Bieber now vs. Joey McIntyre circa 1988

A very comical person I know posted this status yesterday and boy did it cause a debate...

"Question: Fight between Justin Bieber and Joey McIntyre circa 1988. Who would win?"

The comments are as follows:
1) Bieber. He's got the street smarts that McIntyre lacks!
2) Ditto. Plus he has Diddy, Jay-Z and Usher on his side, so he probably wouldn't even have to fight.
3) Dude. Joey was a scrappy Boston boy. Bieber is from Canada. I think we know who has the street smarts. However, Jodie, good call on the Jay Z. Donnie could get his brother Mark and whoop up on Diddy & Usher. Jay Z can hold his own.

4) I am team Joey.
5) Canadians are much tougher than we give them hem credit for (hockey, frozen winters, caribou road crossings...) and while Bostonians may have their own street toughness, I doubt Joey ever so much as had a sleepover in any of those neighborhoods before meeting Donnie. I'm going with Bieber on this one although I wouldn't rule out a double tko

1) ‎^ Yes! Canadians are tough! At 16, I think Justin Bieber is tougher and taller than Joey McIntyre is today!
3) All very valid points, Mike. However, Joey got pushed around a lot by the older new kids when he joined. He had to fight his way through to get respect in the boy band. :-)
5) Baha, pushed around by the older New Kids? If that's the case then imagine all the internet bullying Bieber had to fight through, not only the respect he had to earn from the likes of Usher and the others mentioned above!

/cannot believe I'v...e been dragged into defending Bieber
3) I gave my heart to Joey when I was 12 and he still has it. But, I will confess that Justin can sing circles around Joey.
6) I am so ashamed of this entire thread. Mostly of you, Michael. One of all, Joey McIntyre may not have been born in Boston, but he was def raised on the streets of Beantown and found plenty of trouble before meeting Donnie (who, for me, is c...learly beyond reproach in this situation). And Tonya is right, he took a lot of hell from the other guys when he joined the band, however, T-Town, I'ma yell at you too, because in no way does Justin sing circles around Joey. Hanging Tough and the Step By Step albums contain a lot of full on ballads in which Joey is front and center, clearly without the assistance of autotune or other pitch correctors. While Justin has yet to prove his staying power after the ol' voice change, Joey's voice not only improved, but also afforded him a pretty decent solo career in the late 90s and early 2000s, not exactly the warmest climate for an aging boy bander.
But really, the main thing I want to weigh in on is this: Justin Beiber looks like Ellen Degeneres circa her unfortunate stint in bad Hollywood movies in the early 90s. Joey McIntyre (and the rest of the NKOTB boys) were not only wildly attractive (there is, naturally, some debate about Danny Wood, but I stand by what I said) but also built--even in their pubescent greatness--and were part of a movement in music that may be panned now, but was a really big deal then. What does Beiber have? The unfortunate Miley Cyrus and Sean Kingston grouping. A staying star that does not make.

Mostly, in 20 years, you won't see 30-year-old women flocking to Justin Beiber reunion concerts at the crab buffet at Harrah's Casino. You have, however, seen sold out events for NKOTB at MSG, The Pyramid, and other various locations Beiber is fighting to sell out now.

3) Bahahaha! #6 - I will bow to your passionate defense of Joey's singing ability. I think Justin is a better R&B singer - Joey is more of a crooner.
I love pop music - which means I have love for Bieber. But he will never match my love ...for Joey & the New Kids. I was 12/13 when they first arrived on the scene. Which means my hormones were out of whack I cried and screamed every time I saw their videos and watched their concert vids. I still do...just a little tear because my dream of meeting Joey has yet to come true. And yes, I know I'm on team girl now - but Joey was my first love. And I would...I really would.

Glad you're with me on who would win the fight. Beej is with us, too! But...I have to part ways with you on the Bieber hatin'. (Although I also question his staying power). I'm totally jealous that I won't be at his concert tonight with Abby and Jodie! Have fun, girls!

2) Just because you wouldn't go to a Justin Bieber reunion concert in 20 years doesn't mean the hoards of tweens showing up at Verizon Arena to watch him tonight wouldn't. They'll grow up eventually and probably argue on someone's Facebook sta...tus about the validity of their obsession with Bieber vs. Random Teen Pop Star of 2030. The fact is that Biebz' video for "Baby" is the most viewed video on YouTube right now. What are the stats on NKOTB videos? Let's face it, Little Biebzy is the most popular teenager in the world right now and he didn't need a whole hoodrat boy band to back him up, just some filipino kids he saw on YouTube.
Every generation has a Justin Bieber, Joey McIntyre, N*SYNC or whatever. Let's be real guys, Biebz and Joey McIntyre probably wouldn't fight anyway, they'd probably drink milkshakes and share stories of life on the road as a teen pop sensation. Then Donny Osmond, Justin Timberlake, and that one mildly successful Backstreet Boy would show up, and they'd throw a badass party while their parents are out of town.

3) Bahahaha #2! They would so have milkshakes together. But chocolate ones. Not vanilla. Vanilla is for wimps.
3) And as far as teen idols go...I think we all know the Leif Garrett would be the worst in a fight. He really had issues.
7) justin beiber was not yet thought of in 1988. ...at least joey was alive. i think the winner is obvious.
1) ‎#3 you will be with us in spirit tonight!
and didn't people question Donnie Osmonds staying power? I'm just saying...
 
8) Rhinos a really good and fun post. I would like to chime in on this argument, because I believe comparing Joey Mac to Justin Bieber is like comparing the Tin Woodsman to Darth Vader, it doesn't work due to the context. Joey Mac continue hi...s fame based on his previous work with NKTOB, which would put him on more of a parallel with Justin Timberlake.
Justin Bieber's popularity originates in a time when market segmentation is at it's highest, for him to garner the amount of recognition in this day in and age puts him on par with a Donny Osmond level celebrity (that and their giant teeth).
What's also interesting is that Bieber has appeal in different cultures, I mean the kid is played on BET. Parallels could even be drawn to him and (dare I say it) Eminem because of his rise from obscurity, grass roots support, being mentored by a successful Black recording artist (Usher and Dr. Dre respectively), and presence in a predominately African American music genre (Pop Rap and Pop R&B). Only time will tell if Bieber falls on the celebrity spectrum closer to Elvis or Vanilla Ice.
 
4) Ok, I just have to say this- Joey McIntyre sang "Please Don't Go Girl" before Bieber was even born. NKOTB crossed many lines of music, they were played across all genres. Joey had my heart at 6 years old when I saw him dance across that stage at the Target Center, and he has my heart today. Bieber, while talented, will always be remembered as the kid with the weird hair. Just saying.
 
2) With all due respect #4, he will be remembered like that by you, but not the millions of girls singing his songs right now. Only time will tell how successful Bieber truly is, and if he has the hearts of many young girls right now, I would say he is on the same playing field as Joey Mac WAS, if not higher. I am agreeing to disagree with all you old, closed minded fogeys. You know that the song "Baby" makes you want to dance, if you can't admit that, you're only lying to yourself.
 
3) Thanks for the passionate discussion! What a great way to spend a Friday in the office!
9) Joey with his hands tied behind his back. Beiber is a p word I don't say.
8) Haha, #9. I think Joey Mac would turn the other cheek since he dedicate his life to the Lord. Bieber however I'd from the Godless land of Ca-Na-Da. His god is science.
9) I think even God supports a Beiber beat down. Just saying...
9) I would like to take a moment to point out one thing about the Beibster...
He has successfully combined "lover" and "eenie meenie miney moe" into a successful song (only God knows why... and I think even He is confused on what went wrong the...re).
Based on this alone, I may switch teams to the Beibster... he is an evil genius. He'd probably orchestrate a coup with the Cullens or something.
 
2) #9--He also has a pretty rockin' rendition of Lovefool. And his song "Bigger" is actually quite inspirational. Peace. Love. And Justin Bieber!
 
9) He's evil and looks like a girl.
9) And sings like a girl.
9) And pees like a girl.
 
 
So what do you think?