Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast food chains

Once again he shoots himself in the foot.

Morrissey: 'Norway Attacks Nothing Compared To Actions Of Fast Good Giants' - Gigwise
He claims...

Morrissey has courted criticism after he reportedly compared the actions of fast food companies to the recent attacks in Norway.

At least 76 people died last week in two separate attacks which were both orchestrated by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik.

Morrissey, a staunch vegetarian, made reference the massacre during a performance in at Stodola Club in Warsaw, Poland earlier this week, according to the Daily Mirror.

Before playing The Smiths' song 'Meat is Murder', he is quoted as saying: “We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown, with 97 dead.

“Though that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Sh*t every day.”

Video footage of Morrissey performing the song has been published on YouTube, but it omits his alleged introduction.

Morrissey's comment is the latest in a string of outbursts in recent months, many of which have focussed on animal welfare.

---

Link from Tingle3:

Morrissey says Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast food chains - Daily Mirror
by Ashleigh Rainbird

MORRISSEY has sparked outrage after saying the tragedy in Norway was “nothing” compared to the actions of fast food chains.

The controversial singer, 52, made his remark while on stage at a gig in Warsaw on Sunday night.

Before launching into his hit Meat is Murder, the outspoken vegetarian made reference to the horrific events last Friday.

Referring to the death toll as thought at the time he said: “We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown, with 97 dead. Though that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried S*** every day.”

Two nights earlier the singer introduced the same song with another lambasting of the brands.

Gig-goers took to his fan sites to condemn the his outburst. One wrote: “The killing of children compared to KFC & McDonald’s?!!! What an ass****!”

Another wrote: “I really don’t know if that is *forgivable? Or of any use to the vegetarian cause?”

A spokesman said last night: “Morrissey has decided not to comment any further as he believes his statement speaks for itself.”

---

Update 10/18/2011:

Sistasheila posted the link to the video and actual words spoken during the concert:



"Despite the love, we do live on a murderous planet,
as you will have seen over the last few days in Norway.
Murder murder murder.
But really, every single day, worse things happen in KFC and McDonalds.
Murder, murder, murder, murder, murder..."

---

Link from inourbritches:
Morrissey: 'McDonald's, KFC worse than Norway massacre' - Digital Spy

Also, links posted by anonymous persons in the Warsaw post-show:
Meat biz worse than Norway: Morrissey - LFPress / Wenn.com
Morrissey lekceważąco o norweskiej tragedii - Interia.pl
Morrissey: – Massakren i Norge er ingenting mot massakren på Mc Donald's hver dag - tv2.no

80s Icon in Hot Water, a Facebook Status Leads To an Arrest, and a Whale Thanks its Rescuers in a Touching Way - Yahoo! News blog. Link from Desert Bee.

 

[Anonymous]

has no one noticed that Morrissey's most outspoken and newsworthy soundbites come at a time when he is without a label?

Anyone ever heard the saying no publicity is bad publicity?

I dont agree with what he has said, or things he has said in the past, but he is a singer, not a world leader. He is simply stirring the pot to get a reaction, and guess what. He got one.

 

[Because]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

Hitler was vegetarian: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler's_vegetarianism#Hitler_as_a_vegetarian

No he wasn't: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler's_vegetarianism#Questioning_Hitler.27s_vegetarianism

 

[Trouble loves me]

Morrissey believes that an animal's right to life is no different to that of a human. That's a fair enough view point, even though their are millions who would disagree, either for religious, philosophical, or cultural reasons. I personally disagree on a scientific level, as (being animals ourselves) we are genetically predisposed to care for our own species more than any other. Nevertheless, even though I respect Morrissey's right to hold his views and I have agreed with much of what he's said in the past, I also think there is an appropriate time and place to make public statements. Morrissey won't take any notice of what anyone thinks, but I do hope that he realises how inappropriate his statement was and that it does no favours, either to people's perception of him as an artist, or the animal welfare cause. Still, even if Morrissey continues to make such self destructive statements, it will not taint my perception of the music he has made and how that changed my life for the better.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

Morrissey believes that an animal's right to life is no different to that of a human. That's a fair enough view point, even though their are millions who would disagree, either for religious, philosophical, or cultural reasons. I personally disagree on a scientific level, as (being animals ourselves) we are genetically predisposed to care for our own species more than any other. Nevertheless, even though I respect Morrissey's right to hold his views and I have agreed with much of what he's said in the past, I also think there is an appropriate time and place to make public statements. Morrissey won't take any notice of what anyone thinks, but I do hope that he realises how inappropriate his statement was and that it does no favours, either to people's perception of him as an artist, or the animal welfare cause. Still, even if Morrissey continues to make such self destructive statements, it will not taint my perception of the music he has made and how that changed my life for the better.

Ironically enough, Morrissey has ZERO respect for YOUR views.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree 100% with what Morrissey said. On what basis can anybody claim that the life of a child is more valuable than the life of chicken? Both are sentient creatures. To arbitrarily give more weight to one species because you are one of that species, betrays a distinct lack of intelligence and objectivity. Do you really think that you know what is going on in the mind of the man sitting opposite you on the bus, any more than a chicken in a cage?

Matthew

 

[Anonymous]

I believe in animal rights and am a vegetarian, and I am, perhaps unlike a lot of people commenting here, familiar with the more extreme ends of the movement. In those circles it is perfectly normal to believe that a life is a life, and that an animal's life is equal to a human's and an animal's death is just as much of a tragedy as a person's. I don't agree with this viewpoint myself, but it's obviously what Morrissey has subscribed to of late.

What worries me is that as he gets older, he seems to be getting more and more obsessed with this issue of animal rights to the point of being blind to the fact that the way he presents his beliefs is unlikely to convert anyone. I have seen people on my Twitter feed today calling him a bigot and a racist and as a lifelong fan, I truly believe he is anything but that. I really he think he believes that by making statements like this, he is drawing attention to the issues he cares about most. I can't believe that such an intelligent and articulate man really thinks the lives of the victims in Norway are worthless. He's trying to draw attention to something he cares deeply about - he's just doing it in such a misguided way that I'm genuinely starting to question his sanity.

I don't really understand how any true fan could reject Morrissey because of this comment. If you threw all your records away because of one remark, you can't have cared that much in the first place. I do not agree with or condone what he said, and I am angry that he makes it difficult for his fans to defend him by coming out with comments like this, but as someone who has been through periods of my life where I would have at the very least seriously harmed myself if it hadn't been for his words, I could never stop being a Morrissey fan.

NB: I am NOT using this to defend him, I just think it's an interesting point that nobody seems to have flagged up - I don't think he was saying the deaths of the Norwegian victims were 'nothing'; he was saying the NUMBER, 97 is nothing compared to the NUMBER of animals slaughtered by fast food chains. Doesn't make what he said any more palatable, I know.

(As an aside, I'm intrigued by the comments here regarding him wearing leather. Does he actually wear real leather? I had always assumed that as such a strict vegetarian, all his 'leather' shoes etc would be high quality pleather.)

 

[Anonymous]

what's next morrissey, you're going to come out with your admiration for adolf, right?

don't ever come to norway again, you f***ing scum!

 

[Anonymous]

Well him and his carnivore mates

nancy sinatr jonathan ross

just shut the f*** up morrissey

you care as much about animals as your next wealthy mate
dont make me puke

f***in hypocite

 

[kaz]

morrisey needs to be shot you twat

 

[Stoned]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

morrisey needs to be shot you twat

DavidT, I understand free speech but this is a bit too much, don't you think so?
Cheers Moz

 

[King Leer]

Wording, phrasing, comparisons.
If he had said the first part exactly as is and then followed it with "Isn't it also terrible that every day millions of animals are slaughtered?..." he could've avoided so much of the flak he's getting.
Same thing with the Chinese/subspecies comment.

He could still get considerable press with his strong opinions without pissing off a lot of fans if he'd just adjust the wording a little bit. And no, it wouldn't mean "then he wouldn't be Morrissey". His prose don't raise as much ire as his off-the-cuff interview/stage comments.

 

[Because]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

morrisey needs to be shot you twat

Poor taste. Poor spelling. Poor grammar. Poor.

You think none of those tragic Norwegian kids has ever said anything that COULD be disrespectful or whatever reason you think he needs to be "shot" for?

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

DavidT, I understand free speech but this is a bit too much, don't you think so?
Cheers Moz

why a bit to much ?
yes, he might know how it feels for the kids on that island.the 14 year old boys and girls who were shot in the head..
think anyone would miss morrisey now ?

 

[Anonymous]

Viva Moz!

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

Poor taste. Poor spelling. Poor grammar. Poor.

You think none of those tragic Norwegian kids has ever said anything that COULD be disrespectful or whatever reason you think he needs to be "shot" for?

you gives a f*** spelling

 

[Trouble loves me]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

Ironically enough, Morrissey has ZERO respect for YOUR views.

Well, if we were being honest, we'd have to say that he neither respects nor disrespects my views, because he never has, or never will read a single one of my posts and even if he did, he would have no idea who I am, nor any desire to ever know me. The fact that this is true for yourself and 99.9% of the people on this site may be hard for you to accept, but please try. That's the nature of being a fan. Morrissey owes us nothing; the fact that he's a talented songwriter and got to share that gift with us, improving some of our lives beyond measure, is a bonus. However that doesn't make him god, ergo we can disagree with him; he's just a human being that a lot of people admire and like every human being, he gets some things wrong.

 

[King Leer]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

I'm reminded of when PETA jumped on the news of the unbelievably barbaric Tim McLean murder in Canada, comparing it to animal slaughter. I hated them that day.

Wording, phrasing, comparisons.
If he had said the first part exactly as is and then followed it with "Isn't it also terrible that every day millions of animals are slaughtered?..." he could've avoided so much of the flak he's getting.
Same thing with the Chinese/subspecies comment.

He could still get considerable press with his strong opinions without pissing off a lot of fans if he'd just adjust the wording a little bit. And no, it wouldn't mean "then he wouldn't be Morrissey". His prose don't raise as much ire as his off-the-cuff interview/stage comments.

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

No, the animals killed and eaten don't have the opportunity to opt out. You clearly don't understand the issue.

Very ignorant statement on behalf of Morrissey. I understand his views on vegetarianism but to compare that to the killing of innocent people is just wrong. Fast food is clearly an optional choice. KFC and McDonalds do not force people to eat their products. The killings in Norway were innocent people who were killed by an extremist. Knowing the type of selfish person Morrissey is, i don't expect to hear an apology. Statements like these are why i will no longer pay for or attend anything Morrissey related.

 

[Because]

Re: Article: Morrissey: Norway massacre is "nothing" compared to the actions of fast

Well, if we were being honest, we'd have to say that he neither respects nor disrespects my views, because he never has, or never will read a single one of my posts and even if he did, he would have no idea who I am, nor any desire to ever know me. The fact that this is true for yourself and 99.9% of the people on this site may be hard for you to accept, but please try. That's the nature of being a fan. Morrissey owes us nothing; the fact that he's a talented songwriter and got to share that gift with us, improving some of our lives beyond measure, is a bonus. However that doesn't make him god, ergo we can disagree with him; he's just a human being that a lot of people admire and like every human being, he gets some things wrong.

After that, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say he would very much respect you.

 

[Anonymous]

f*** you Morrissey. Hope people stop hearing on you, hope you are lonely and sad.... Well you do have the animals, good luck with that. Stupid man.
From a norwegian girl.