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Bieber earns respect despite playboyness

By Genevieve Dominguez

Justin Bieber is trying to earn respect — as he rightly should be. He’s transitioned into a young man at 21 years, released his fourth studio album after taking a break from music for three years and isn’t asking for forgiveness. What he wants is a second chance, a chance to prove he’s learned from his actions and changed.
“I wouldn’t do anything over again,” Bieber said in an interview for the October/November issue of Complex magazine. “I would do it all the same way. I’m not going to say I’m sorry for the things that I’ve done because I think that it allows me to tell a story.”
Bieber has decided to use his past choices to show the public that a genuine change for the better is possible for anyone.
Relatability is one of his main priorities. It’s scary to witness an insanely famous, highly influential teen pop star turn into someone unrecognizable. The beginning of March 2011 marked his descent into the familiar “bad boy” image he’s now trying to break free from.
Bieber now realizes he needs to connect to people as a person, not as an intangible musician.
“I’ve made myself so un-relatable the past year with all the stuff that I was doing,” Bieber said. “Now I’m having real relationships where it’s two ways. I didn’t understand how that works because the way people would interact with me. … [It wasn’t] 100 percent genuine.”
Human interaction is significant in every aspect, especially when an individual has been exposed to only one obscure part of the spectrum.
He could never fully connect with the public because he didn’t know how.
Bieber’s situation explains why people reacted with doubt the instant he began acting out. They saw how much a teenager could take a turn for the worse. The fact that he had millions of fans following him showed the potential risky choices that teenagers can make. The impact was a loss of respect.
That’s exactly the reason why there are second chances. True perfection isn’t possible to achieve for humanity. Instead, balance is manageable. Bieber says that he has learned the difference between having fun and being arrogant, between behaving maturely and choosing
to hurt himself by making poor choices.
“I’ve learned to counterbalance,” Bieber said. “I don’t have to be a super proper, stiff guy. I can still have fun with stuff. … I’m just going to be myself and if they don’t like it, they don’t like it. I move on…I know who I am and what I carry and what I sacrifice.”
He will carry his past choices with him throughout his life, just as every individual does. He sacrifices privacy because that’s what his profession requires. However, he’s turning that loss of privacy into a benefit by finally voicing all his thoughts to the public.
Bieber’s story is a parable for respecting someone’s second chance. He’s suffered the consequences for his past decisions as a teenager. He’s grown into a young man and matured for the better.
That’s what makes him relatable to people, and he’s realized he can use his fame to show others that change is possible. Balance is attainable for humanity. Please don’t forget that Bieber is human. Please don’t forget that we are all human and extraordinarily real.

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