Well, what else did you expect? He’s a natural entertainer! He can’t help it!
When we deal with something difficult, we might ask for advice from our friends, family, right? If we’re in a dispute about something and a letter has to be drafted, we might ask them to read it over, and they would tell you where to soften, or clarify, or edit out completely. They would, hopefully, be honest because they’d want the best for you. The best for you would be to not sound like a dick.
The problem with being a celebrity is that no one around you will give it to you straight. Yes, yes, yes is all they hear. And it’s getting worse. They want to have a blog and/or a Facebook and the professionals, they can’t stop them anymore. They want to go on Twitter and embarrass themselves and it’s getting out of control.
Did you see that blowhard Donald Trump make his “groundbreaking announcement” about President Obama this week? No one around him had the balls to say to him - um, Don? This is a bad idea. You sound like an idiot.
It’s the same for celebrities.
It’s the reason why Justin Timberlake posted this letter on his site explaining the whole situation about the homeless wedding video.
No one around him proofed it before it went out. And if they did, they certainly didn’t have the confidence to give him some constructive, critical feedback. Also, if they did, they were too afraid to fix his grammatical errors too.
This is not an apology. This is ...
A glorification of Justin Timberlake by Justin Timberlake.
I’ve pasted his letter below. It’s appalling. People do not think when they write anymore. People do not know what words actually mean anymore. My thoughts are italicised in parentheses.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AN OPEN LETTER
To my family, friends, and fans:
The last time I wrote a letter like this, it was when I had the good fortune of attending a once in a lifetime experience by sharing an evening with some of America's finest at the Marine Corps Ball about a year ago. I was so moved by that night, I wanted to share it with everyone. Unfortunately, this letter holds a different kind of weight for me.
Normally, as some of you know, I am (by nature) a pretty private person. (Isn’t that you jumping on your wife’s head on the cover in PEOPLE this week for which you were paid $300K?) So, I don't really take it upon myself to comment on things that so often go misunderstood or something that has even shed any kind of dark light on what was and will always be one of the most special weeks of my life. But, in light of the recent events, I can't fight the urge to clarify my thoughts and feelings on what has been a very upsetting portrayal of the people closest to me and myself. * (What is the difference here between “you and yourself”? Classic reveal of a person who cannot stop thinking about him and himself. Who only thinks of him and himself. That when writing about him and himself, he and himself have to make sure he and himself get TWO mentions.) It's not who I am as a professional or as a man. (Were you and yourself a professional at your wedding, or were you and yourself a man? Are you and yourself a professional first before you and yourself are a man?)
I can't help but think of one of the many great life lessons my Grandfather has taught me... He told me when I was younger that "Sometimes, you are confronted with challenges in life that perhaps are not your own. And, when those moments arise, the right thing for a man to do is accept that responsibility, whatever it may be, and face it with honesty and humility."
(So you’re a hero now? A friend of you and yourself made fun of homeless people at your wedding. You taking responsibility for it isn’t heroic, it’s DECENT. Which is the BARE MINIMUM.)
So, I'm taking his advice. If for no other reason, than to clear the air so no one has to ever wonder how I feel about it.
I'd like to start off by saying that I don't live my life making fun of people (unless, of course, I'm making fun of myself on SNL)... Especially, those who are less fortunate or those in need. I grew up with a family and community that instilled ideals in me like hard work, honesty and empathy. As a matter of fact, growing up in Tennessee, I was always taught that we as people, no matter what your race, sex, or stature may be, are equal. We have a saying there that "Everyone puts their pants on the same way(maybe this saying doesn't apply to guys who wear kilts. Although, I'm sure they put theirs on the same way too...)"
(Justin and himself take every opportunity to throw down a joke. Homeless people were belittled. I can’t think of a more inappropriate place to throw down a joke. Is this an apology? Or is this comedy routine? Is this respect? Or is this - yet again - a gross example of insensitivity and ego?)
As it pertains to this silly, unsavory video that was made as a joke and not in any way in mockery:
1. I had no knowledge of its existence. I had absolutely ZERO contribution to it. (Of course this is the first point -- ME ME ME. Don’t be mad at ME and myself! Make sure you know it had nothing to do with ME and myself!)
2. My friends are good people. This was clearly a lapse in judgment which I'm sure no one who is reading this is exempt from. But, I don't believe it was made to be insensitive. More so, I think it was made as a joke on me not having that many friends attending my own wedding(which IS kind of funny if you think about it).v
(So... you and yourself DO think it’s funny, don’t you? Homeless people are put on tape to be mocked and... it turns out, after all this, it’s obvious that you and yourself DO see the humour in it.)
3. Like many silly rumors that I have been made aware of about the week: It was NOT shown at my wedding.
4. I think we can all agree that it was distasteful, even though that was not it's intention. (That’s his apostrophe, not mine.) Once again, in the world that we live in where everyone thinks that they know everything, I want to be very clear... I am NOT defending the video. I agree with the overall consensus. But, to use another "pants" analogy... It seems that these days, misconception gets around the world before the actual truth even wakes up and gets it's pants on. (Also his apostrophe and... the actual truth was on video, so what exactly was the misconception? Because I’m pretty sure that video was not a f-cking hallucination.)
I want to say that, on behalf of my friends, family, and associative knuckleheads, I am deeply sorry to anyone who was offended by the video. Again, it was something that I was not made aware of. But, I do understand the reaction and, by association, I am holding myself accountable. (What a wonderful sacrifice. What selflessness you have.)
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts. It really is a blessing to be able to speak directly to my true fans so that you can know exactly where I stand.
-Justin
P.S. You can bet your ass that I'm having my friend do at least 100 hours of community service... Boom.
(Boom this asshole -- while you just spent almost a thousand words justifying yourself, NOT ONCE did you acknowledge the people who made it on to that video unwittingly and were stepped on by you and your rich friends.
Justin Timberlake defended himself over two pages, calling himself a goddamn hero, and at NO TIME did directly address the people in need who were portrayed as worthless fools for the sake of a dickhead’s amusement.
And they applaud him for this. They applaud him for his courage for stepping up. People actually consider this a proper apology. Well no wonder he gets to refer to him and himself as “me and myself”. We made him that way. We SUCK.)
* If he meant a portrayal of his friends and him, “myself” is used in the wrong context.
I can't fight the urge to clarify my thoughts and feelings on what has been a very upsetting portrayal of the people closest to me and myself.
If you take out “people closest to me” you’d be left with:
I can't fight the urge to clarify my thoughts and feelings on what has been a very upsetting portrayal of myself.
Which is terrible English.
The misuse of MYSELF epidemic.
But either way, he either has bad grammar or a giant ego. I chose to read it that he has a giant ego.
