Stephen Patrick Letting the Names Down

There are were two famous musicians that shared my given names one was Stephen Patrick Gately, the other is Morrissey. It is the latter who is letting down the Stephen Patrick's of this world today.

He has called the Chinese a 'subspecies' of the human race! No I know that Morrissey is a long-term radical vegetarian and animal-rights campaigner. Remember 'Meat is Murder' the single and the T-shirts. It's a catchy slogan and one that has been taken up by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) see the image to the left.

However, the ethical treatment of animals mustn't neglect the need for the ethical treatment of our fellow humans. Yes there is a different attitude to animals in Chinese Circuses and Zoos which prompted Morrissey's comment:

"Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies."

Well that is really going to get things changed. Yes there is no animal rights legislation in China, but there also is appalling human rights legislation there as well as I often post. It is a nation emerging from a horrific communist regime and before there an supreme commanding Emperor. Meaning that there are still a lot of lessons to be learnt into what is acceptable, what is normal behavior.

It's not so much a subspecies as a lack of education and understanding of the issues as well as cultural differences. In what still can be largely a rural economy with people who have never set foot in a major city there are differences from our refined, westernised world where all our food seems in some cases to come pre-packed (yes the vegetables as well as the meat).

Of course it doesn't help that Morrissey has previous when it comes to racist comments, in 2007 in an interview with the NME he said:

"With the issue of immigration, it's very difficult because, although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. If you walk through Knightsbridge on any bland day of the week you won't hear an English accent. You'll hear every accent under the sun apart from the British accent."

and in the same interview:

"England is a memory now. The gates are flooded and anybody can have access to England and join in."

Yeah, my all means educate the world about the ethical treatment of animals but don't belittle people and turn to maltreatment of others either through racist comments or physical attacks. As I'm pretty sure all of those who want to protect the right of animals so vehemently also believe we're just another animal.