Morrissey's veggie message

Carmel Thomason

May 09, 2005

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Morrissey

MORRISSEY has joined forces with Hollywood star Alec Baldwin to help promote vegetarianism.

The former Smiths frontman, right, who released an album, Meat Is Murder, with the band in 1985, has included a hard-hitting video from campaigners PETA on his latest DVD, Who Put The M In Manchester?

Narrated by Baldwin, who has addressed the United States Congress about the need to enforce and strengthen the Humane Slaughter Act, the video looks at the treatment of animals in some factory farms and slaughterhouses.

Horrific

However, the footage is thought to be too horrific for us sensitive Brits and is therefore only available on the US copies of Mozza's release.

"I have arguments with people, who are the most diehard carnivores," says Morrissey of his campaigning.

"But once you have an intelligent debate with somebody, you can see how they begin to break down a little and their edges become softer, and you can see that this is not a difficult topic - the whole idea of vegetarianism is so simple.

"Nobody can come up with a good argument for eating animals - nobody can."

Can you come up with a good argument for eating animals? Have your say.

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Andy S, Chorlton (09/05/2005 at 10:28)

If Morrissey would care to examine his teeth in the mirror, he would see that he is intended to be an omnivore. He is of course free to eat whatever he wants, but to claim that the rest of us have no argument for eating animals is just pure drivel.

richard, whitefield (09/05/2005 at 12:15)

andy, ever heard of evolution?

Mike Lincoln, Knutsford (09/05/2005 at 12:56)

It might be necessary to eat meat in some parts of the world, for example, the Arctic, or remote areas such as the Amazon rainforest. However, in the UK where there are so many vegetarian protein alternatives available then it is completely unnecessary to put animals through suffering, just so we can eat them.

For information on healthy vegetarian diets visit The Vegetarian Society website www.vegsoc.org

kez bennet, stretford (09/05/2005 at 13:26)

Having omnivorous teeth is not an argument for eating animals. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

In an affluent western society we do not need to eat animals. we can source a nutritionally complete diet without causing suffering or death to other living creatures. National Vegetarian Week is at the end of the month, good time to consider making the change perhaps...?

Eddie, Salford (09/05/2005 at 14:20)

The whole issue is one of compassion and that has been missed by the 'teeth people' Ghandi said when he was alive that the measure of how compassionate we are as a society is how we treat animals. If most people were able to see how big business (the food industry) treats animals then they would very possibly object and take the principled stance that Morrissey has done. Of course the food industry is not keen for this information to get into the public realm for obvious reasons. They are also very good at marginalising people who hold very different views from themselves. Morrissey should be thanked for keeping this issue at the forefront of debate because there are very important moral issues involved. (His music deserves the same high praise)

Joel, Johnny Marr's Larder (09/05/2005 at 14:29)

I love animals - They're Delicious....

mark, stretford (09/05/2005 at 14:37)

i thought this dvd was supposed to be about music?, if you can call it that.
as to veggies like mad mozza, i like my steak medium rare and my bacon well done. cow or pig is very tasty.

dave, bowdon (09/05/2005 at 14:39)

Bigmouth strikes again!
I don't have to come up with an argument. I eat meat. Full stop. I don't question why people don't eat meat.

Annette, Manchester (09/05/2005 at 14:40)

The only valid argument I can see is that people like to eat meat as you cannot argue that it is for nutrition or because of the shape of our teeth.
As a vegetarian I don't have a problem with the argument that people like meat, as long as they are fully informed about the source of the meat and the ways in which it is farmed and slaughtered. If you know how cruel modern farming and slaughter is and you still choose to eat meat then I guess there is nothing we can do to change your mind but you should not choose to eat meat without know all the facts.

Chris, Sheffield (09/05/2005 at 14:46)

Yes, that's the point Joel. You don't give a damn.

Andy S (again), Chorlton (09/05/2005 at 15:01)

Perhaps, like me, he gives a damn about things that matter and has a proper sense of perspective. Wheras animal rights loonies tend to have very twisted priorities indeed.

mark, chesterfield (09/05/2005 at 16:11)

Well said Morrissey. If it's got a face, how can you eat it?.

Chris, Sheffield (09/05/2005 at 16:30)

So hundreds of millions of sentient beings living in nightmare conditions so that people can eat them obviously isn't of any concern to you is it Andy. Check out Viva!'s website and get a taste of reality. Meat is murder.

Richard Talbot, Texas, USA (09/05/2005 at 16:46)

It's not OK to eat meat because animals are tortured, but it's OK to eat eggs and milk products? What kind of thinking is this? The milk and egg industry are far better at torturing animals every day of their life than any other industry.

It's a joke to think if you become a vegetarian you cause less suffering in animals.

Marek, M16 (09/05/2005 at 19:19)

Obscene as factory farming (including dairy production) undoubtedly is, being responsible for both the health of a 9 yr-old and my own aging body, I wouldn't dream of not having meat or fish for most meals. Human have evolved for millions of years eating only fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and a few other things like seeds, nuts and honey. Our bodies haven't changed significantly for 40,000 years but farming goes back less than 10,000. Without meat and fish we invariably rely on uniquely agricultural foods that we simply haven't had time to adapt to. Using these foods as 'staples' (especially wheat, dairy and sugar) is like putting diesel in a petrol engine. Global epidemiological studies show that all degenerative illnesses (tooth decay, heart disease, cancer, arthritis etc) correlate perfectly with the consumption of these unnatural and/or severely modified foods.

Chris Marrs, Springfield,Ohio USA (09/05/2005 at 19:53)

I can't come up with a good reason to eat animals. I eat meat because I've eaten meat my entire life. It is very difficult to kick the meat addiction in the United States. Meat is everywhere.

Chris, Ireland (09/05/2005 at 20:24)

Andy S seems unable to come up with a valid argument for eating animals which is what we were prompted to do here if we disagreed with Morrissey. Maybe he ate too many cows back in the 90s.

worcester, worcester (09/05/2005 at 22:12)

You can't hide your bloodstained teeth behind your guilty smile.
Liberation for the animals now!

Moz is correct, Salford Lads Club (09/05/2005 at 23:30)

Teeth designed for flesh huh? I'd love to see the human who can bite through the hide of a cow. Of course none can because human flesh eating is technologically dependent upon tools and of course fire to heat the said flesh with (sushi aside perhaps, we can't even properly tolerate raw flesh).

So not really very natural but more an outdated cruel and exploitative custom from pre-farming days of food shortage.

Kris, Los Angeles (10/05/2005 at 06:33)

People have this whole teeth argument wrong. I dont see any long pointy teeth in my mouth like tiger or wild dog. Try taking a bite out of a cow while its still alive and see how you fare against a lion. OH wait, thats right, we cant even eat cow flesh raw, we have to alter its state via heat AND season it before the flesh becomes appealing to us. To name a few more reasons: intestinal track length, over intake of protein (protein myth), numerous studies indicating humans live healthier as well as longer lives when they cut out all animal produts...environmental effects (i.e. tons of pig shit wreaks havoc on the environment and people have even died because of it, don't believe me do some homework) ethical reasons (animals are gravely abused their entire lives then viciously sliced to death while fully conscious, I have seen it with my own eyes, its terrible). Its just another industry out to make money however the cost is your health, the environment and the suffering of millions of animals and the sooner you realize this the better off our planet will be. Tell your friends. If you don't believe me, try doing some research. I did not believe it at first either. Check everything I say please. I urge you to check the studies and the undercover footage and find the truth your damn self.

James Winter, Southern California (10/05/2005 at 14:00)

My argument is this and it may not be much. American Indians were people that respect the land and the animals upon it much more than their new immigrant counterparts from Europe ever were. When they decided to hunt and eat their kill, they used ALL of the meat without waste and used its coat of skin as blankets for the wintertime. They made use of the whole animal. They killed the animals with a quick arrow or a quick bullet. Any amount of pain was minimal, today we have farmsa where people flat out abuse chickens, and cows etc. It seems to me that their God gave them animals in order to eat since it was the main stapel of their diet. The problem is that we took that concept and we learned to treat them this way and I think they do it now to avoid getting emotionally hooked to them. I think that God has two animal reserves..the ones who were created literally to die and others were made to live. There are plenty of cows, horses and other animals which people consume that are not being hunted. These are one group of animals reserved to live in their own habitat. Meat is to be eaten sparingly and to keep the body warm during the winter and to provide nourishment during the winter when we don't go out during the winter.

thrill racer, San Diego, CA (10/05/2005 at 21:28)

Nope, no good reason to eat animals!

Skane, Newport (not Pagnell), RI (10/05/2005 at 22:02)

Though I feel sorry for the animals' treatment in the food industry, I would have to ask what would happen to animals if we had to compete with them for grain and water with no benefits in return (harsh reality.) If nobody ate them, no one would raise them and their existence on this planet would be put in grave danger. Wild animals would continue to live, but the farmed species (cattle, hogs, etc.) would go the way of the dinosaur. I am sure animal rights folks wouldn't want them in zoos, circuses, or kept as pets. I love Morrissey and his music, but I would hate to see the extinction of so many species of animals.

Mickey Loves Moz!!!, Connecticut, USA (11/05/2005 at 00:30)

I never felt better in my life after the first few months of going vegetarian. But then later on I would feel very weak time and time again. I would be unable to concentrate and focus clearly. So I would try and eat some fish and I have to admitt that it would make me feel a little better. However, I knew the real reason why I would get sick is because of eating too many processed foods and too much sugar. I later tried staying away from them and felt fabulous. If you eat whole foods and plenty of raw foods you will be fine. A couple of other amazing things that happened to me after going vegetarian was that I lost my allergies to cats and dogs. I had increased strength and stamina. I also became more intelligent! ;O)

Kris Dove, Paisley, Scotland (11/05/2005 at 00:40)

I agree with Richard Talbot's comments about milk and egg production being cruel BUT for me this is an argument for veganism, and it still doesn't justify eating meat.

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