The Bieber War: Give Peace A Chance

by Oli Price

(source: favim.com)

Over the years there have been many wars and conflicts, some over religion or territory or over the treatment of a fellow race. However, nowadays there is a new conflict on the horizon; this war will not be fought on the beaches or in the trenches --- it will be fought in YouTube comment boxes.

I am, of course, referring to the war between fans of Justin Bieber (Beliebers) and internet "trolls” (don’t worry I’m not 100% sure what they are either). If I were to give you the run down of what happens in these cyber-skirmishes: basically, Justin Bieber releases a new catchy pop song, it then appears on YouTube, where the “trolls” will comment, offering hilariously offensive remarks about the song and the artist, as you will find for yourself if you look up any of Bieber’s videos. Interestingly, heavy metal fans have recently joined the ranks against the “Beliebers” and have expressed their distaste concerning the musical differences between their respective genres. I say this is interesting mainly because, without sounding like a sadist, I one day want to see a mass battle between the two factions, and, trying not to be one sided, looking purely at the average metal fan against a Bieber fan, I have a pretty good idea who might win. However, having said that, much like Kamikaze warriors, Bieber fans are notorious for being able to whip themselves into a hysteric frenzy known as “Bieber-Fever” (see video below). This could make them a more dangerous opponent than expected for anyone who comes up against them.

Where these wars really heat up is when a “Belieber” offers up a defence of Justin (look on YouTube for jacksfilms1). When this happens, it is a truly beautiful thing. The hysterical fan in the video shows the lengths these noble defenders will go to defend Justin’s name. There has also been some degree of serious legal action, after one “Belieber” went so far as to threaten those opposed to Bieber on one of his videos and was subsequently charged with threatening the public. With fans going to these extremes, you can only wonder how far this war will go, and how catastrophic the losses will be.

All jokes aside, the message behind this article is that arguing over taste in music is ridiculous, since no-one will ever completely agree with each other over everything. So, to let it get to the extent that people are threatening each other as described above is terrible and should be avoided at all costs, as no amount of threats or insults will change people’s likes and dislikes. If you don’t like a certain type of music, don’t listen to it.

"Bieber Fever":

Read George Neame's review of Justin Bieber's 'Believe'.