Justin Bieber is embarrassing, but he is not a ‘national embarrassment’

As a Canadian, is it hard not to take note of Justin Bieber. It was hard not to watch as the young boy from Stratford, Ont., exploded out of obscurity to become one of the biggest singers, entertainers and celebrities since Britney Spears, or even before that.

And now it is hard not to watch as the teen heartthrob descends into a pit of self-afflicted wounds, bouts of public embarrassment and disappointing life decisions, which threatens to destroy his once-impressive career and complete a fall from grace not seen since Britney Spears, or even before that.

The Globe and Mail, Canada’s newspaper of record, described Bieber this week as a “national embarrassment.”

Amberly McAteer writes:

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Bieber's latest world tour has been a series of epic failings. He has cancelled shows, collapsed on stage and made one appearance two hours too late. All the while he has fought with paparazzi, gone on bizarre rants in public and online, and posed shirtless in the hospital for some reason — a decision only he and Dorian Gray are likely to understand.

The latest headlines are no better. Bieber again embraced his narcissism by walking through an airport in Poland without a shirt. Back in Los Angeles, police are investigating a neighbour’s claim that Bieber threatened and assaulted him.

It all boils down to a lovely tale about a young Canadian boy who rose to the top of the entertainment world, only to become kind of a jerk.

But national embarrassment? I’d like to save that term for issues of substance. Like Canada’s treatment of Omar Khadr, or Mike Duffy's housing allowance.

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Justin Bieber is not the first young celebrity to lose themselves to the bacchanalia of fame. He is no more of an embarrassment than Lindsay Lohan or Tara Reid; which is to say he is a big one.

But he’s not an embarrassment to our country. He is perhaps an embarrassment to himself and his family (that is for them to decide). He can definitely be considered an embarrassment as the latest vanguard of our celebrity-crazed, Hollywoodized culture.

The decision to paint Bieber as a national disgrace stems from our need to measure ourselves against the United States. Bieber is a Canadian embarrassment because we plunged a Canadian flag into his back when we sent him to conquer American airwaves.

Were he not branded a national hero on his ascent he would not be considered a national disgrace on his descent. Maybe we should cut Bieber a break in this regard. With ongoing fights against the paparazzi and his own demons, he’s got a large enough battle without being accused of besmirching the Maple Leaf.

And we already have Duffy and his Senate cronies doing a decent job of that.