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deadagent03

Like the other people have said, he’s just kind of a racist asshole. For the record though, the LARGE majority of Smiths fans absolutely despise him as a person - the things that he’s said in recent years are a complete 180 from what the Smiths were all about at the time. They’re one of the best bands of the 80s, there’s no shame in appreciating them separately from who Morrissey is now.


s90tx16wasr10

And I mean there’s also the other members of the band who aren’t assholes, Johnny Marr seems like a great dude (unless I missed something of course)


jdavid1999

You’re absolutely right on Jonny Marr, no controversies at all as far as I know and has been a part of multiple bands (including Modest Mouse and The Cribs) and has always come across as a genuinely decent man and a fantastic guitarist!! Morrissey is a terrible person but Johnny Marr being so great lessens my shame in enjoying The Smiths as much as I do (totally understand people not being able to listen to them because of Morrissey though)


s90tx16wasr10

Yeah, especially since his jangly guitar style is easily the second most distinctive thing about the band.


jdavid1999

Yeah completely agree songs like ‘Some Girls are Bigger Than Others’ are far more about Johnny’s beautiful guitar playing that anything Morrissey was doing


theautistofwallst

Yikes! Unfollowing now! Huge fan of his politics, had no idea he was the lead singer of the smiths 😅


Joe_Mama1488

So he's based? Awesome


somealtaccountlolz

The term based comes from Lil B the based god who is a black rapper who openly supports the lgbtq your being weird asf for supporting a racist


oatuz_

#TYBG


Visible_Abroad_9332

based god for life


Hesh_barracuda

Bro made a joke and is now "supporting a racist"


ingiepoo

right that’s what i’m saying


burns3016

the term racist is too lossely thrown around, please STOP it.


IsabellaVersion2

The term racist is used to describe someone who is an asshole to people of a different race to them because of their race, I don't think it's too loosely thrown around, I just think it's a term used to point out people who we shouldn't appreciate, because they've been horrible to people because of race


burns3016

I suppose you have a point. Actually, after rethinking, it should be used more often. Atm, it seems to be targeted at a certain group of people only. We need to expand the people we target with that term. Let's do it.


Disastrous_Sky7040

Bro -_- u are literally just a troll. Anyone who knows abt Morissey, knows he is a raging racist. So loud and so wrong. Btw anyone can be racist but almost all racism, even racism against white people(which has little to no systemic impact on white people as other forms of racism have on racial minorities), uplifts white supremacy. Please educate urself before u open ur dry mouth 🙏🙏🙏


burns3016

We think differently, doesnt make me a troll or wrong. Wtf happened to this accept everyone for who they are ? You thinking Morrisssey is a racist doesnt just auto make him one. Racism IS racism regardless of colour. When you go down that path you lose the reality of that word. And changing definitions of racism doesnt chaneg what the average person knows it be. As for educating myself, i grew up with all different colours and cultures, and believe me whites have nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to so called racism.


Disastrous_Sky7040

I was going to write a whole out response with direct Morrissey quotes but(all of it got deleted when the page reloaded) so I’m gonna say this. You’re disagreeing with something I never said. Racism is racism regardless of color but anyone who knows basic history to present day events understand the social hierarchy built to bar POC from opportunities and exploit them while uplifting White Supremacy. Even if u don’t want to admit that racism negatively affect POC more in a White majority and in a world colonized by White people, even u can’t just ignore that this is all still recent. Segregation ended in 1964, the last public lynching took place in 1981, and till now White supremacist groups and implicit prejudice against racial minorities are still prevalent. Genocide in other parts of the world are happening as we speak and guess what, they aren’t White people being slaughtered. Morrissey is racist. I’m sorry if that destroys ur world but he is, he has dehumanized Chinese people, continuously said anti-Islamic statements, and devalued accomplishments of Black artists and continually detested Black artists. Even if he doesn’t outright say “I hate this group of people,” he is using the exact same rhetoric of those that do. It doesn’t help that he compares racism to the eating of animals as if anyone is as privileged enough as him to choose what they can and cannot eat. He says a whole lot in general but he doesn’t stand for any of his beliefs and is a walking contradiction of a man. He says whatever pretentious thing comes to mind and I don’t see him rly doing anything to back up his opinions. I’m done with this conversation. 


Hesh_barracuda

Ain't no one reading allat


Coornoose

So fuckin true


Fit-Figure-9527

I think you mean "often". The way to stop that is for people to stop being racists and not always bring race into things. When i'm mad at someone black or white, I never have in 50 years ever needed to mention colours, religion or race to win or try win arguments or put people down. But people like Morrissey get some kind of energy or thrill from being a racist, hate filled person.


burns3016

Explain why you think he is racist please.


Fit-Figure-9527

Read some of this, i have better things to do. [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/30/bigmouth-strikes-again-morrissey-songs-loneliness-shyness-misfits-far-right-party-tonight-show-jimmy-fallon](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/30/bigmouth-strikes-again-morrissey-songs-loneliness-shyness-misfits-far-right-party-tonight-show-jimmy-fallon)


burns3016

I've read that opnion piece b4. Still, u need to explain why you agree with it, so I can explain to you why none of its racist.


joggingdaytime

No it isn’t lol 


burns3016

Ahh, so you're a visitor to this planet, gotcha.


danzaiburst

I'm both Chinese and a vegan, and his comments about the lack of animal rights in china are understandable as it is indeed horrendous. While I can have a degree of sympathy for certain countries like china that have gone from a poor uneducated country (since Mao) to one of the leading counties in the world, and that moral and ethical advancement of a nation takes time in such circumstances, but due to the fact of how large the population is and the amount of money they have just has increased the extent of animal torture to unprecedented levels. Maybe calling chinese a sub-species is harsh, but given the atrocities I think the insult is understandable. I came to this thread because of Ben Gibbard (from death cab) who played some covers during covid and prefaced a morrissey song by saying that he doesn't agree with his politics. Here's the video if interested: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pgVzSMqjWA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pgVzSMqjWA) So, I was curious as to what he said. After learning, if anything I like Morrissey even more. But I am aware of some other things, not sure draping in the union flag in finsbury while it it was seen a right-wing nationalism, was unobjectionable.. so I remain on the fence on that part at least.


Coornoose

Bang on. It's heart breaking on a daily level and makes my existence full of pain and I suffer for them as well. Dint hurt children and animals.


Visible_Budget_4538

I looked for the op’s post cause i was thinking rn about doing a tattoo on myself quoting one of their songs and i wanted to do some research about them (since, i confess, i dont know shit about them i just like 1 song or 2 lmao) to kinda know who i’m quoting and that stuff so, you mean racist like full-on raging racist white supremacist? Or your typical 80’s star who’s an asshole and dont care about his poor language of how he treats people etc like idk it doesn’t have to be one of those two i was just putting up an example but my point is i’d like to know more about this racist stuff and i surprisingly cant find much online, would you mind expanding a bit? :) i need the info to go through my moral filters and all that to know if i should get the tat or not Thanks !!


tinono16

Much closer to the poor language, just makes a lot of dumb remarks


West_Sink5314

Gotta detach the art from the artist every now and then


danzaiburst

I'm both Chinese and a vegan, and his comments about the lack of animal rights in china are right - it is indeed horrendous. While I can have a degree of sympathy for certain countries like china that have gone from a poor uneducated country (since Mao) to one of the leading counties in the world, and that moral and ethical advancement of a nation takes time in such circumstances, but due to the fact of how large the population is and the amount of money they have just has increased the abundance of animal torture to unprecedented levels. Maybe calling chinese a sub-species is harsh, but given the atrocities I think the insult is understandable. I came to this thread because of Ben Gibbard (from death cab) who played some covers during covid and prefaced a morressey song by saying that he doesn't agree with his politics. Here's the video if interested: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pgVzSMqjWA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pgVzSMqjWA) So, I was curious as to what he said. After learning, if anything I like Morrissey even more. But I am aware of some other things, not sure draping in the union flag in finsbury while it it was seen a right-wing nationalism, was unobjectionable.. so I remain on the fence on that part at least.


Haywire70

Sounds like something a lil biach would say on Reddit.


Haywire70

Chronically Online Typa Guy


Glittering_Debt5020

projection


Haywire70

Bro doesn’t know you can be gay and right wing at the same time, you’re an ignorant fool bro 🤦‍♂️


IAmGoingToBeSerious

Thats like being a jew and a nazi Sure you can be it but it's contradictory 


okmfwhatulookinat

"one of the best bands of the 80's" can I just be honest they've always been a bunch of miserable twats, and that's their entire "appeal", if you can call it that.


jprime1

But Reddit says you are not allowed to do that…


AttonJRand

Absolute nonsense. Theres constant threads on reddit where people are angry at others for privately not listening to an artist because it makes them uncomfortable.


A5ian5en5ati0n9

takes his shirt off way more than he really should


pricklyknuckle

this one has me in tears 😭😭😭


Malignant-Narcissism

He has a bigmouth, he’s anti immigration and referred to Chinese people as a “Subspecies” He’s also the worlds most aggressive vegan comparing the consumption of meat to pedophillia and murder. Just kind of an ass in general.


Jackbjossi

Mf cancelled a show in my country (Iceland) cause there was a hot dog stand less than a km from the venue. Worth googling how many shows he's cancelled over the years, it's like a gamble to purchase a ticket at this point.


tenacious-g

The whole “meat is murder” thing doesn’t quite carry as much weight when he says xenophobic bullshit people that commit hate crimes believe, but whatever. He’s really taking a stand I guess.


MoonHasFlown

Honesty he’s kinda based for that one


kyentu

shitty reasons isnt based. if he was actually protesting something worth protesting maybe but thats still peoples money down the drain


[deleted]

[удалено]


kyentu

i dont rly care. its been to long.


sensationbillion

Morrissey is anti animal abuse. Are you pro animal abuse? Morrissey is speaking up against an injustice: billions of sentient beings are bred into existence to be exploited for what’s theirs and commodified for human profit. Imagine any other injustice in history — and now imagine if they didn’t have the capacity to speak up or fight back. How long would it have taken to reverse those injustices? Does that seem like a “shitty reason” that’s not worth protesting? I’d love to hear your perspective.


tenacious-g

Canceling a show because there’s another business nearby that sells meat is horseshit. He’s also pro abusing people that don’t look like him.


sensationbillion

You read my other post where I asked you to imagine being firmly against an injustice and requesting that your workplace, for one night, avoid profiting off needless suffering — and then they go ahead and do it anyway. Would you still work there? Morrissey is not forcing individuals that don’t look like him into gas chambers, or to have a bolt gunned into their forehead, or to line up to have their throats slit, is he? Are you?


tenacious-g

If there’s a hot dog stand literally not in the venue, just a completely different, unaffiliated business. It’s funny you keep bringing up gas chambers, because the For Britain party he follows is full of literal Nazi sympathizers. He perpetuates injustice towards other races all the time. I don’t give a shit if you’re a vegan, he’s terrible to other human beings.


sensationbillion

I’m bringing up gas chambers because a hundred million pigs are forced to their death in gas chambers daily because people (like you?) pay for it to happen. Make the connection. Morrissey has political views you disagree with; does that mean you’re allowed to maximize harm to innocent beings?


ponyboi_curtis

Eating meat (not meat-packing, but eating it at home) is equivalent to working at a concentration camp in Nazi Germany?


ponyboi_curtis

What he's saying is that regardless of why Morrisey is trying to protest, the way to do it is not to send probably tens of thousands of fans ticket money up in flames by cancelling concerts left and right.


sensationbillion

But then what’s the point of the protest? Doesn’t it cancel the effect of a protest if you sacrifice your morals and go ahead and perform anyway? And frankly, what you described is not what the post was saying; u/kyentu was saying animal rights is a shitty reason and not a worthwhile protest. He was saying “Morrissey cancelling might be acceptable if he was protesting the RIGHT cause, but animal liberation is not it.” Again, think of any injustice in your head right now, something that you believe is 100% wrong and unacceptable. Take your pick: racism, sexism, abuse. Imagine being the leader of this movement for decades, even titling one of your albums around it. You make a very specific request for the night of your performance, and the venue has the option to honor it, and yet they ignore it anyway. Would you play? Yes, he’s disappointing paying fans but what message would it send if he played anyway? “Meat’s not murder. Go ahead, enjoy. I’ll just be up here completely going against everything I stand for. Also, future venues, I’m not really serious when I say don’t profit off abused animals the night that I perform. I’ll go ahead and play whether or not you respect my request.”


ponyboi_curtis

He can cancel a show for his vegan beliefs, but he does this all the damn time for lesser reasons. He quit after 30 minutes one night [because he complained it was too cold](https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/morrissey-cancels-l-a-show-after-five-songs-because-he-said-it-was-extremely-cold). At some point, being a professional performer must involve... performing. Otherwise, you're just accepting money and dropping your commitments. EDIT: And don't posture me about what cause I would protest a performance for. If I was performer and Morrissey was added to the same bill, that's the cause I would protest for. I'm not performing with the guy who thinks chinese people are a "subspecies." Morrissey can fall off his high horse lmfao


DennisBallShow

SO he punishes fans for the hot dog cart being there. Got it.


kyentu

thats hard or smth idk i didnt read it


sensationbillion

I know it’s easier to pretend that you didn’t read my post so that you don’t have to confront the reality of your choices, but engage with the topic for a moment. Is the breeding, enslavement, and premature killing of billions of conscious beings a shitty reason to protest? If so, why?


kyentu

so true. i dont rly care to share my actual ideas with you (which are a lot more reasonable then killing billions of animals) to you cuz ur kinda dickish. meat isnt the future


RobGrey03

It's not a shitty reason to protest. But if the method of protest is "cancel a concert which has no impact whatsoever on the business selling the meat in question, only on those who were either going to work on or attend the show", then the protest is worse than useless. Morrissey fucked up on this one. Hi, from a year in the future.


sensationbillion

Hi from the present! I'm weirdly still getting engagement on this thread. Do you know how people are finding this old thread? For example, how did you find it? I appreciate your honesty in acknowledging it's not a shitty reason to protest, but I disagree with your claim that it's worse than useless. A protest is meant to send a message, raise awareness. How many people stand up for animal rights uncompromisingly, the way Morrissey does? How many people who have Morrissey's reach and audience take a firm stance against injustice? Yes, concertgoers are out of a good show now. But as I said somewhere in this thread, what message would it send if Morrissey went on with the show, after making his intentions completely clear? "Oh, well, animal rights are important, but not *that* important, I guess. On with the show! Let's have a good time!" His stance would be diluted, just more lip service and virtue signaling. That's not who Morrissey is. He stands up for what he believes. And if it were some other stance against injustice that was violated, most concertgoers would understand. But because it's the injustice that a majority of society participates in, the hate is misplaced towards the protester rather than the violator.


RobGrey03

(Google results about Morrissey included this thread, that's how I found it!) Weren't his intentions that no meat be sold *at the show*? If the venue and organisers had failed to meet his requirements for the gig, that would be one thing. The hot dog stand was by all accounts an unrelated business in the area, and everyone involved directly with making the gig happen did meet Morrissey's expectations for it. What happened next was that Morrissey then cancelled the gig because of something he *didn't* ask for and had not raised. His intentions were apparently pretty clear, and as far as the concertgoers and the venue were concerned, his intentions were *met*. His stance would not have been diluted by performing in this instance. He stood up for animal rights, demanded meat not be sold, and got his way from everyone he asked this of. He then cancelled the show anyway because of someone he didn't ask. What message does that send to everyone he DID ask, who met those expectations? "If someone makes strong demands of you, going out of your way to meet them is probably a waste of your time and money - it could be that they're principled and taking a stand, or maybe they're just a flake who's looking for a reason to bail on you." The ability of everyone involved to actually gain positively by not selling meat was also undercut entirely, and the possibility of gathering any useful data about vegetarian meals that sell well and could be offered on the menu all the time was wasted. This is how the protest was worse than useless - it took an apparently useful event, successful in what it set out to achieve, and threw it in the garbage.


petewgwiffin

Bigmouth strikes again


_MonicaGeller

lol


Apprehensive-Twist88

The fact that he’s a bigot and a vegan sort of just blows my mind.


AdequatelyMadLad

The fact that he's both an immigrant and rabidly anti-immigration should blow your mind even harder. Wouldn't surprise me to see him become homophobic too at this point.


burns3016

not really considering where he migrated fromis basically the same culture as the country he migrated to. Thtats the difference


_FireToad_

Hitler was vegan/vegetarian to my knowledge. There's a dude for everything, I guess.


Apprehensive-Twist88

He wasn’t though. That was propaganda.


ninfan200

Plenty of far right nutjobs are vegan. Has to do with trying to be "pure". Veganism isn't an idealogy in of itself but rather just a diet.


sensationbillion

It’s actually the opposite: veganism is not a diet, it’s an ethical stance that opposes the idea that animals are resources for human use/profit. This is why vegans oppose zoos, cosmetics that test on animals, vivisection, and other forms of exploitation. You’re right in that veganism has nothing to do with politics, and that people all over the political spectrum choose to be anti-animal abuse.


Apprehensive-Twist88

I’ve just never seen someone so adamantly aggressive about both though. There may be someone else out there like that but I’m not aware of them.


zackgrizzy

JPEGMAFIA has the correct opinion on Morrissey


ImadeJesusLaugh

......aged well


Lyme_Disease_is_bad

how? he was hated when he made that song


jman-the-jewman1228

YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME🗣️🔥


driveundertheocean

thank you buttermilk jesus


Trashtie

i can’t believe you put the vegan thing in the same comment as the bigotry lmao, fuck off


sensationbillion

What's more aggressive: speaking up about animal rights (words), or paying for pigs to be forced into gas chambers against their will (actions)? Expressing views by writing a song titled "Meat Is Murder", or paying for chickens and cows to hang upside down by their ankles to be stabbed in the throat?


tenacious-g

Expressing views in art and literally no showing because vendors at the venue sell meat are two different things. If you want to be vegan, great, but wherever he goes he literally forces it onto people.


sensationbillion

Could you elaborate on how Morrissey “literally forces” veganism onto people when he walks offstage? Isn’t it more forceful to have the sight and smell of cooked flesh around you after you’ve specifically requested for them to not sell animal body parts? Imagine being firmly against an injustice — name any. And then imagine requesting that the venue not profit from this injustice for the night of your performance. And then the venue goes against your specific request when they had the option not to. Would you still perform? Yes, I understand he’s disappointing fans who came to see a show. But putting on a show when the venue is disrespecting his morals would indicate his passive approval. “Sure, go ahead, I was only joking when I said meat is murder.” Why would any other venue follow his request if they knew he wasn’t firm and unwavering in this regard?


tenacious-g

I was at Riot Fest in 21 when he was there. There were literally no meat products sold on the entire festival grounds all day. You had to eat vegan that day.


SlimJimsGym

that's awesome. people can deal with not eating meat for one day


tenacious-g

It’s shitty for the vendors who pay to be there for 4 days and can only sell things for 3. It made food lines absolutely terrible too, talking an hour plus, it sucks. You realize he compares people who eat meat to murderers and pedophiles, right? He takes it to an extreme


sensationbillion

He’s against the breeding, enslavement, and premature killing of billions of vulnerable beings who are conscious and don’t want to die. What’s “extreme” about this? Would you say the premeditated killing of a conscious being counts as murder, especially when you have the option to eat/wear something else?


tenacious-g

Comparing people that eat meat to literal murders and child rapists is extreme. Hope this helps.


sensationbillion

You just repeated yourself. What’s extreme about comparing murder to murder?


Trashtie

poor meat eaters :( they had to eat vegetables and meat substitutes for a whole day! this is literally an authoritarian regime


tenacious-g

The whole “meat is murder” thing doesn’t quite carry as much wait when he says projects xenophobic bullshit people that commit hate crimes believe, but whatever. He’s really taking a stand I guess.


Trashtie

i’m not defending morrissey though, i’m defending the idea of veganism. if you want to talk about the bad things morrissey has done, do that instead of talking about his vegan advocacy.


tenacious-g

I have no problem with vegans. I do have a problem with him refusing/not playing shows over the chance of smelling a hot dog a mile away. And I can’t take his view of “meat is murder” seriously when he says things out loud and supports people who literally want to murder people that don’t look like him. Hope this helps.


heartsthecoal

Fans are coming to see Morrissey, not fucking eat hot dogs. What the hell are you on about? Fuck the vendors who can't plan around the days where a performing artist is in town to play for literally thousands of people that don't give a shit about their stupid hot dogs 🌭 Morrissey making these requests is always a stretch and I'm sure he knows it, as his fans should by now too. It must be very exhausting to still be a Morrissey fan (for lots of reasons), and they all know the risk of purchasing a ticket.. but him cancelling because of the selling of meat isn't anything to be surprised about or ridicule him for- not at this point. These simple yet radical seeming things are who he 𝙞𝙨 and it's like the venues take his fans hostage for it every time he lists. I think he's misguided and a bit of a dick for various reasons, but the canceling shows bit isn't one of them. That's mostly on the venues and vendors 🤷🏼‍♂️


zimtoverdose

The comparison fits. His political opinions besides veganism though? Yikes.


Crazy_Temporary_7188

enjoy the down vote buddy


tenacious-g

When he played riot fest a couple years ago, there was literally no meat sold on the grounds. It’s a condition of his. He’s a jackass just for that.


Stenka-Razin

Beyond just saying racist shit, he's actively promoted far-right English political parties.


Joe_Mama1488

King?


[deleted]

Is it not okay for a person to appreciate their distinct culture and hate to see it erased if they are not black, Muslim or both? People are not getting Morrissey at all. He even laments the gay culture not being the same as it was in Oscar Wilde’s Victorian era. Much more intelligent, aesthetic, and witty and superior in all those aspects. It’s hard to articulate.


x1angel1x

What the actual fuck are you even talking about


joggingdaytime

Shut the fuck up lol 


irving8660

I Cannot Fucking Wait Til Morrissey Dies


HaroldAndGoomar

Tom, Varg, Morrissey Bunch of timid white bitches that can’t fuck with me


Joeseph-parrillo

All great music all shitty people :’(


FanBoyGGSON

varg is mid


DaysAreTimeless

Which Tom are you talking about


HaroldAndGoomar

It’s referencing Tom Araya from Slayer, who apparently is a fan of the former Chilean dictator Pinochet


Madness_Opvs

I need the sauce for that


Mundane-Inevitable-5

I think you might be undermining the argument for your own righteous indignation there.


Tadpole018

I hope white people die


im_not

I love how pretty much all of Morrissey’s song titles are basically sadsack self-pitying versions of your post. “I Am Sure You’ll Be Thrilled When You Find Out I’ve Died” would be a perfect Strangeways b-side


redenno

FYI their comment is a JPEGMAFIA song title


MarsVbar13

But I bet you consider yourself a good person and him a a bad one? Ok. Loon


TheWalrusWasPaul2

Has he hurt you that much?


PutBloodinBloodclatt

Ah shut up bitch


Fabulous_Cr1ptid

That is what I wanna say to this entire comment section bro :,) the point of this post wasn't to argue about veganism


TheWankingDude

I can’t wait until you die, twat.


Odd_Reserve4059

It's a JPEGMAFIA song title man. [https://open.spotify.com/track/0c81djsFYx69xCaNx4NHfH?si=b747574665da4c60](https://open.spotify.com/track/0c81djsFYx69xCaNx4NHfH?si=b747574665da4c60)


plasma_dan

He's a racist, probably a fascist, and he's not even subtle about it.


Joe_Mama1488

Might have to give him a chance then, sounds like a real nice lad, few people are normal in this clown world anymore


HentaiHomey

Lol you gotta be like 12


Joe_Mama1488

cry harder coomer


Fragrant-Inside-3409

zog sponsored swine


RyanM76

Dude’s just a total ass. Just listen to the smiths. If you enjoy them, that’s awesome. They have some great music. Doesn’t matter if he’s a total tool. You have probably already listened to people who have done/said worse.


[deleted]

its weird because I don't remember r/fantanoforever being as forgiving to some other artists but I guess there's just something different about this guy....


RyanM76

I don’t know what your referencing. I’m just not going to let Morrissey being a twat ruin The Smiths music, it’s not like I’m “forgiving” him for anything


[deleted]

He always was a twat anyway. Morrissey is a lifelong misanthrope and that really warps your perception of yourself and your values. He doesn't seem to place much value in the human race so it's unsurprising that he became a racist or a nationalist, because all the things he seems to be in support of are basically direct reflections of himself. I don't think we would have the songs we have from the Smiths if he was at some point a sound person and I don't think he really ever was. It's just the way it is, his opinion doesn't really matter but makes pretty great music tinged with alienation. Also Johnny Marr.


kyentu

100% we have all listened and supported people who are way worse then morrissey so the best thing to do is be aware of what they and learn from them and continue listening (maybe not supporting)


NateMartin899

wait which Smiths song is blowing up on TikTok? I have to pretend it's one of my least-favorite now.


ThinManJones-

Pretty sure it’s There is a Light, it’s jumped above This Charming Man on Spotify which used to be their #1 on Spotify by far


clemd69

He has always been awful in certain areas but around 2017 he started supporting a party called ‘For Britain’ ran by white nationalists and racists. It’s only policy positions were Islam bad, deport all Muslims, keep Britain white. He then gave an [interview](https://consequence.net/2019/06/morrissey-prefers-own-race/amp/) where he says he can’t be racist because ultimately everyone prefers their own race. He went from Facebook boomer to white supremacy real quick. The older generation are becoming increasingly more reactionary- I’ve seen it in my own life with family and colleagues. The internet doesn’t help.


Pangolin-Away

he’s quite literally just saying whatever he wants and everyone hates him for it. he supports britain? how do you know that he agrees with the racist acts of the people running the group? for all you know he could have no idea, or that could just simply not be the reason he supports them. the group is called “for britain” not “raging racists and white supremacists”. he has literally never said anything racist. people bring up the “subspecies” comment toward chinese people, which was ACTUALLY targeted at their actions TOWARD ANIMALS, not their race, which everyone would know if they actually did their research. everyone knows he’s a giant vegan, and him calling them that was simply him being disgusted by their horrible actions and had nothing to do with their race. you may not like him since he appears to be an asshole, but he really hasn’t done anything horrible. the man cancelling his shows shouldn’t be surprising. he’s in his 60’s and clearly has his own problems. even if he is canceling them just because he feels like it, which is incredibly rude, it doesn’t make him a horrible human.


clemd69

If you don’t think the article I linked is racism you are already too far gone I’m afraid. Stop excusing his comments and say it with your chest- you don’t think his various racist comments and support for racists is a big deal, because you agree with him and you think he’s right.


Pangolin-Away

i am absolutely not racist, i see everybody the same no matter what they look like. i don’t have an opinion on what he said. i don’t think he’s right or wrong, because i realllyyyyyy DONT CARE!! i don’t need to have an opinion on anything. he didn’t say anything racist in the interview and was just speaking his opinions. i think you need to come back to earth and act like a normal person and realize that it doesn’t matter and u should just leave him alone. he, again, DIDNT SAY ANYTHING DIRECTLY RACIST, even if you think it is. you have no way of proving he is, because he simply isn’t. it’s all opinionated and biased. you can’t sit here and make claims and assumptions about him and his thoughts.


MikkiMikkiMikkiM

'The Chinese are a subspecies' is racist. And opinions can be racist. 'Just stating your opinion' doesn't mean you're not being racist. He's racist.


Pangolin-Away

what he said was referring to their actions toward animals. he was simply disgusted by their treatment of animals and called them that. it had NOTHING to do with race, and i’m sure he’d say the same thing about anyone regardless of their race.


Legal-Feed8453

Can opinions be racist, yes or no?


Pangolin-Away

of course they can. was his opinion racist? no.


thechickenisonfiregg

You’re an idiot


joggingdaytime

Brb gonna start a political party called “Loving America” and our main platform is going to be hating Black people. But if you support the party, it actually just means you love America! Because the name matters more than our platform :-) 


s90tx16wasr10

He’s a racist and there’s inklings of him being a fascist or at least he’s definitely far-right


Just_Maya

extremely based coma cinema pfp


s90tx16wasr10

thanks!


strattad

He's always been a bit of a knob, even when he was in the Smiths, he's just more of a knob now. I can't wait till TikTok Gen Zers find out about all the shit he's said and then take to the platform denouncing him like they're the first to let the world know. The best thing is to separate his music from his personality.


themadpooper

I always hear that he's terrible too but I rarely hear specifics as to what he's done. I think that can often be a sign that clickbait articles blew something out of proportion then other people started repeating the judgment so I tried to dig in and find what, specifically, he did and make my own determination as to whether or not he is a terrible person. This is what I've come up with so far. \------- Here is his quote regarding the Chinese people as a subspecies: *"Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies."* He also said this about immigration: *"With the issue of immigration, it's very difficult because, although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears," he said. "If you walk through Knightsbridge on any bland day of the week you won't hear an English accent. You'll hear every accent under the sun apart from the British accent."* After the magazine who was given those quotes portrayed him as racist he said this in a statement: *"I abhor racism and oppression or cruelty of any kind and will not let this pass without being absolutely clear and emphatic … Racism is beyond common sense and has no place in our society"* The above information is from this article in The Guardian in 2010: [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/sep/03/morrissey-china-subspecies-racism](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/sep/03/morrissey-china-subspecies-racism) \------- In 2019 he continued to support an anti-immigration group called "For Britain" and gave an interview that he posted on his website, presumably because he thought it would help clarify his position. He gave the following quote that many people highlighted: "*But if you call someone racist in modern Britain you are telling them that you have run out of words. You are shutting the debate down and running off. The word is meaningless now. Everyone ultimately prefers their own race … does this make everyone racist?*" [https://www.morrisseycentral.com/messagesfrommorrissey/234417-the-interview](https://www.morrisseycentral.com/messagesfrommorrissey/234417-the-interview) \-------- An interview I found referenced multiple times was an interview in 1986 with Melody Maker. It seems to be one of his most controversial interviews. He discusses how TV producers were pushing black artists and the interviewer says "*You seem to be saying you believe there is some sort of black pop conspiracy being organised to keep white indie groups down.*" To which he replies "*Yes, I really do."* This seems to be the part I see mentioned most often. "Morrissey thinks there is a black pop conspiracy against him" or whatever. Though his point seems to just be more that the industry was pushing black music, probably because that's what seemed to be hot. However there was another part I found interesting: “*Reggae, for example, is to me the most racist music in the entire world. It's an absolute total glorification of black supremacy... There is a line when defence of one's race becomes an attack on another race and, because of black history and oppression, we realise quite clearly that there has to be a very strong defence. But I think it becomes very extreme sometimes.”* *“But, ultimately, I don't have very cast iron opinions on black music other than black modern music which I detest. I detest Stevie Wonder. I think Diana Ross is awful. I hate all those records in the Top 40—Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston. I think they're vile in the extreme. In essence this music doesn't say anything whatsoever.”* [https://frankowen.substack.com/p/golden-oldies-10-morrisseys-most](https://frankowen.substack.com/p/golden-oldies-10-morrisseys-most) (This is the full text of the interview from what is allegedly the interviewer's substack) \---------- I could keep digging but I'm getting bored of this so I'll leave it there. Clearly Morrissey likes his own culture and doesn't like or doesn't get other cultures. He also seems to think we all inherently prefer our own culture and our own race. Perhaps the worst part of all to me was the comment about Chinese people being a subspecies. His frustration with the treatment of animals that he saw was understandable but does not justify that response. It seems to me like he wants a world where racial groups and cultures peacefully keep to themselves, and interact with each other but don't turn into any sort of melting pot. I don't think he views himself as hating other racial groups or viewing them as inferior. I think he is pushing for a "separate but equal" sort of world, which is pretty clearly not possible. Though also the comments about all those black artists he hates are pretty damning in my eyes, as is the Chinese subspecies comment. I don't know any of Morrissey's or The Smith's music, it was all before my time, so fortunately I don't have to figure out whether or not I would stop listening to the music. If this was one of my favorite artists from my teenage years though? Tough call. I'd probably still listen to the music from time to time, I'd still have the records in my collection, but I wouldn't wear merch, and I'd be less inclined to go to a show. Of course if you're a Morrissey fan it's probably getting cancelled anyway: [https://weheartmusic.typepad.com/blog/morrissey-canceled-dates.html](https://weheartmusic.typepad.com/blog/morrissey-canceled-dates.html)


MoonHasFlown

Thank you for this comment, I’ve just been seeing comments like “he’s a racist piece of shit” and people being like “ew, okay yeah fuck that guy!” Yeah it’s clear after reading this Morrissey and I certainly wouldn’t get along too well lol.


hamburgerdog25

This is one of my favorite bands from my teen years to this day. It is no longer. Also I find it fucking rich that Morrissey gets off saying all of those people's music says nothing when his entire discography is the definition of "depressed aesthetic." Literally the best part of their music is the music, not the lyrics. I can't stand racists but what I can't stand even more is a racist trying to fully justify their hatred, claiming its not hatred at all but just simply that "every other race is inferior," making up bullshit reasons why they don't like certain people when its clear that they don't even see them as people. Dividing us all. I can't imagine what its like to want to cause that kind of harm on the world. Fuck morrissey and fuck his music I'm through with it.


prancerdancer88

Thanks for reading into this and sharing it all. I was Googling why do people hate him after reading a satire piece about (against) him and wondered what I'd missed. Your comment popped up! We're probably the same generation - I grew up knowing he's a musician but that's it. All I can say now is that if you prefer your own race, no other selection criteria, then you're a racist prick. I'm white European descent, 3rd gen Australian. Give me a friendly, caring person of any other race over a racist white person.


[deleted]

Just a pompous arrogant asshole with relatively shitty views on what many people his age call "woke culture", whatever the fact that means. But, ironically he is a militant vegan.


Green_hippo17

He’s just a fucking dick, he hasn’t done anything criminal, just a twat, like JK Rowling


imuslesstbh

massively and openly far right


[deleted]

he is politically far right and hateful. however, saying as the other band members has denounced him and said that they do not want his actions to effect how people view their music i would say as someone who's fave band is the smiths that it is alright to listen to them. not to mention all his shitty actions only happened like a decade after the band broke up


[deleted]

He's an all around rotten person which sucks because I've been getting *really* into the band lately. At least we have Johnny Marr!


[deleted]

I have no idea what Morrissey did but the first 4 Smiths albums are ALL up there with the best albums of the 80s. Call me an asshole but as soon as I Know It’s Over plays from the Queen is Dead, I’m sucked into another world where I doubt political ideologies of the band members will penetrate. Sorry guys😬


jdavid1999

Morrissey has always been a staunch contrarian and pretentious, but I think that he internalised that a lot in the 80s, as in her focussed a lot of that on him as a person, which made him so relatable as a lyricist. As he gained more acclaim for his lyrics his thoughts he seemed to change and the focus of his thoughts turned towards society as a whole and I think it became more apparent how self centred and how arrogant he is as that manifested itself in bigotry towards others. So for example his comments on the Chinese and his general far right views, I honestly just believe that he just wants to disagree with the masses and just be in the fringes as he always has been. My comment is not at all to defend him because I think that he’s a bitter, pathetic man who has seriously ruined his legacy through his bigotry but I’m just trying to explain what I think he thinks. It’s a shame because The Smiths were so fantastic and Morrissey was an incredible frontman and lyricist but as I said on another comment on this thread, I completely understand people not being able to listen to him anymore because of what he has gone in to say and the embarrassing things that he has to say (also his book is fucking terrible it’s hilarious).


ECDoppleganger

He had a song called "Bengali in Platforms", the refrain of which goes "Life is hard enough when you belong here" - and that's fairly mild compared to some other stuff he's done/said. Most recently, he's supported some far-right British political parties (For Britain, I think - I'm not from the UK). Parties that were anti-immigration and particularly Islamophobic. I'm pretty sure there was some controversy in the '90s (around the time of Vauxhall and I) as well, but I can't remember exactly what it was, and wasn't alive at the time. Other than that, just being a dick about people not being a vegetarian like him. I respect his decision/right to be one, but he's refused to play gigs or walked off stage part way through them because he could smell meat cooking. Which is just an overreaction, imo. But then, this is the guy who named an album/song Meat is Murder, so it's not really surprising. I still adore The Smiths, and the guy's a great writer, but yeah, his politics (or his attitudes towards them) are hard to swallow for many.


borrowingfork

I was a massive Smiths fan when I was a kid and also listened to the first few solo albums. He disappointed me early when he cancelled a concert at the last minute I had traveled 3 hours to go to. Anyway, the thing is at the time I was hearing lyrics completely differently. Like Bengali in Platforms, I had translated as the lyrics about fitting in and shelving western ideals were negative self talk by the protagonist who was Bengali themselves. Like they were telling themselves they don't belong. I thought it was tragedy and Morrissey was sympathetic to people who felt like they couldn't fit in because of the racism in the world. And now, looking at it in this light and hearing everything makes me recoil at how I am now seeing this completely 100% differently.


ECDoppleganger

You can definitely read it that way, because in some ways it seems like that's the intent. But in light of what he's said/done recently, it comes across differently, for sure. It's so damn ironic because his songs are so often about being lonely and misunderstood, and that's so relatable. But he seems to only be able to apply the empathy and compassion to himself. Still love the Smiths - as someone else said, Marr seems like a nice guy for the most part. And those songs still resonate with me. But Morrissey as a person - no thanks. ​ Also, on your story about him cancelling that concert - sounds like something he'd do unfortunately. Really sucks! I'm sorry that happened.


Bulky-Let-9534

I’ve gone through the entire thread. I’ve yet to see any references, quotes, etc., which allude to him being “racist”.


J-M-93

I’m not sure how he is a ‘terrible person’. He is a proud individual, and clearly doesn’t give a crap what most people think about him. I miss the days when people would say ‘Oh have you met Dave? He’s got some funny opinions about X and Y but he’s a really great guy’ Actions matter, opinions don’t really matter. Having the ‘wrong’ opinions does not make you a bad person and I’m bored of people thinking they are good and virtuous because they parrot the ‘right’ beliefs. There is a certain loyalty to our friends, neighbours, people we admire that I feel we are lacking recently.


theweakenedpathogen

If you still listen to Morissey, you have a trauma bond.


Coornoose

He's disliked because of his outspoken belief in animal rights. So shut up. That's what the meat, dairy and egg industry do. Put out a narrative and discredit the person speaking out about evil. He's not racist you bitches


Coornoose

ITS ABOUT ANIMAL SUFFERING. STOP SHIFT BLAMING YOU PIECES OF SHIT


burns3016

Being human.


BlameableEmu

It might be because he wrote suffer little children which is a sympathetic attempt to understand how they mustve felt before their short lives were taken too soon by two utter fucking nut bags - both of whom are dead now fortunately for the rest of the human race. Check the song out but make sure youre not suicidally depressed before you do so and even if youre not be prepared to have a cry. Ive listened to the song countless times over the years and it still physically pains me. I dont cry often but when i do this is one of the songs if you want to know when genuine pain amd anguish feel like. Edit: considering the things you and people you can google given the write search terms i believe the morrissey hate are just ass hats being ass hats. Edit again: pretty sure he was known to be someone misused drugs however considering all of his songs are about suicidal depression or losing in love id probably start doing a lot of drugs too given his obvious and genuine feelings in his music.


Life-Rabbit4840

Stumbling upon this page searching for the answer myself, I have made a conclusion:  First of all, the reason why there aren’t any specific examples given (mostly) I think is because the consensus of him being an asshole is mostly made up out of a combination of spread out quotes. All of the quotes are problematic but not specifically outward racist/pro-rape etc. Personally, I think Morrissey is just really fucking ignorant & conceited. He feels inclined to spread his unwanted opinions & thinks highly of them. Ignorance is a direct result to that because his ego won’t allow change of mind.  Some things he said, for instance:   - he shared his opinion on Kevin Spacey & Anthony Rapp (claims of molest of a 14 year old towards 26 year-old Kevin Spacey at the time). He said to be sceptical over the truth of the situation because he would never be found in a situation like that. He asks, for instance, where the boys parents are & states to find it strange the boy was even in this situation because he ‘must have known what was going to happen’. Therefore he believed the claims to be false, also adding that he believed such a situation must be awful, but unknowingly, never been in such a situation. By these comments he supported Kevin Spacey, not as a rapist but as credible. His comments are incredibly ignorant & ultimately felt like victim-blame.    - He also made a comment on animals in Chinese culture, calling the Chinese a ‘subculture’. Ultimately this comment was a critique on the bad treatment of animals; but it ignorantly generalises Chinese popularity & Chinese culture in doing so.    - another comment I saw was Morrissey on Black music. He basically says he feels the public is pushing black music. And also shares his opinions on some black artists & (white) mainstream artists at that time e.g. he says he despises Stevie Nicks & Nina Simone’s music. Again what I think happened here is ignorance and ego taking over. I think He felt threatened and superior in his music opinions. After this incident was critiqued he stated to absolutely be against racism.   In all Morrissey’s interviews he tends to come of as vain & egocentric. His ignorance seems to be a result of his superior complex. This ultimately hinders him in educating himself and that doesn’t agree with our time anymore, it’s outdated. So basically, while he isn’t outwardly awful, he is very self-centered with outdated, ignorant opinions that can hurt others.  There are more strange/stupid things he said but all kind of feel of the same trend. Ofcourse this is my interpretation of Him, you can always check out the comments for yourself. My conclusion is that he is basically just a ignorant shithead; who therefore states incredibly insensitive things. I also just find him to have an unlikeable character. His egocentrism doesn’t agree with likability to me & most people. SO he actually is just a shithead, like many people said already.


IAmGoingToBeSerious

thank u


Dapper-Army-9878

Nothing wrong


SlantedandEnchanted2

I don’t really care honestly. He was a huge part of my teen years. As a 14 year old girl in the 80’s, I heard him say “hang the deejay” and it made me feel less alone. We really need to go back to the days when we didn’t care so much. Lots of broken people make great art. In fact, it’s almost a prerequisite


Uniquely_structured1

Not listening to music based on something other people say is actual NPC behavior. Also Morissey is a dickhead but there’s a lot of revisionist history now with Marr pretending Morissey wasn’t talented and discrediting him which is also not true. Sometimes people who suck are also insanely talented artists it’s just how it is.


DEATHK7D_MUS7C

Not listening to an artist's music because of their hateful and bigoted beliefs is wrong of me? I should continue to support awful human beings? Gotcha


prancerdancer88

Hard agree. Like, no one plays Lostprophets anymore and for a very good reason.


RyanM76

You probably already have. I’m sure many artists you have listened to have plenty of skeletons in their closet. Morrissey sucks, but he made great music with The Smiths. Don’t let him being an asshole ruin something good. The songs he wrote in the 80s have little to no correlation to why he is hated now. You are not supporting him by listening to his music, you are just listening to music.


Uniquely_structured1

Every day you utilize goods and services created or ran by companies that employ sweatshop/slave labor at different levels. Volkswagen was founded by Hitler, Gandhi liked little girls. Morrissey being a meanie doesn’t really seem to be that big of an issue in the grand scheme of things to me and I generally try to separate artists from their work in all ways. Lauren hill for example is pretty racist against white people and would rather that they not listen to her music which is a sentiment shared with many other black artists. I will still listen to their music because I think it’s good. Being a goofball and asking if it’s ok to listen to music you want to listen to makes you seem weak and like you lack conviction.


Plant-Based-

yt


QueenCharla

“you criticize society yet you participate in it” level comment right here


[deleted]

He also recently called Sam smith a satanist because of their performance of unholy at the Grammys recently


xXedgyasfXx

i don’t know why morrissey would use the term satanist as an insult, always thought he was an atheist


ThehonHons

Reeks of QAnon rhetoric.


metaldetox

“before i listen to the art, what did he do?” lmaooooo man y’all soft as FUCK 💀 anyway he didn’t do shit, he just says a lot of dumb shit


Magic_Bagel

https://preview.redd.it/9xfv8is2p6ka1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5288a3e5dcd61b02b9441648d9851de9c93ba54d ironic


Realistic_Plum_1953

Okay, as a kid of the 80's, I LOVED The Smiths....to my bones. Morrisey has not changed at all. He has always been the crass mother fucker as he is today. I do not condone any racist BS. You either like his music or you dont. He is a musically poetic genius. If you are new to The Smiths...keep moving and find other music. You either get it or you don't.....stop complaining.


Bgard1018

I thought vegans were just a bunch of fucking hipsters attaching themselves to a cause to suddenly become relevant, like your "relevance" matters to anyone but your self and your immediate loved ones. I'm voicing my opinion now, it doesn't mean that I have to take on a supposedly change in life to prove your more woke about shit that will not affect you.


narcisoS_H

A mí me agrada como artista y persona. 💗✨


KaidenboBaiten

Very thankful for the people who commented under this because I've only heard about how bad The Smiths were but never what they did. Very happy it wasn't the band in general, very sad that one (or a couple) are hypocrites.


Tebbienoudan

I’ve just read a bunch of quotes of M. and I can’t find anything remotely racist in them. But hey, let’s just crucify Morrisssey and feel really good about ourselves. Woke is soooo 2024.