, music is a safe and productive outlet which allows others to tell stories and us, as listeners and fans, to relate to them. Musicians give all of this to us via their music and in return, would like our support.
~If ever there comes a point when that support involves compromising what you have been taught by your parents, you’re doing it wrong.

~If there comes a point when you’re sending tweets and emails that contain words and comments you’d never say to a human being physically in front of you, you’re doing it wrong.

~If there comes a point when you’re threatening people with bodily harm and all varieties of other felonies; you’re doing it wrong.

2) The people you surround yourself with should bring out the best in you. They should make you want to be a smarter, funnier, and all around better person. This goes for friends, people you date or marry, and it even goes for the music you listen to. If friends in your life make you mean and angry, make new friends. If someone you love hurts you and makes you sad more than they make you feel safe and happy, it’s probably not a great relationship. If you listen to music that brings out your worst qualities and leads you to say awful things to people you don’t know and will probably never meet, you may want to broaden your musical horizons and reevaluate your choices.

3) One of the greatest things about music is the community it creates. Meeting people, online or in the actual world, who love the music you love is a great thing! There’s power in numbers and that’s the power that makes concerts so fun. That’s the power that makes it seem like you’ve been lifelong friends with someone you chat with in a Facebook group or on Instagram. It’s the power of association; talking to people who have similar interests and giving us the feeling of acceptance and belonging. This power has led to some amazing things when used for the betterment of the world as a whole. When the community is sending death threats and calling people unspeakably awful names, it’s no longer a community; it’s a gang. Why be a party to such negativity (see #2 above)?

4) Instead of sending mean tweets to people you don’t know, why not send nice ones to Justin when these things occur? Encourage him to make better choices and be HIS role model. Artists learn from fans all the time but no one is going to learn anything from some Bieber fan who sends them a string of tweets with bad words and threats of violence. I absolutely promise you there has never been, nor will there come a day when someone on Twitter thinks “Wow, I really didn’t like Justin Bieber’s music but after getting that tweet from @insertnameofbieberfan telling me I’m a **** and a ***************** *** *******, I think he’s a talented and well rounded young man and I really want to buy his records!” Remember that aforementioned power? Use it to do good things and try to help people.

5) As a fan, you’re representing the artists you love. When people are saying Justin Bieber is spoiled, obnoxious, unappreciative, and an all around brat and fans respond by throwing internet tantrums and name calling, it doesn’t help Justin Bieber. If anything, it makes the people saying those things about him look right, and it makes you look spoiled and obnoxious, too. There will always be people who dislike your favorite music. Always. Get used to it. People dislike The Beatles, Mozart, and Bob Dylan, and they’re some of the most influential musicians in the history of the world. Who cares? Ignore people who don’t like what you like. Would you send death threats to people who dislike your favorite color or food? Of course not!
Ignore it. Ignore the negativity. It makes you look smarter. If you do choose to address someone or something, think to yourself “Would I say these things to someone in front of me?” If the answer is no, just walk away from it or think of an intelligent way to make your point that won’t prevent you from getting into college or getting a job (yes, they pay attention to those things!).

6) I also know there are really weird people who will look for tweets about Justin Bieber and say mean things to you for no reason. People feel as though they can say things on the internet that they’d never actually say when speaking to someone face to face. If this happens, ignore them. If it keeps happening, block them, report them to Twitter and be sure to tell your parents. Yes, I know all of you are smart and mature, but it isn’t okay for people to say nasty things to you. When they do, ignore them. They’re trying to get you to lash out so they can laugh at you. Why give someone like that what they want? Most Justin Bieber fans are well under the age of 18. Anyone who is going to seek out random kids on Twitter (or anywhere else) to say mean things to them is a weirdo. You need to tell your parents about weirdos. Always.

7) I understand that you may feel attacked as a Belieber. People give Justin a hard time, but do you really think they’re always wrong? When people are popular they are often accused of doing things they didn’t do. It’s not fair, but unfortunately, it happens. The flip side is, of course, that he actually has done a lot of what he’s given a hard time for. He’s admitted to and addressed it (you have to when photos and videos surface). Maybe Justin Bieber is young, but so was everyone once. No, not everyone did those things. Most of you probably don’t do those things. Most of you would probably hear about a kid at school behaving the way Justin has sometimes and start texting your friends about how uncool it was. Think about that. You can like someone’s music and still not agree with the decisions they’re making. It doesn’t make you less of a fan, it makes you a smarter one.

Don’t let other people bring you down. Ever. (see #2). If Justin Bieber’s music makes you happy and you like it, that’s fantastic, but no music or singer should ever make you feel like you need to be mean to prove you’re a fan. Fandom is a big responsibility and your hearts are in the right place, just always make sure it stays fun. If it isn’t fun, you’re doing it wrong.

Watch these Bieber fans sing and dance.

Eliza Doolittle’s cover of ‘Baby’