Re: Article: Morrissey statement Aug 3, new drummer Anthony Burulcich - true-to-you.n
Watching the Olympics is not compulsory. No is forcing you to watch the coverage. Your 'nausea' is voluntary.
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I don't think I claimed that people were being forced to watch the Olympics, but perhaps my comment wasn't cogent enough; my objection is the bandwagon jumping of the British public and the way we
treat athletes, not the athletes themselves. I actually think Morrissey gives us too much credit in his statement, we are often scarcely able to formulate thought, because we're too busy keeping up with the Joneses, or in this case, the media and celebrity. About 10 years ago I was involved in athletics and did basket carrying for some events around the UK, back then people knew athletes as good sportsmen and perhaps minor celebrities and a good time was had by all attending the various meets, moreover, to be able to take part was a fantastic achievement. Currently, what's happening with the Olympics is that athletes are being treated like war heroes and if they don't win gold, treated as failures. I don't think there's anything wrong in finding that kind of elitism nauseating. And I am aware that the Paralympics doesn't begin until the end of August, as I have a relative taking part, thus perhaps my annoyance at the event itself and the disabled athletes seemingly being pushed to the sidelines of the whole spectacle is just personal. However, I feel I make a valid point about the way disabled athletes are treated; athletes don't make much money from their sport, instead it's done through sponsorship and appearances in the media. Given that there was such an furore a few years ago when a disabled children's presenter was on TV, I genuinely think the media should be making an effort to promote disabled athletes and give them an opportunity to earn from their achievements, like their able bodied counterparts.
"if you're a fan of "Morrissey, but how many actually are and how many just wanted to go and be a part of something, because everyone else was and they might see "some like, famous people"
Can you see a problem?...
Again, I don't think there are too many who go to see Morrissey because of 'bandwagon' jumping, but I take your point, each to their own. It's just that back when I was involved with athletics, we struggled to fill half the seats in the stadiums. It's the same bandwagon jumping that has pervaded the national stage with regard to the royals over the past few years. If Diana hadn't died and flocks of mourners hadn't suddenly felt sorry for her kids, I still think that we'd still be seeing newspapers mocking the whole family like they used to. Even the Daily Mail used to reserve vitriol for the lot of them and suddenly, there's been a shift of opinion (or at least the media tells us there is and the UK public simply nod their heads and troop to the palace waving union flags). As for the financial crisis, of course the Olympics were 'won' under Labour, but it's suited the ConDems just fine to pour billions into this weapon of mass distraction (and for the record, if it were Labour in power, I'm sure they'd be doing pretty much the same thing). Some on here complain about the price of Morrissey's gig tickets, although given what most gig tickets cost these days, I think the prices are pretty fair - £50 is not unreasonable for an arena, considering the promoter and venue take a hefty cut. Anyway, why complain about that when Olympics tickets are anything up to £1000? That's just obscene!
You're one of the few here with the courage to even consider your may have a 'dysfunctional relationship' with Morrissey ...
And I would much rather have that than a functional one with an artist who has absolutely nothing to say. However, it makes me smile when some 'fans' perpetuate the myth of Morrissey being super wealthy. Yes, he is well off, but there was someone on here claiming he was a multi multi millionaire. Yes, I'll look out for him in the next Times Rich List shall I? The reason he keeps touring is not just love for the job, or his fans, but money to allow him a comfortable retirement unmolested by crazy people camping in his back garden like they used to. He doesn't make money from The Smiths any more, he only has his solo career and his earnings from that have been tempered by having to pay record labels, promoters, managers, co-writers, band members, crew and security. Someone else on here was complaining about the money he put into his performances; that's just clutching at straws when you consider how some music artists spend stupid amounts of money on their gigs. But even if Morrissey were super rich, what's to stop him caring about the struggles of the man living on the breadline? You might as well criticise Seb Coe for being super rich and caring about the athletes who earn paltry sums from their sport.
I know Morrissey was enthralled by fame, but our current perception of fame has changed beyond what's rational. Everybody wants it sans talent, everybody demands it through the internet and everybody seems in thrall to a vacuous kind of celebrity; we are like Eloi, following open mouthed after a skeletal WAG in Gucci sunglasses. Last summer's riots were a massive product of the delusion of a new type of fame; everybody wants to be the big I AM in their own community. Of course you're right about the fanbase, Morrissey is as open to criticism as much as the next famous person, but somehow the vitriol directed at him for simply having an opinion seems out of context to the opinion expressed in the first place, almost as if there are people here waiting, out of sheer resentment of the man he's become, for him to so much as sneeze, just so they can claim he faked it. I guess that must happen to other artists too though.
Morrissey certainly has changed: he is no longer a member of 'UK society' as he is an ex-patriate. The intelligence of Morrissey's opinions is sometimes a matter of debate, as this thread clearly show. People are free to choose between Morrissey, JLS and Jordan in a market economy ...
You do have a valid point about the mocking of what we personally consider inferior, although I do still lament the dying breed of artists who have nothing interesting to say and seem to care very little for intellect, political debate and the issues that matter in an increasingly shallow world (alas, it has been that way for a long time). But where Morrissey lives doesn't stop him from commenting on British society as a British born citizen; if such things held true then we would never be able to intervene, either personally, financially, or politically in anything beyond these shores. Meanwhile some on here criticise him for being an ex-pat and perhaps not paying tax in the UK (though I presume he does to some extent, given his family are still here and in receipt of the fruits of his labours). Again, it's criticism of Morrissey based only on the fact some on here love to criticise his every move; they seemingly ignore the fact that our very own Chancellor keeps his considerable inheritance offshore to avoid paying tax on it, not to mention the hordes of other public figures who do the same.
The riots were an an atrocious rampage of theft and criminal damage. Lives were lost...
That was my point, I agree with you. A riot, or rather I should have said protest, should take on the government and the authorities, the idiots running amok claimed that was what they were doing, but instead we had the spoilt me me me generation hurling bricks through the windows of Curry's to nick a flat screen TV. Yeah, that'll show the government where they're going wrong.
You're right. His statement was a diatribe. So are many of the responses on this site. Including mine. Morrissey's right to subject his audience to such a diatribe is balanced by their right to respond in equal measure if they agree or disagree with his premises...
As I've said, I can't agree with you about the ex-pat thing. And I certainly do not surrender my critical thinking skills on account of being a fan. For instance, I thought Morrissey's comments on the Falklands were completely wrong. Still, I appreciate your reasoned response and your manner of debate. What I take issue with in most cases on this site (and why I don't come here often) is that a lot of people have lost the capacity for reasoned debate. Instead they pronounce the author of anything they disagree with an 'idiot' and fail to engage their brain any further.
Anyway, regarding Morrissey's original statement, given the missile debacle, landlords making tenants homeless to get more money from tourists and what happened a few days ago, where a disabled man was arrested for standing too close to a group of protesters and looking 'shifty' due to his disability, I think Moz has a very valid point about the dictatorial spirit of these games and the crushing of any dissent in our current climate.
As for my own opinion of the Olympics, I'll say this. In 1991, my home city, Sheffield, held the World Student Games - 21 years later, we're still paying for it. Our city has suffered massively as a result, in terms of infrastructure, jobs, education, healthcare and living standards. I love my city dearly, but we've paid a huge price for a huge folly. I suspect that in 10, maybe 20 years time, the people of London will be saying the same thing.