Pink Diamond Princess;4161138 said:
Edit: here's one video
http://youtu.be/eGPwHkS4SGc
I actually think there's another one.
Yeesh. I remember that now. So to be completely honest? … I don’t consider him a racist as a person now. Not that I want to defend such a video, and I won't. I find the video absolutely abhorrent and he should feel disgusted and ashamed for what he said.
I did some digging into this video and it looks like of all people, Bieber
himself owned up to this and released this video on purpose about two years ago (someone was trying to extort him in return for keeping the video suppressed). Bieber stated “As a kid, I didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was ok to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance”. I think he's genuine, but more on that soon.
Researching it further, Bieber himself regretted it shortly after (claiming he was singing a racist internet parody) and told Usher and Will Smith about the existence of the videos years ago. Usher then took “Bieber into a room and showed him historically racist videos to drive home how hurtful these words can be.” Usher later said publicly "I can tell you that he hasn't always chosen the path of his greatest potential, but he is unequivocally not a racist. What he was 5 years ago was a naive child who did not understand the negative power and degradation that comes from playing with racial slurs."
So calling and defining him as a person as a
racist based on this video alone? As disgusting as his acts were, I believe his apologies were genuine. Nevermind the fact he could've
very easily suppressed the release of this video by paying the extortion, he’s what, 14/15 here? Young teenagers are stupid and they do idiotic things, I don't believe that should necessarily excuse them but I’m not going to judge and define a man now in his 20s on some joke he made in private as a young ignorant and idiotic teenager. Who as a teenager here
never said anything stupid that they later regretted? We all have. Do I think it should define them as a person many years down the track? Not necessarily.
Even if they know its a bad word, I don't think most 14 year olds understand the serious gratifications that such a words possess (especially when such a word is used so openly in the media by many black people themselves, while it doesn't excuse the use, it can potentially soften the impact to those less educated and lead to misunderstandings). If I were to go by the accounts of black people who are close to him but aren't dependent on him (i.e. Usher, 50 Cent), he has learnt the errors of his ways and doesn't display the attitudes typical of a racist. On top of this, the amount of black friends I've seen with him in photos over the years, the fact he has openly collaborated with many black artists... as well looking at his attitude and behaviour in regards to black people over the years... tbh I seriously doubt he is an actual racist.
So no, I don’t consider him as a person racist. If video got out of him, say, this year insulting someone by calling them a n*****r? Now that he's old enough to understand the implications and power of such terminology, then yes I would. But for now? No, I don't. I think he was a f**king idiotic teenager who needed to be educated on the power some words have.