Jason Merritt/Getty Images; ROBYN BECK/Getty ImagesSomeone alert the American Medical Association, because we've just discovered another side effect of Bieber Fever: an inability to lose graciously.
As the world knows by now, jazz artist Esperanza Spalding beat out some notable contenders to take home the Best New Artist award at the Grammys last night—none more notable than Justin Bieber.
So what did the Bieber faithful do in response? Shrug their shoulders? Mouth "who?" at the TV screen? Tweet congratulations to Esperanza? Hack into her Wikipedia page and edit in a slew of mean girl amendments in a classic case of junior high revenge? Ding, ding, ding.
Not long after Spalding made her way off the podium, and the collective eyebrow raise had once again been lowered, did Bieber's minions (working on no command from their fearless leader, it must be said), headed en masse to the Wikipedia page of the 26-year-old and turned the best day of her life into something else entirely.
So what mature, measured and well-articulated tweaks did they make to her page? Oh, you know…
"JUSTIN BIEBER DESERVED IT GO DIE IN A HOLE. WHO THE HECK ARE YOU ANYWAY?" read one change.
"SHE IS F--KING REATARD THAT NO ONE HAS HEARD OF SO BITCH PLEASE DIE!" read another.
"Recently, she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards by stealing it from Justin Bieber…once again proving how little the awards mean," went yet a different tweak.
Others changed her middle name alternately to either "Justin" or "Quesadilla." You get the idea.
However, not everyone who took to Spalding's page last night (and early this morning) were after Esperanza.
"Bieber fans have recently hacked this page because they have nothing better to do with their lives," read an early morning edit.
Another noted that she beat "nominee and gay favorite Justina Bieber" to the Grammy.
"HaHa Justin Bieber, you're just a little boy with no Grammy for Best New Artist."
However, it wasn't long before the Bieber throngs returned and posted more hatred.
"She now has the 2011 Grammy for being the Best new Artist! Even though no one has ever heard of her! Yay!"
Wrong again, tweens (we're guessing—nay, hoping, that's who's responsible).
True, Spalding does not yet have a hit documentary to her name, but on that last point, we can think of one person who might argue. President Barack Obama himself handpicked the classically trained musician to perform in Oslo when he picked up his 2009 Nobel Prize. He obviously liked what he heard: she was invited to the White House the same year to perform during a poetry jam hosted by the president and Michelle Obama.
So, let's weigh this fan base thing up: the ruler of the free world, vs. a bunch of angry, moody free time-accumulating teens. Yep, Esperanza's the winner, all right.
As for Bieber, he seems just peachy, if a tad disappointed, with his loss.
"Of course I wanted to win," he tweeted. "Its been & still is a dream to win a grammy. Was I upset…yes. But I was happy for her also." As evidenced by his backstage congratulatory message.
So there you have it. Now back off.