Week of 01/27/2014

Let Bieber Pay The Piper
– by David Matthews 2

So pretty-boy Justin Bieber got himself into trouble again. 

Only this time it’s not something that he can simply smile his way out of.

Early in the morning of January 23^rd, Bieber was arrested by Miami police for drag racing, resisting arrest, driving with an expired license, and driving while intoxicated.  When police stopped him, he was driving a rented Lamborghini Gallardo, and was supposedly drag-racing against a Ferrari (also rented) being driven by R&B singer Khalil Sharief.

While this was the first time Bieber was actually arrested, this is not the first time he’s been in trouble.  His ego has written checks the rest of him couldn’t cash for quite some time now.  In fact at least one of his neighbors is relieved to know that “The Bieb” was finally brought down.

Of course now his legions of “Beliebers” are crying over this supposed “crime against humanity” for daring to arrest their boy-idol.  They’re trying to negate the crimes he committed, chanting Bieber’s denial that the drag-racing ever happened, even though it was captured on video!

Then again “Beliebers” are really no different from the rest of the crackpot religious flakes in that they refuse to recognize science, facts, and reality, and instead cling to their fantasy.

And it is because of that I firmly believe that it’s time to pop their cult bubble and let reality come crashing in by sending their boy-idol to prison.

Yes, it is time for Justin Bieber to face the music instead of claiming to sing it.

It is time for Bieber to face big-boy trial for his big-boy crimes, and – if convicted – he needs to face big-boy time in big-boy prison.

No I am not talking about facing “celebrity” justice or going to “celebrity” prison, which is measured by a stopwatch.  The kind of “celebrity” justice that Lindsay Lohan has been dealing with, and the “celebrity” prison that Paris Hilton went to.  No, I am talking about sending Bieber to face actual justice in an actual courtroom, in front of an actual judge, and – again, if convicted – facing actual prison time just like anyone else in that situation.

I know some people have been demanding that we deport Bieber back to Canada, but I don’t think that would be an effective solution.  That’s just kicking the celebrity problem into another country.  Besides, Bieber has already made an ass out of himself in other countries and showed no signs of him learning any kind of lesson other than “I’m rich, I’m pretty, and girls still want to get themselves off with me”.

And let’s not beat around the bush here… that is the only reason why he is so popular with the ladies.  He is the male equivalent of a Playboy Playmate, even if the female “Beliebers” refuse to admit to it.  If he looked less like Peter Pan and more like Jonah Hill, then he probably wouldn’t even get the time of day, and there wouldn’t be an issue about whether or not he should be locked up for doing what he did, because then it would be a no-brainer.

Let’s get brutally honest here… it is high time that Justin Bieber be held to account for his actions.  He is not a child anymore, and people need to stop treating him like an overgrown child, even if he’s been the child that lays the golden eggs for his parents.

Remember Paul Walker?  It wasn’t that long ago that the forty-year-old actor from the “Fast and the Furious” movie series died in a fiery car wreck doing the very thing that Bieber was stopped in Miami for.  And keep in mind that Bieber was (“allegedly”) drag-racing in the middle of a city; and messed-up with drugs and booze on top of it. 

Remember the hand-wringing and wails of regret from other actors and fans over Walker’s death and how people wished they could have done “something” to stop him from doing it?  Well here’s your chance.  Make an example out of Bieber.  Stop coddling him, and urge his fans to do the same.

Bieber wants people to think that he’s “tough”… that he can get tats and walk around in wife-beater shirts… fine.  Let’s see how “tough” he can be behind bars along with all of the other drunk drivers in Florida. 

Mike Tyson went to prison.  So did OJ Simpson.  So did Martha Stewart, Jane Fonda, Tim Allen, Sir Paul McCartney, Robert Downey Jr., Wesley Snipes, and Danny Trejo.  Martin Sheen gets arrested on a regular basis for his protests on social issues.  Bieber should be no different.  If he’s really as “tough” as he pretends to be, then he shouldn’t have any problem being a man and accepting responsibility for his actions.

Being a celebrity - be it for music or sports or movies or “just because” - should not put anyone above the law.  If anything, they should be made into examples for that very reason.  Our legal system is not supposed to play favorites.  It is not supposed to have one system for the rich and famous to duck responsibility and another system for the rest of us to suffer under.  This is how civilizations end.  Celebs need to understand that if the masses lose trust in the perceived fairness of the legal system, then they will be the first ones to fall when it does, because all of the money and fame in the world will mean absolutely nothing in the midst of chaos.

 

Week of 01/14/2014

Why We Resolve To Fail
– by David Matthews 2

So how many of you made the mistake of making a resolution to start off 2014?

I didn’t… but I had a really good reason why, which I’ll get to later on.

But for a lot of you, you went ahead and made resolutions to somehow be better in 2014 than you were in 2013.

Now this is something that goes all the way back to ancient Babylonia, when people would make their promises to return borrowed objects and pay off their debts.  Romans would later use it to make promises to the god Janus (where we get the month of January).  Today we do it just because we’re told that it’s “traditional”.

And yet it is a tradition that will most likely fail for the vast majority of you.

But don’t worry.  It’s not entirely your fault.

Let’s take one of the top resolutions for all time that people make… to lose weight.

Granted, some people haggle over this one and say that they really resolved to “eat better” or to “exercise more” or to “get in better shape”, but really it all falls into the category of losing weight. 

It seems like it’s a good idea, right?  Hell, fitness centers are ready, willing, and overly eager to take your money to “help” you.

And yet it is a resolution that is pretty much destined to fail even before you start it.

First, let’s start with the fact that you’re dealing with a date on a man-made calendar that really has no influence over the rest of the world we live in.  Think about that!  January 1^st really has no bearing on the world than it did when the Aztec calendar ran out on December 21^st, 2012.  The world didn’t come to an end then, and either does the world magically transform just because our calendar started a new year.  The only importance that the New Year has is one that we give ourselves.  To the rest of the universe, it’s just another planetary rotation in another star system in another galaxy.

Second, take a look at that man-made calendar for a minute… I don’t know where you live, but for those in much of the Northern Hemisphere, you’re making a resolution to lose weight in the middle of winter!  This is a time where the human body actually needs to gain weight to cushion itself from the cold!  So your own body is working against you here! 

Winter is not the time to resolve to lose weight.  You have a better chance at success if that kind of resolution is made in the springtime, when the weather is warmer and you have a greater incentive to get in shape so you can look good in that swimsuit.

Third… let’s get back to that man-made calendar one more time.  What’s coming up soon?  Why it’s Super-Bowl Weekend!  Time for people to gorge themselves out on hot wings and potato salad and beer and hamburgers and pizzas and all other sorts of really fattening foods.

And then look ahead a few more weeks after that… why, it’s Valentine’s Day!  Chocolate, candy, expensive dinners with fatty foods.

And then a month later… it’s Saint Patrick’s Day!  Sure it’s an Irish celebration, but you don’t have to be Irish to enjoy some rich Irish food… not to mention all of that beer!

Those are a lot of special occasions involving food.

So let’s recap here… if you’re making a resolution on New Year’s Eve to lose weight for 2014, you’re trying to impose a condition to yourself on a man-made calendar that goes against mother nature, human nature, and a series of special events determined to break that resolution.

No wonder why this resolution fails for a lot of people!

Let’s get brutally honest here… while it’s noble that you would want to improve yourself, be it to lose weight or to get in better control of your life in other areas, it helps if you have a better incentive to do it other than because “it’s traditional”.  It certainly doesn’t help when you make this kind of resolution at a time when everything is working against it.

As for myself, there has been only one resolution that I have managed to successfully adhere to so far.  It was also the last resolution I ever made several years ago… which was to make no more New Year’s resolutions.  And you know what?  I’m better because of it, because I’m not beating myself up over them.