Popularity is an elusive treasure for many. The prospect of wanting to achieve this social status plants its foundation in our brains at a young age and continues to foster for years afterwards.
Although conformity is not necessarily the most noble of human characteristics, few can blame others for doing so. Many people, if not everybody, want to fit in with the desired social group to be popular.

However, when you look at pop culture’s circles, some celebrities and media forms have not just become popular, but have found a way to drastically exceed even that level of prominence. They have become icons.

But with increased fame comes a mounting chorus of unpleasant comments from a subset of the population. Ridiculing that is, I would argue, malicious and out of place.

Do not get me wrong; I’m fully in favour of the notion that once individuals willingly subject themselves to the public eye they should not be surprised once hurtful comments come their way. But when the mockery is baseless without solid facts to supplement the assertion, I feel that society has crossed the line.

Take teenage heartthrob and charting pop artist Justin Bieber, for instance. Chances are great you have heard of the 16-year-old and his laundry list of accomplishments. For the uninformed, a segment of his achievements includes his top single thus far, “Baby,” charting all the way to number three in the Canadian charts. The music video for that song also recently became the most viewed YouTube.com clip in history.

Bieber’s detractors have been virtually as vocal as his million of supporters, spewing a merciless gauntlet of jokes.

Most of these comments have spawned from questions on the teenager’s sexual orientation, possibly due to his clean-cut appearance and single status; how he supposedly has not reached puberty and sounds like a girl; the alleged unoriginal pop music he sings; the claimed lack of talent he possesses and the fanatical nature of his fans, to name a few.

Although jokes initiated by some of those complaints might garner a giggle or two, most of them instead show signs of immaturity, especially when the public — including supposedly mature adults — are ridiculing a child’s development! Have we as a society fallen to such a point where we are mocking a child because they have not reached puberty as soon as the norm? Something they can do nothing about!

There are also the comments that he purportedly sings dreadful music that is unoriginal and adds to the drivel produced by his manufactured pop peers. This opinion could very well be valid; however, to paint one guy as the scapegoat for all that is wrong with pop music is a preposterous claim. Those who supposedly hate Justin Bieber tend to avoid making the same statements about older artists who contribute to the pop machine like Rihanna, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake.

The general public’s “love it or loathe it” attitude regarding the 16-year-old pop star is similar to the reaction garnered from Stephenie Meyer’s movie-adapted, vampire romance novel Twilight.

Sparkling vampires, two-dimensional characters and a love story that is insufferably unrealistic . . . a commentary you have likely heard in regards to the Twilight series. You may have heard this from people who have read/seen the subject matter and, of course, from people who have never come close.

If Twilight does not appeal to you, that is fine. There are books, movies and TV shows that are not each and every individual’s cup of tea. We all have our opinions. However, in a similar manner to disliking Bieber’s music, why only blame Twilight when other media forms produce less than satisfactory content as well?

Could jealously be to blame for the mockery these icons receive? Is it immaturity? Are people attempting to improve their own self-worth by impairing the confidence of others in the process? The answer is debatable.

I suppose it brings us right back to the individual quest for popularity. To reach this status, we conform. One of the best ways to fit in is to follow the crowd. Although you lose out on individuality, you also bypass social rejection. We scoff at Justin Bieber and Twilight because other people are doing it, like our friends and the media. We steer clear of offering positive opinions concerning these pop icons to avoid exiling ourselves from a social group.

If you talk candidly to the detractors, they would probably agree that Bieber and Twilight are not nearly as repulsive as their jokes might lead you to believe. They understand the pop star is nowhere near the most terrible singer to hit the stage. Moreover, Twilight’s plot, though weak in some areas, is not the worst piece of literature to hit bookshelves. It has still found a way to captivate millions.

This is why some critics have chosen instead to direct their aversion to the obsessive fans of icons, a vast majority being piercingly loud teenage girls. On the other hand, I am envious of these supporters. I only wish I was as passionate as they are about something. A proclamation I believe I do not stand alone in having.