Kudos for China's stand on Bieber | CD Voice
▲
Click 'CHINADAILY' above to follow us
The Order of Canada is the highest non-military honor my country can bestow on its citizens, and the Order's official constitution stipulates that non-Canadians are also eligible for honorary membership "for contributions to humanity at large".
Based on that criterion, nomination should immediately be extended to the person or persons at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture who recently decreed that bubble gum crooner Justin Bieber will not be welcome in China until he cleans up his act.
On July 22, days before "the world's most famous Canadian" (and that's totally bogus — because we all know it's William Shatner) canceled his world tour, The New York Times quoted this response by the BMBC to a young fan's complaint that China was not one of the tour stops:
"Justin Bieber is a gifted singer but he is also a controversial foreign idol. We understand there are records of his bad behavior, whether in his private life abroad or on stage.
"His inappropriate manner has caused public discontent. In order to regulate the market order of show business in China and purify the market environment, it has been decided that performers of inappropriate behavior will not be welcome. We hope that as Justin Bieber matures, he can continue to improve his own words and actions, and truly become a singer beloved by the public."
Perhaps never before has the Order of Canada's stipulation for "contributions to humanity at large" been more aptly demonstrated.
Here are a few examples of Bieber's puerile indiscretions:
In early 2013 he visited the Anne Frank museum in Amsterdam and wrote in the guest book that he hoped the Holocaust victim, who was 15 when she perished in a Nazi concentration camp, would have been a fan. "Truly inspiring to be able to come here," Bieber wrote. "Anne was a great girl. Hopefully, she would have been a belieber."
Later that year he apologized for disrespecting the national flag of Argentina on stage in Buenos Aires, claiming he thought it was his shirt. In Brazil, he was charged with painting graffiti on the walls of his Rio hotel. "It's a crime," police chief Antonio Ricardo told the Associated Press. "Even celebrities need to know that in our country laws are to be obeyed."
In April 2014, Bieber apologized for snapping a selfie in front of the infamous Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, which offended Chinese and South Koreans who view the shrine as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression. "I asked my driver to pull over when I saw a beautiful shrine," Bieber wrote on Instagram. "I was misled to think shrines were only places of prayer. To anyone I have offended, I am extremely sorry. I love you China and I love you Japan."
In January 2016, Bieber was kicked out of a Mayan archaeological site in Mexico for climbing on restricted ruins and displaying a lack of respect for the workers.
Sadly, it goes on and on. Sadder still, to the embarrassment of Canadians everywhere, the twerp remains an idol to millions of clueless teenyboppers the world over.
Go figure.
About the author & broadcaster
Murray Greig is a Canadian author and sports journalist who has resided in China for 6 years. He enjoys watching sports and old movies with his two cats, who were rescued off the streets of Beijing.
More 'CD Voice' Stories
Breaking the language barrier could be child's play
Could life really be just a simulation?
Visit our account on
Audio and translation of the story is available on our WeChat mini-app