When Justin Bieber decided to take a trip to the Yasukuni war shrine in Japan this week -- a memorial that enshrines nearly 2.5 million, including 14 convicted Class A war criminals -- he thought its history was the exact opposite of what it really was, and now, he has apologized to those that he offended, as we previously reported.

Justin Bieber
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On Tuesday evening, Bieber uploaded two photos to his Instagram account that showed him praying outdoors at the shrine and also standing beside a Shinto priest. Eventually, after Bieber was clued in on what the shrine really stood for, the photos were removed and an apology was issued.

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On Tuesday evening, Bieber uploaded two photos to his Instagram account that showed him praying outdoors at the shrine and also standing beside a Shinto priest. Eventually, after Bieber was clued in on what the shrine really stood for, the photos were removed and an apology was issued.

If someone were to search “Justin Bieber apologizes,” this controversy wouldn’t be the only one that comes up. Over the past year, the 20-year-old popstar has found himself apologizing for antics he’s been involved in, including defacing a picture of former President Bill Clinton and dragging flags off stage during a show in Argentina.

Whether you believe Bieber is a stain on society or simply a misguided young man who needs to enroll in a history class, he’s not the first celebrity to find themselves in hot water from public actions.
 

The list of sorry celebs go on and on, ranging from stars like Justin Timberlake to former internet sensations like Psy. Chances are, if you’re famous, you’ve most likely had to apologize for something at some point in your career.

 

Psy of “Gangnam Style” fame found trouble in 2012 for anti-American lyrics from a song of his back in 2004, while Timberlake was blamed for a video that was made for his wedding with actress Jessica Biel; the video featured homeless people and street musicians wishing him well, and many found it in poor taste. However, these revolved around occasions where an apology is all that can suffice. Timberlake says he had no knowledge of the video being made, while Psy says the 10 year old song was an emotionally charged response to the Iraq war. Although neither situation is acceptable, both parties did the right thing in taking blame for something that they weren’t prepared to receive backlash over.

Psy
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But in Bieber’s case, is just an apology good enough when the blunder takes place over social media -- an outlet that someone has complete control over?

 

In 2012, Oprah Winfrey tweeted a request for anyone with a Nielsen cable box to tune into her network, and Nielsen, who has a strict coercion policy, was less than pleased. NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne came under fire while tweeting about a woman who was nursing her child in public, hashtagging it with “#nasty.”

Maybe the best route is to strip celebs of their Twitter rights and leave it to their management. That’s what happened in Ashton Kutcher’s situation when he expressed his disappointment over the firing of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who was revealed to have covered up the sexual abuse committed by assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. In his apology, Kutcher stated that his tweets would now be handled by his production company, Katalyst Media, and three years later, his timeline still has a large management presence.

Ultimately, it isn’t necessary for celebrities to have someone look over their shoulder for everything they tweet, but the next time they find themselves thinking twice about a tweet, maybe they should think a third time, or just do a simple Google search. It’ll lead to a happier world -- and Internet.


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