Is Morrissey a hypocrite?

[girlonbike]

I read an article about Leona Lewis yesterday and it stated that she wore 'plastic' boots as she has been a vegetarian since the age of 12. Isn't Morrissey a bit hypocritical as he wears leather shoes, leather belts and has been driving a car with leather seats? His excuse of there simply isn't an alternative to leather shoes seems a bit lame in this day and age...
Just a discussion starter (before you all lynch me!)

 

[Jessikers]

Yeah, I've often wondered about that myself.

 

[someofusisturningnasty]

I read an article about Leona Lewis yesterday and it stated that she wore 'plastic' boots as she has been a vegetarian since the age of 12. Isn't Morrissey a bit hypocritical as he wears leather shoes, leather belts and has been driving a car with leather seats? His excuse of there simply isn't an alternative to leather shoes seems a bit lame in this day and age...
Just a discussion starter (before you all lynch me!)

I believe his attitude toward leather has changed these days.

See Wrestle With Russell for example- they had to remove the leather chairs as Morrissey refused to sit on them.

 

[lainey]

I read an article about Leona Lewis yesterday and it stated that she wore 'plastic' boots as she has been a vegetarian since the age of 12. Isn't Morrissey a bit hypocritical as he wears leather shoes, leather belts and has been driving a car with leather seats? His excuse of there simply isn't an alternative to leather shoes seems a bit lame in this day and age...
Just a discussion starter (before you all lynch me!)

That excuse was from the 1980's I remember it. (a very long time ago)
He talked wearing FAKE leather shoes years ago in an magazine interview.
I wear non leather shoes, belts and no one can tell so how can you tell what Morrissey is wearing?
He also refused to be interview by Russell Brand on a leather settee so they set quite awkwardly on small seats (years of refusal interview)
As for the car seats you can buy fake.

 

[anon x]

But what about when he sat on the posh barber's chair in The Importance of Being Morrissey ?

Tut tut!

Maybe he'll become the face of DFS as their leather is shit

 

[Kleinfeld]

Yes he is.

If I was Morrissey, I'd be less concerned about sitting on leather chairs and more concerned about my consumption of dairy products.

 

[Jessikers]

Re: Yes he is.

He's never said that he was a role model to anyone, anyway. But I always thought he wore leather shoes.

 

[VacancyForABackscrubber]

Re: Yes he is.

Most people are hypocrites, including myself, so I forgive him.

 

[Jessikers]

Re: Yes he is.

Most people are hypocrites, including myself, so I forgive him.

Yep. We all have our double standards.

 

[CrystalGeezer]

Re: Yes he is.

I don't know Morrissey's stance nor do I presume that he has Hindu leanings, but perhaps, a part of him identifies with some of their beliefs. Regarding what a cow produces, ie, milk and cheese, on a certain level he might think agree with this:

"The cow remains a protected animal in Hinduism today and Hindus do not eat beef. Most rural Indian families have at least one dairy cow, a gentle spirit who is often treated as a member of the family.

The five products (pancagavya) of the cow — milk, curds, ghee butter, urine and dung — are all used in puja (worship) as well as in rites of extreme penance. The milk of the family cow nourishes children as they grow up, and cow dung (gobar) is a major source of energy for households throughout India. Cow dung is sometimes among the materials used for a tilak - a ritual mark on the forehead. Most Indians do not share the western revulsion at cow excrement, but instead consider it an earthy and useful natural product."

And as far as wearing or using leather is concerned, even a good vegetarian who mindfully wears leather is doing so as to honor the cows sacrifice of passing from this life. In a wiki article I found that Gandhi wrote:

"The Cow was also venerated by Gandhi.[11] He said: "I worship it and I shall defend its worship against the whole world," and that, "The central fact of Hinduism is cow protection."[11] He regarded her better than the earthly mother, and called her "the mother to millions of Indian mankind."

Our mother, when she dies, means expenses of burial or cremation. Mother cow is as useful dead as when she is alive. We can make use of every part of her body - her flesh, her bones, her intestines, her horns and her skin."
—Gandhi


Maybe when Morrissey was at Russell's house, he wasn't completely convinced the leather couch was bought mindfully. I don't know. His shoes certainly look leather though, which I personally don't have a problem with nor would I go so far as to call him a hypocrite.

 

[bona2vada]

That excuse was from the 1980's I remember it. (a very long time ago)
He talked wearing FAKE leather shoes years ago in an magazine interview.
I wear non leather shoes, belts and no one can tell so how can you tell what Morrissey is wearing?
He also refused to be interview by Russell Brand on a leather settee so they set quite awkwardly on small seats (years of refusal interview)
As for the car seats you can buy fake.

Because Gucci doesn't make non-leather shoes or non-leather belts perhaps?

 

[Frank's Wild Years]

Re: Yes he is.

His shoes certainly look leather though, which I personally don't have a problem with nor would I go so far as to call him a hypocrite.

You can buy extremely high quality, convincing non-leather shoes if you're willing to fork out for them, which I imagine he does nowadays.

 

[Hellie]

Re: Yes he is.

Most people are hypocrites, including myself, so I forgive him.

ditto that.

 

[CougarFrog]

I believe his attitude toward leather has changed these days.

See Wrestle With Russell for example- they had to remove the leather chairs as Morrissey refused to sit on them.

But he will sit on leather car seats ?

 

[Jones]

I find the accusation of hypocrisy towards vegetarians very disingenuous. It's like they are not allowed to be vegetarians unless they cut out all other aspects of our exploitation of animals out of their lives. Anyone with any brains knows that short of going to live in a cave, this is totally impossible due to the way our society is set up.

So no, he's not a hypocrite, he does what he can which is more than most of us do.

 

[Anker Ignis Fatuus Von K.]

Re: Yes he is.

Most people are hypocrites, including myself, so I forgive him.

This.

I have developed my own theory about leather. Until maybe a year ago I didn't buy any leather products at all. Now I still try to avoid leather, but if I see a decent pair of leather shoes e.g., that is just like the shoes I desire, I will buy them.
My theory is that as long as the majority of people in this world are meat eaters (and unfortunately it is like that) we can at least can bestow the animal the honour of being used completely, and not being thrown away apart from the meat. The leather is just a byproduct of the f***ing meat industry, so as long as this industry exists there will be these byproducts, why throw them away then.
If there was no meat industry (wonderful thought!) then it would be something else, then leather would be the same as fur, killing just for the fur, the rest is being trashed.
There has been talk about leather from animals being caught in traps, but as far as I know there's a law against that now, at least here in Denmark.
Please don't get me wrong, I am in no way defending the meat industry or any other kind of animal cruelty. If there's someone who loves animals and is a proud vegan then it's me. I would always prefer vegan leather to real leather.
I can easiy see how my view could be seen as hypocritical, taking advantage of an industry that I curse myself. And yes, I know about supply and demand. I can easily understand all the counter-arguments.

So no, I don't really think Morrissey is much of a hypocrite.

My idea is to use the skin of dead humans, just like you can become an organ donor, you could be able to become a skin donor. Then no one would be killed for the leather. I'd rather wear the skin of a human that died in a natural way, than the skin of an animal that has been brutally killed.

 

[Qvist]

My idea is to use the skin of dead humans, just like you can become an organ donor, you could be able to become a skin donor. Then no one would be killed for the leather. I'd rather wear the skin of a human that died in a natural way, than the skin of an animal that has been brutally killed.

I'm sorry, but though I can see the logic you are propounding, I have to say I find that rather distasteful. The notion of wearing the skin of a dead human ought to be instinctively and deeply repugnant to any human creature, for the same reasons that cannibalism is. If your vegan values give you a justification for this, I'm afraid I would regard that as an indication that those values are seriously flawed. It's one thing to assign value to animals, another to devalue humanity - which is the very essence of the unethical.

cheers

 

[Anker Ignis Fatuus Von K.]

I'm sorry, but though I can see the logic you are propounding, I have to say I find that rather distasteful. The notion of wearing the skin of a dead human ought to be instinctively and deeply repugnant to any human creature, for the same reasons that cannibalism is. If your vegan values give you a justification for this, I'm afraid I would regard that as an indication that those values are seriously flawed. It's one thing to assign value to animals, another to devalue humanity - which is the very essence of the unethical.

cheers

I was expecting a response like this.
And I can see your point. But I can also see mine.
Also, I didn't say my idea wasn't provocative or ethically disputatious. Nor did I say it's realistic.
I don't really see my vegan values flawed by this, as I would never ever eat human meat.
The reason that I don't feel more distaste against this than against wearing animal skin might be that I, in many ways, like animals better than humans.
Maybe I'm nuts. If so, it's ok. I can live with it.

 

[[email protected]]

....when we were kids, we wore plastic ( sharp bloody edged too) Sandals....

 

[Kleinfeld]

To be honest, I'd probably eat human meat. The reason being that I hate most humans. Such vile, smelly, dirty creatures. I'd want a full background check of who I was eating though.

In terms of wearing leather - yea, it's a byproduct. But that doesn't make it OK in my eyes. Out of respect for the poor dead animal, I won't wear it or go anywhere near it.