Boycott Justin Bieber?

Hey, I don't even know who Justin Bieber is - a "Canadian teen pop superstar," according to this article - but I think it's hilarious that "Ground Zero Mosque" loonies have launched a boycott of the entertainer based entirely on a hoax.

Mosque foes recently started a boycott of Bieber after he made comments in support of the mosque project in an interview with Tiger Beat, a teen fan magazine, Sullivan told WYNC earlier this month. Now, his 8-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son have been banned from attending Bieber performances.

...Except that there was no such interview in Tiger Beat. A satirical website posted a humorous piece that made the whole thing up - including fake Justin Bieber quotes about how Muslims were "super cool" and Christians were "lame-o-rama" - and once it got into right-wing hands, it got spread around everywhere.

Well, that's no surprise. I've seen some of these right-wing broadsides - complete lies, often without even a kernel of truth - that get emailed everywhere. Reality is of no concern, apparently. Certainly, no one ever seems to care enough to check them out.

I mean, come on! The supposed interview even has Bieber claiming that "the mosque will help “start a dialogue” with all religions about which Justin Bieber song is the most awesome." Heh, heh.

So yeah, this is funny,... but it's also a bit sad, too. I enjoy making fun of bigots, but it's embarrassing that they exist at all. Sometimes, I can't help but be a little ashamed of our species.