This past Monday, pop star Justin Bieber was Comedy Centrals target. However, Bieber volunteered to be the guest of honor so that he could own up to all of the things he has done in the past and start fresh. Comedians Kevin Hart, Natasha Leggero, Snoop Dogg, and Pete Davidson were only some of the many people there to "roast" Bieber.
Many of the jokes made at the expense of Bieber involved jabs at his religious tattoos, his music, and his former relationship with famous singer Selena Gomez. Each of these jokes and more got a laugh from the audience and even Bieber himself. Nonetheless, some jokes left the audience in shock and Bieber stone faced. What were the topics of these jokes? Abortion, "Beliebers", and the one and only Paul Walker.
The first topic that failed to arouse many laughs from the audience was about Bieber's fans. Natasha Leggero was the first to poke fun on this topic by saying:
"Justin's fans are called Beliebers, because these days it's politically incorrect to use the word retards."
This joke hit a nerve in the young star as he sat there with a straight face, obviously unamused. If Bieber was clearly upset about this joke, imagine all of his teenage fans out there! How did they react? Not so well according to all of the tweets sent out after the joke was made.
As if calling Bieber fans retards wasn't harsh enough, Leggero also made a joke about Bieber's mother deciding not to abort him. Although abortion is a touchy subject, that didn't stop Snoop Dogg from joining in and saying:
"When your mama was 17 years old, they were trying to convince her to get an abortion, and they are still trying to convince her now."
Bieber also failed to see the humor in this joke much like many other people. Considering that Bieber is "pro-life" and very religious didn't help matters much.
Finally, Pete Davidson made a joke about Paul Walker. This young star died in 2013 when he tragically lost control of his car and ran into a tree at over 90 miles per hour. Davidson joked that:
"Just this past year, Justin got arrested for drag racing. Unfortunately it wasn't with Paul Walker. What? He's doing great! He's got a movie coming out."
In my opinion, all three of these jokes went to far but the Paul Walker joke was the harshest joke of the evening. Bieber was a gentleman and laughed at all of the jokes directed at him but the Paul Walker joke was hardly about Bieber. Do I believe that these jokes crossed an unspoken line of sorts? The answer is yes. I believe that there are plenty of things Bieber has done that you could make a joke out of without bringing up such personal and touchy topics.
I also agree with the decision to cut out jokes, such as the Paul Walker one, from the official airing. Why? Well, as I stated before, the comedians took these jokes a step too far. Calling teenage girls retards, saying Bieber should have been aborted, and making jokes about a man who tragically passed away was uncalled for. Keep in mind that "Beliebers", Bieber's mother, and the family of Paul Walker could have been watching. How would they react? Would they find these jokes particularly funny? I don't know about them but I do know that if I were one of those people I would be deeply upset.
I loved this blog, Taylor! Your voice was nicely presented throughout this whole blog. I agree with you, that those who hosted the Bieber Roast should have taken more consideration to those who could have possibly watched the show. The families of Paul Walker could have been devastated to hear of his loss once again, but made a humorous comment about his death. They should have showed more respect towards his families. Also, saying that Justin Bieber's mother should have aborted him was pushing it too far. Abortion is such a touchy subject, like you said, and telling his mom that she should have aborted him was uncalled for. That's telling someone that they should have never had their child born into this world. To me, this whole new idea of "roasting" someone is ridiculous and unnecessary. I really liked your rhetorical questions throughout your whole blog. They really got me to think about how people are nowadays. Most people are "roasting" each other to try and make fun of them; it's childish and immature. I never watched the show and I could easily tell, by how you described it, that I would have hated it from the beginning. I agree with everything you mentioned in your blog and I think others would agree with you too. The Bieber Roast was taken too far and nothing was done about it. I really enjoyed reading your blog and I hope other people can realize what you did while watching this show.
ReplyDeleteYour blog was so interesting Taylor! First of all, I really liked your topic. Since this was a widely recognized and talked about event on social media sites, you appealed to a wider audience. This works to build your ethos because it proves you can write about topics that connect to a greater amount of people. Second, I absolutely agree with the ideas you presented in your blog post. You used your voice well and I could really sense what you were thinking. I do agree with you because some of the jokes told about Justin were taken way too far and were uncalled for. Insulting his fans or joking about abortion was definitely unnecessary and could result in someone's feelings getting hurt. The whole idea of a "roast" to me is completely pointless. If Justin wanted to own up to everything he's done, then why doesn't he handle it in a mature way and apologize to people's faces? Although some saw this "roast" as a form of entertainment, I agree with you and believe that this was unnecessary. Next, I really enjoyed how you included an image, a video, and you bolded the specific jokes told. All three helped me to understand the "roast" better and to get a closer look as to what exactly happened. By including the image and video, you really helped me and your audience picture what this event was like. Also, by bolding the certain jokes, you emphasized your focal point of this post and captured the audience's attention. The picture, video and bolded jokes all built your ethos by proving your knowledge of the topic and appearing credible, showing that you could find specific examples to back up your argument, which makes it much more effective. Finally, I really liked your use of rhetorical question to conclude your blog post. You really got me thinking about the overall effect of this "roast." It helped me come to my senses and realize that this event wasn't necessary, when before I read this blog I thought it was just a series of harmless jokes being told. By questioning the Bieber Roast, you emphasized that it was taken way too far and the things said about Justin were hurtful. Overall, your argument was strengthened because of these questions and you really convinced me too agree with you. Keep up the great work Taylor!
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