No More Talking From You

*sigh*

My first reaction to this was, "who gives a damn what this kid thinks. He's sixteen, the odds he's making informed decisions about politics and personal rights are really low." I mean, he doesn't seem that informed--does he know there are two Koreas? Or that the Korean War happened, let alone the repercussions thereof? Clearly no. I doubt very much that this guy, even were he so inclined, doesn't exactly have the time in his day to sit down with a reliable newspaper, or a history book. Also, isn't he home schooled? He's not really getting a diverse sampling of opinions, s'all I'm saying. Give him a break.

And then I realized: a lot of people care what this guy thinks. Worse, the group of people for whom Bieber is an opinion shaper is also a group that is directly effected by opinions/statements on abortion: young women. Young women who have now been told publicly, once again, that abortion is wrong. This time it's being told to them by someone they respect; more than that, by someone they're obsessed with, by someone who is the definition of cool. And this beloved celebrity tells them that "everything "happens for a reason" and they should not seek an abortion. He sort of acknowledges that rape is bad, but I guess abortion is, like, still worse? Because of the baby? This is more pressure being put on young women to curtail their own reproductive rights. And it's pressure from a guy who: 1) will never be put in a position when HE has decide whether or not to seek an abortion. EVER 2)is SIXTEEN, 3) doesn't fucking know that North Korea is a separate country from South Korea.