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.

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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.”

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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..."

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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]

Kids swimming for their lives:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images...11422339627/An-aerial-view-shows-peop-009.jpg

If Moz doesn`t come out in public and appologizes then he`s dead as a musician for several people. I don`t want any more smartass comments from fans of him who believes he is the second son of god, and who are blindly accepting whatever this middle-aged man feeds them, I want people to understand that limits have been crossed.

Buzz Osbourne, of the Melvins, says it very good from 00:55 >> in this clip: (first they talk about Kurt Cobain etc)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2rSLHZnTXk&feature=related

 

[Anonymous]

The only other person using these killings to push his own agenda is the killer himself.

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome to Norway asshole!

 

[Mozzana]

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

Oh good Lord. I can't believe that you all are so shocked by his statement in the first place.

He was not saying he didn't feel sympathy and pain for the victims, or their families. He simply stated, while starting the song Meat is Murder, that we live in a Murderous world. He used the slaughtering of animals as an example to what happened in Norway because the song is about innocent animals dying by the hands of murderous people. Consequently the very same thing happend in Norway - only it was innocent people dying by the hand of a murderer. However, thousands of animals die daily - horrible and brutal deaths. No one says a word. For some reason, it's just acceptable. But, why? That's what he meant by saying what he did about McDonalds and KFC.

I am very saddened by what happened in Norway. It's horrible and I don't think any of those people deserved to die. Of course not...

But on a GENERAL scale, I must say, there are times when I think I'd pick an animals life over a fellow human being. Simply because they're a horrible person and live without love in their heart. They impose pain for no good reason. Like, for instance, the maniac who killed all those people in Norway.

I lose faith in humanity every day. However, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't give my life to save another person.

What is wrong with loving people AND animals? It is increasingly difficult to trust people, or to believe anything anyone says. People stab you in the back, they'll save their own reputations and watch you drown - even when they know you're right. An animal, on the other hand, is faithful to you - if they're your pet. If they're not a pet, they're still innocent and need protection - just like children. An animal will learn to trust you; they won't stab you in the back, or talk you down to other people and then smile and tell you how much you mean to them.

That last part has NOTHING to do with the tragedy in Norway, by the way...I'm just throwing it out there as an example as to why some people care more for animals than they do other people.

But, getting back to what Morrissey said...I think, as always, this has been blown completely out of proportion. Morrissey is today the same person who wrote Suffer Little Children, Munich Air Disaster 1958, and just recently, Scandinavia. Those songs prove that Morrissey cares for people. He's a very political person, as well, and sometimes you have to say something shocking to get through to the masses. I don't think this was meant to come out the way it did. But, it did...and now all of this...

Lastly, all you people saying you're going to, "Burn his cd's and eat a cow"...you aren't helping matters, and frankly, some of your comments about wishing death to Morrissey's loved ones sound much worse than anything Morrissey said that night before launching into Meat is Murder.

THANKS A LOT for this comment, absolutely agreed!
And to all the outraged and furious: Before throwing away & burning your records, please send them to me, i`m still missing a few in my collection, cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

This website is full of hideous, homo-phobic, racists, and I can see why this David T got chucked out of that gig, this site is full of hate, all people do is bitch about Morrissey.
Close this site down it is a disgrace.

 

[Anonymous]

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

THANKS A LOT for this comment, absolutely agreed!
And to all the outraged and furious: Before throwing away & burning your records, please send them to me, i`m still missing a few in my collection, cheers.

You insensitive prick!

 

[Anonymous]

I can understand that artists sometimes need to provoke on different occasions. Provoking can often make you think and understand stuff better. But comparing MacDonald's and KFC to hunting down and slaughtering 68 people, most of them kids, is just horrible. He even says it MD and KFC is worse! The terrorist, Breivik, laughed while he shot kids in their faces, arms, legs, testicles and so forth. A boy at eleven saw his father get brutally shot down and many kids had to play dead by hiding behind the corpses of their friends. For you people that doesn't live in Norway may see this otherwise, but we are a peaceful country, one of the acclaimed best countries to live in, and then some psycho turn it around by his hate of islam. It is so disrespectful of Morrissey to say such things, is disrespectful of all the people who died, who are left behind and traumatized for the rest of their lives and it is an insult to all of Norway because we all suffer from this horrible tragedy.

From a norwegian girl.

 

[Anonymous]

That shows that Vegetarians have a lack of iron or other stuff which is important for the brain......Morrisey, stop going on stage, just do us a favour quit your career.

 

[Anonymous]

îch liebe fleisch <3

 

[Anonymous]

Since all life is equal, do you cry when you sneeze? Do you cry over the bacteria dying in your mouth every day? Do you give the insects stuck in your cars front enough attention, or even the lives lost everytime you take a plane to a gig? Those jet-engines are proper meatgrinders.

Is all life equal, or is some life more equal than others?

 

[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.

As I've already posted Morrissey CAN NOT believe an animal's life is equal to his own. Why? Because he wears dead animal skin on his feet and has dead animal skin seats in his expensive sports cars. Would he wear human skin? I doubt it.

He also participates in the milk industry which some would argue is no less cruel than the meat industry.

Finally what does he dow ith his pets when he goes on tour? I don't know but I'm sure he doesn't take them with him!

 

[Anonymous]

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

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.)

No in typicaly hypocritical fashion when asked about this years ago Morrissey replied "it's difficult to be moral about footwear.' Or something like that.

In other words i'm going to demand you stop eating meat ebcause I don't like meat much but wearing dead animal skin is fine - because i don't want smelly feet!

 

[Anonymous]

Morrissey is an attention seeking f***ing idiot, he should have retired back in 1994 after vauxhall and I....everything after that has been pure shit. GIVE IT UP MORRISSEY YOU ASSHOLE

 

[Anonymous]

Morrissey is a stupid whitetrass, ignorant veggie! f*** you for comparing the massacre in Norway with some f***ing food!

 

[Anonymous]

I am not attacking Morrissey for saying an animal life is equal to a human life. If this is how he feels fine. But if it is then I'm going to attack Morrissey for dressing himself in dead animal skin and sitting on it in his expensive cars and writing about it (this charming man features leather running smooth on the passenger seat) and drinking milk and ingesting gelatine and... the list goes on.

But even if you do believe an animal life equals a human life there are ways of putting it. And saying "this massacre of almost a hundred young lives is nothing compared to..." is not the way to put it. Is it? Can anyone honestly see this as anything more than histrionic whining?

Look I'm going to be charitable and assume Morrissey was feeling a bit tired and didn't quite realise what he was saying. Touring isn't easy when you're 52. Maybe he'd had a gin or two that afternoon.

That's what I would like to think at any rate. Believing an animal life is equal to a human life is FINE but if you do START LIVING A DECENT LIFE MORRISSEY AND STOP WEARING AND SITTING ON DEAD ANIMAL SKIN TROPHIES AND STOP SINGING ABOUT DEAD ANIMAL SKIN PASSENGER SEATS AND STOP DRINKING MILK AND STOP SUPPORTING AN ORGANISATION (PETA) WHICH DEVOTES THE VAST MAJROITY OF ITS BUDGET TO EUTHANISING ANIMALS FOR WHOM THERE IS NO HOME.

Would you support humans wearing dead human skin? Would you support 'euthanasia centres' for homeless humans? Would you support an industry that keeps humans in sad conditions in order to produce human milk to drink? Would you sit on expensive human skin seats in your Jag?

No?

Then MORRISSEY STOP DOING IT TO ANIMALS!

and also - learn how to express yourself without hurting the feelings of children who have lost older brothers and mums who have lost their only child.

You can issue a statement reinforcing your belief that animal life equals a human life if you wish

BUT YOU MUST APOLOGISE FOR THE WORDS "IS NOTHING COMPARED TO" - THEY'RE REALLY SHOCKING.

Just like that tasteless DJ who talked about a human tragedy and then joked and played a silly song - inspiring you to write Panic with the refrain 'Hang the DJ.'

HOW DOES IT FEEL NOW YOU HAVE BECOME THE DJ?

 

[Anonymous]

f***ing idiot!!!!!!!

 

[Anonymous]

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

îch liebe fleisch <3

kannst du dir ruhig in den arsch rammen

 

[phoebs97]

Morrissey right... What they do in those fast food places is just wrong... Dunno why everyone is so annoyed about what hes said. Animals are just as alive as those poor people who got killed in Norway

 

[24K]

Maybe he should get shot with some dumdum bullets.
Let that stupid f*** rephrase his statement then.

 

[Anonymous]

But if it is then I'm going to attack Morrissey for dressing himself in dead animal skin and sitting on it in his expensive cars and writing about it (this charming man features leather running smooth on the passenger seat) and drinking milk and ingesting gelatine and... the list goes on.

I don't think anyone knows for sure whether or not Morrissey still wears leather shoes - he has recently praised Stella McCartney for her non-leather shoes, and he's even changed the lyrics in This Charming Man to '..the pleather runs smooth on the passenger seat'.

For all that, he still appears to be a fan of dairy products - and the dairy industry and the meat industry and linked hand in hand.

But - you know - he's no different than millions of non-vegan vegetarians - who are doing their best to oppose the meat industry, but leave themselves open to criticism of not doing as much as they could.