Seth Rogen’s ‘Grown Man’ Hating On Justin Bieber Fails The Jodie Foster Test

Seth Rogen still hates Justin Bieber and has seemingly found infinite reasons why he should. Nutshelled to Today’s Matt Lauer, these are because Seth is a “grown man” and “Why would I [like him]?!”

Over the last three days, as Rogen not all coincidentally promotes his new movie Neighbors, invoking Justin Bieber’s battered name has guaranteed headlines and also enabled the great man to present his reasons for hating Bieber with more chronological accuracy.

Tracking from his phenomenally, witty tweet in January “All jokes aside, Justin Bieber is a piece of s–t,” which Rogen unleashed the same day the singer was arrested on suspicion of DUI, since then Seth’s fury appears to have has distilled to such a point his next appearance will probably just feature a Bieber effigy and the funnyman smiling maniacally over lit fuel.

During an SXSW edition of Watch What Happens Live back in March, Rogen declared Bieber was “obnoxious,” “ungrateful,” “insincere” and put “people’s lives in danger.” Naturally, the “piece of s–t” line was given another airing.

Fast forward to Monday, Rogen ranted on Howard Stern’s XM radio show about the first time he met then child star Bieber at the singer’s request, alleging Justin acted “nonplussed” as if were the comic-actor who had asked for the meet.

Seth recalls, “I was like, ‘He’s a little bit of a motherf–ker.’ Whatever. He’s young, the kid’s a d**k.”

It’s worth noting Justin was then all of 14 or 15-years-old.

A tale of Bieber playing with a snake at the 2011 MTV VMAs two years later merited a similar harsh verdict.

“I was like “What the f–k,’ and I talked to him for like five minutes and I was like, ‘F–k this kid.’ He was trying to be funny with like, ‘Hey this snake,'” Rogen raged.

And it was in his MTV encounter with Justin that Seth’s core issue with him emerged.

He went on to compare his present film co-star Zac Efron to the “Baby” star, noting Bieber displayed:

“No sense that ‘I appeal to young, young people, maybe a grown man who works in comedy doesn’t f–king give a sh*t about me. Maybe I should act in such a way that perhaps this isn’t the great experience of his f–king life,'” Rogen said, at last arriving at the touchstone of why he hates the Biebs.

“To me, the idea that, like, a grown man doesn’t like Justin Bieber is not a controversial thought,” Rogen explained to Lauer Wednesday.

“Why would I (like him)!?,” he added. “It would be much weirder if I did like Justin Bieber.”

Attempting to coerce the Today studio audience into his pathology, Seth gestured to them, declaring:

“None of these people in this room like Justin Bieber. I can guarantee you that,” shortly after bullishly insisting, “I don’t know anyone who likes Justin Bieber.”

Watching the Today segment I was struck by two things, then a third on reflection.

First: the immaturity of Rogen’s desire to direct collective hate against a 20-year-old who has clearly made mistakes last year and in this.

However, none of his actions — actual or alleged — are even close to being so uncommon or irredeemable that Bieber deserves to be publicly and constantly belittled for mass amusement. If the singer is to learn from and move past this period of this life, isn’t this less likely if he is distracted by the soul-crushing hate he receives and which seems to take no account of his youth?

Or is that the point? Is the collective invested in not allowed the Biebs to want move on?

Second: the enjoyment on Rogen’s face as he verbally mocked Bieber was strikingly not that of a “grown man,” but of an overgrown child bullying a smaller child.

The third reflection came about an hour later, courtesy of Jodie Foster.

From her 1988 acceptance speech for Best Actress for The Accused at the 61st Academy Awards. After thanking executives, friends and others, the then 25-year-old Foster thanked her one-time manager mother, telling the audience:

“Most importantly my mother Brandy, who taught me that all of my finger paintings were Picassos, and that I didn’t have to be afraid.”

“And mostly that cruelty might be very human, and it might be very cultural, but it’s not acceptable (sic).”

As it turns out, it took borrowing a grown woman’s words to identify the continued hating on Justin Bieber for what it really is.

Seth Rogan sorry I didnt bow down when I asked 2 meet u was probably a bit shy and didn’t want to be over the top but still. love ur movies.

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) May 8, 2014