actually it might be better to say nerds trash him in an attempt to make themselves look more masculine. Most nerds tend to be feminine like this guy, so by trashing him they can show that they really aren't feminine even though they are. Kind of like some closet gays trash gays even when they are gay themselves. Some of it might be a self hate thing too. I'm not accusing anyone here of this, it's just a theory I'm floating around.
Well, the whole "closeted homophobe" thing is a bit of a myth, and it wouldn't really explain the scale of hatred, especially given the incorporeal environment in question. I'd also question whether nerds are "feminine"; their status is that of a beta male, not hypermasculine, but not discernibly feminine. The conflation of non-hypermale and female is part of an ancient in-group/out-group dynamic constructed by and for alpha males, which asserts the supremacy of a minority of men- "manly men", as it were- creating a stricter and more robust gender construct than sexual determinism alone is capable of providing, as well as creating competition among men for in-group status and averting the possibility of men challenging the binary (as "effeminate" males like Bieber are percieved as doing).
However, you're certainly correct that attack effeminate men is used as a way to assert or reaffirm masculinity, but it is, in itself, an attempt to place oneself in the in-group, or two redefine the in-group so that one is included- while many treat geek culture as an aversion of traditional masculinity, some treat it as a redefinition of masculinity (particularly in North America, where anti-intellectualism is more prominent, and a greater part of masculine identity). This is where the homophobia and misogyny come into play- they are one of the methods by which in-group status is asserted (did you ever notice the popularity of the "gay jock" trope in recent years?) and, requiring little actual commitment to "masculine" action, the easiest and most instantly reassuring, and so the most popular among a particular kind of beta male.
I think another reason for the hate is guys are jealous (alluded to in my first post in this thread) that girls will fall for a guy like this, and not themselves. Even though guys don't really like girls into that kind of superficiality, they still want those girls to find them attractive, not guys like Beiber. In reality we want girls to fawn over us nerds. But it will never happen.
That's also a fair point- beta males have enough trouble dealing with the fact that alpha males traditionally get "first dibs" on women, so to see a male who is, by traditional standards, even lower on the scale being more popular is bound to incite a few. There's a lot of "Nice Guys" out there, and they can be quite bitter.
well, this plus:
the more aged of us are really tired of this disney-esque hype of teens. I know sponsors and advertising people love to target that crowd but those of us well beyond that age just get the twitches.
my half-sis is 10 this year (my dad is 70+. don't ask) and she goes bonkers for miley cyrus. it bothers me. then I started to think about why it bothers me. I guess it is mostly because it is just so common. you are 10-ish. you are supposed to like M Cyrus. and she does. it is just so darn boring. listen to The Cult, please.... or even go nuts for Scooter or something. anything that isn't tailored to you.
of course everything I say against it just makes her defend it even more. perfectly fine, that is the way it works.
I hate it because it is obvious and because it works so flawlessly.
Oh, I didn't say he wasn't the worthless spawn of a stagnant, homogeneous culture, I just think that the misogynistic/homophobic thing goes some way to explaining why he gets so much more flak than the three dozen alternatives. Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift are regarded as vapid and worthless, but it's a feminine vapidity that is expected and tolerated, while Bieber's supposedly effeminate behaviour is easy prey for the insecure beta male.
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