Justin Bieber, Instagram
Later this year, Justin Bieber will hit Asia for his Purpose World Tour and visit Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and Hong Kong. Noticeably missing from the tour are any dates in mainland China. That is because China has banned Bieber from performing because of his “bad behavior.” That’s all we had to do to ban Bieber? Was say he has “bad behavior.”
The People’s Republic of China has banned Bieber in order to “purify” the country’s cultural offerings and artistic landscape. Maybe authoritarian regimes that crush outside influences aren’t as bad as everyone makes them out to be. One Belieber wrote to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and asked for a “detailed explanation” as to exactly why a singer of Bieber’s “extraordinary” talents would not be performing in China. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture posted a response on their website on the “gifted” but “controversial young foreign idol.”
“As far as we are concerned, he has engaged in a series of bad behaviors, both in his social life and during a previous performance in China, which caused discontent among the public. We hope Justin Bieber is able to improve his conduct as he grows up and will once again find public favor.”
As to the petulant pop star’s “bad behavior,” the intolerant nation is not worried so much about his personal life such as a DUI arrest, but rather making political stances that they do not agree with. Particularly, visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in 2014 and posting photos on his Instagram. The shrine honors fallen warriors and pays tribute to convicted war criminals from Japan. However, in China and South Korea, the shrine is seen as a symbol of Japanese militarism and celebrating their previous empires that invaded other nations in the region. Bieber quickly apologized for the visit and took down the photo, “To anyone I have offended I am extremely sorry. I love you China, and I love you Japan.”
Justin Bieber Instagram
Bieber was also criticized for having his babysitters, err bodyguards carry him up the Great Wall of China while on his Believe tour in 2013.
There are many musicians that have been blacklisted from China including Bob Dylan, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Oasis, Maroon 5, Björk. Their “bad behavior” was not holding the same beliefs as the Communist country. Many of them have been banned for meeting or praising the Dalai Lama and vulgar or sexually suggestive lyrics.
Your move President Trump, you said you wanted to “Make America Great Again.”
[BBC]