Justin Bieber recently prompted a firestorm of criticism when he visited Anne Frank’s house and, in the guestbook, wrote: "Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber." Frankly, I don’t see what the problem is. He’s just the latest in a long line of celebrities to make the famously persecuted teen girl whose suffering during the Holocaust became a symbol for the evils of the Nazis all about themselves.
For instance, when Lindsay Lohan visited the Amsterdam house-turned-museum, she wrote "What an inspiration! I know how hard it is, avoiding the spotlight. I bet they never would’ve made her go to rehab! :P"
LiLo isn’t alone. The Kardashians also recently made a trip to the house, and Kim felt a real connection with the young girl, who wrote bravely about her burgeoning womanhood while living in silent, cramped quarters. "So inspiring to come here and learn about another young woman whose sex life was read about by the whole world," Kim wrote.
Charlie Sheen, during his brief exile from television after his abusive, semi-psychotic breakdown, made a pilgrimage to Anne Frank’s House. "I know what it’s like to be persecuted," he wrote. "Anne is a source of strength for all. Through her veins flowed the original #TigerBlood."
Jersey Shore cast member Snooki drew from the fact that Anne Frank survived on meager rations to get her through her weight struggles. "OMG, like, I totally know what it means to starve yourself for the greater good," Snooks wrote. "It’s like, really great that she could teach so many young women how to get by on so little. Gotta be ready for the shore, you know! WAHHHHHH."
(To clarify, because I forgot that tags don't display on our blog entries: This is parody.)