Opinion: Justin Bieber should not be deported, belongs in U.S. pop culture

Shelby Lum
Sun, 02 Feb 2014 22:13:54 +0000
Campus, arrested, deported, justin bieber, petition, zooming in

Singer Justin Bieber attends the premiere of ‘Justin Bieber’s Believe’ at the Regal Cinemas L.A. in Los Angeles Dec. 18.
Credit: Courtesy of MCT

“Zooming In” is a weekly series in which Photo editor Shelby Lum provides her insight on pop culture.?

The people at the White House usually have a plate full of national incidents and public discontent to manage. The battle continues over gun control, West Virginia was in a state of emergency over water supplies and I’m sure it’s been a blast asking Chris Christie what really happened with that bridge. Yet controversy has originated from the presence of another prominent figure: Justin Bieber.

Following the pop star’s arrest for allegedly drunk drag race driving in Miami, the people have had enough, and the screams of protest were clear: deport Bieber. His breakup with Selena Gomez didn’t do it, his continual cancellation of concerts didn’t do it, but drag racing in Miami paired with the happiest mug shot ever was too much for the American people. Enough was enough.

The petition began Jan. 23, and has since received more than 200,000 signatures, and the good people at the White House dealing with — well, everything else — will have to give deporting Bieber back to Canada some consideration since the petition has well passed the 100,000 signatures needed for the White House to not simply laugh at it.

The Canadian star is set to be arraigned for charges on drunk driving, resisting arrest and having an expired license Feb. 14.

Whether this is enough to be deported for, I can’t really be sure, but it apparently is enough for the population approximately half the size of Sacramento, Calif., to want his blond head out of America.

“We the people of the United States feel that we are being wrongly represented in the world of pop culture,” the petition reads. “We would like to see the dangerous, reckless, destructive, and drug abusing, Justin Bieber deported and his green card revoked.”

While I appreciate the historic use of “We the people,” I don’t think the petition can really claim to be all-inclusive. Does everyone want him gone? Probably not. The plethora of “Never Say Never” posters still for sale says otherwise.

“He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our (nation’s) youth. We the people would like to remove Justin Bieber from our society,” the petition reads.

Would the American community be better off without the 19-year-old star? Probably, but it also seems almost unfair to attempt to deport him specifically. If one nutty pop star must go, then all should go, but alas many of the other Hollywood crazies are Americans (I’m looking at you Kim Kardashian. We are stuck with you).

So while the petition is stating that Bieber is misrepresenting American pop culture, he really seems to fit into it: self-obsessed, fast living and attention loving.