Morrissey Central THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF ‘DIVERSITY' (November 25, 2020)

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THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF ‘DIVERSITY’
November 25, 2020




" When the new BMG Executive says he now wants a label of 'diversity', what he
actually means is he wants all of his artists to be exactly the same. Make no mistake, the
word 'diversity' is already trailing in the dust as an overused catchword that in fact means tighter restrictions and a fierce
exclusion of individuality. I have been dumped by BMG because I am TOO diverse for them. They cannot cope with an
artist such as Morrissey … who is, in fact, the very essence of diversity … whose lyrical concerns are multiple, different,
and who has been writing about all of our human differences since 1982. So, please don't be fooled into thinking the
word 'diversity' means varied and open; it has been warped to mean exactly the opposite. With these absolutely
incomprehensibly senseless new guidelines, I'll be surprised if BMG still exists in 18 months time. Or, if they do,
they'll be a label that no true artist would want to sign to. Perhaps this is what BMG prefers - a roster of artists
who are so diverse that you'll never be able to distinguish one from the other?"
Morrissey, November 2020.


"There are artists who feel abandoned by the record business yet are still producing new music which connects with an audience." Hartwig Masuch, BMG.



Morrissey World scrapped due to its 'narrow' appeal :

THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF 'DIVERSITY' - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF 'DIVERSITY'

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

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Related items:

• Fiona Dodwell: "Morrissey reflects on 'the horror of 2020' after departure from BMG" - November 17, 2020
• Morrissey Central: "BMG DUMP MORRISSEY" - November 16, 2020

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Related articles (first link contains the quote cited by Central):

• Business Worldwide: "BMG HIRES ALISTAIR NORBURY TO HELP TEMPT ARTISTS TO RECORDINGS BUSINESS" - March 2, 2016
• Billboard: "A Major Indie: CEO Hartwig Masuch Looks at BMG's First 10 Years -- and Shares His Vision for Its Future" - July 26, 2019
• Music Week: "Hartwig Masuch on BMG's 2019 figures" - March 25, 2020
• Music Week: "Hartwig Masuch on BMG's coronavirus response" - March 26, 2020

 

[gashonthenail]

It's happened to him every 5 minutes since 1983.

I'm just surprised it took Twitter until 2017 to really lay into him.

He was a sitting duck.

You are right that he has been a sitting duck for years. But what has changed is the environment around him. Cancel culture has been developing for some time but it is only really in the last decade that it has become most acute - and it is getting worse. It's the religious zeal around it that is most disturbing. Let's hope there is a reaction against it at some point - but I doubt it. For the younger generation who know nothing but social media - death by social media means total death. At least for Morrissey this isn't true - he knows/remembers a life outside social media.

 

[Pokey]

Well clearly they do have their reasons to be here, whether you understand them or not.
I have in the past took part in forums and e-mailing lists for musicians where the musicians themselves participated and it almost totally wrecked any opportunity for argument or debate because everyone was worried about offending said artists. The point is, I'd much rather read a wide range of views on someone I like than just endless hagiography. A wider range of views makes for a more interesting forum.

Oh I understand them, and I just laid them out - it has nothing to do with "fighting for the cause of the left" or any BS like that. Its purely being the attack dogs of this website's owner and using virtue signalling as a justification for it. They don't give a shit about the causes they bring up.

 

[Pokey]

If you used to be a fan, have invested in their music and merch and doled out money for tickets to see them live a bunch of times... The answer is YES. Everyone has the right to their opinion. Those who’ve paid for that right get to skip the queue.

Does that clear things up for you?

Nope. It makes them weirdly obsessive, unable to let go, and its a pretty damn unhealthy mindset.

 

[Deleted member 29235]

Oh I understand them, and I just laid them out - it has nothing to do with "fighting for the cause of the left" or any BS like that. Its purely being the attack dogs of this website's owner and using virtue signalling as a justification for it. They don't give a shit about the causes they bring up.

Do you think that the anti-Morrissey sentiments on here are directed by @davidt? It seems unlikely to me.

 

[Pokey]

All it takes if for good men to do nothing

Exactly, and they're doing nothing because they're wasting their time on this website constantly fighting some fight that means nothing rather than actually investing that time or energy into something worthwhile

 

[Pokey]

Do you think that the anti-Morrissey sentiments on here are directed by @davidt? It seems unlikely to me.

Very much so, at least initially and set it on its course.

 

[Pokey]

In the end, there's a clear difference between being a Morrissey fan and disagreeing with things that he says and being conflicted and voicing that compared with just straight up being anti-Morrissey in every possible way and actively taking joy in any misfortune that befalls him - and the latter is what I'm taking issue with, not the former.

 

[Surface]

Nope. It makes them weirdly obsessive, unable to let go, and its a pretty damn unhealthy mindset.

What are your thoughts on David T continuing to run this site even though Morrissey hates it and has banned David from his gigs?

 

[BookishBoy]

In the end, there's a clear difference between being a Morrissey fan and disagreeing with things that he says and being conflicted and voicing that compared with just straight up being anti-Morrissey in every possible way and actively taking joy in any misfortune that befalls him - and the latter is what I'm taking issue with, not the former.

Exactly. And the latter is just the most tedious thing imaginable, too.

 

[jumpedoffthedeepend]

Morrissey is a working-class man from a working-class background. Why does it matter what colour his skin is? The point is Morrissey speaks for working-class people of all races and religions. He comes from a broken home and his beloved mother and cat died this year. How is that privileged? Morrissey is a working-class Mancunian with Irish Catholic roots. Morrissey has never married or had children. Morrissey might be bisexual and is maybe sexually ambiguous. Morrissey suffers with depression, anxiety and other health issues. Morrissey might be on the autistic spectrum. Morrissey is a vegan and into animal rights. All of those things mean he is pretty diverse. It doesn't matter how rich or poor he is. He is still working-class and he has stayed true to his roots. Morrissey has a punk rock spirit about him. I'm tired of the media getting at middle-aged men in general. They have a lot to offer this world! Why should music just be a young man's game?

Since the 80s he has been rich and privileged, despite his working class origin. And being white does in fact make a difference in one's privilege- if you don't understand that, shame on you. He has stayed true to no roots, he is a racist spewing filth that he never would have championed in the 80s or 90s. Being a vegan does not make someone diverse. I don't think you are a doctor qualified to analyze his mental health or whether he is autistic. He is a cranky privileged rich white man. If he is so desperate to record another album, he can do it himself. The very idea that this jerk would ride on the back of diversity, which is clearly a word that you don't understand, is absolutely disgusting. Wah wah, his mommy died, his cat died. My mom died, my dog died, i didn't demand princess diana level flowers left outside my gate- and suffering a tragedy does not make me nor him diverse - it is simply the human f***ing experience.

 

[BookishBoy]

Since the 80s he has been rich and privileged, despite his working class origin. And being white does in fact make a difference in one's privilege- if you don't understand that, shame on you. He has stayed true to no roots, he is a racist spewing filth that he never would have championed in the 80s or 90s. Being a vegan does not make someone diverse. I don't think you are a doctor qualified to analyze his mental health or whether he is autistic. He is a cranky privileged rich white man. If he is so desperate to record another album, he can do it himself. The very idea that this jerk would ride on the back of diversity, which is clearly a word that you don't understand, is absolutely disgusting. Wah wah, his mommy died, his cat died. My mom died, my dog died, i didn't demand princess diana level flowers left outside my gate- and suffering a tragedy does not make me nor him diverse - it is simply the human f***ing experience.

Well yes, sorry to hear about your mother and your dog, but unless you too have written dozens of songs that have changed/saved people's lives (maybe you have!) then that's why so few of us care about your personal tragedies (or, indeed, mine) - and why we do care about Morrissey's.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

So desperate. This is begging for sympathy after creating a mess. I still believe in what I said years ago: he's trying too hard. So hard it cannot seem heartfelt. Up to the 'World Peace...'-release era controversy, it was all white people on the cover art to his releases. Bit by bit he had to introduce models from 'diversity' (starting with the 2 kids with the 'Be kind' shirts, a record with covers of songs by black artists or about black people) for releases that never get released. Today, all the scrapped releases we were supposedly due would have only features black or hispanic people? Morrissey really is taking the piss. Did he just discover he could use black or hispanic models on his cover art? In Morrissey's case (or The Smiths), cover art models have always been statements. They were cultural representations he wanted to put upfront. Strange there was never one black or hispanic representation he wanted us to understand for 31 years... up until he mouth ran foul in 2014-2015. All this agitprop shows a flailing Morrissey. He tries to use us (fans) as witnesses of his goodwill. Typical of the (political) era we're in. I see similarities between his ways of doing and politicians' (Trump). They get caught with their hands in the jam jar and they say: ''It's not me hand, it's my enemy's''. He depreciates himself to me. A make-them-lose-all-interest tactical. The proximity between public people and their fans brought by the internet is always to the detriment of public people because their message is delivered raw whereas before it was all statements. He should have known better. Since the 'World Peace...' release era controversy, I know better.

‘Did he just discover he could use black or hispanic models on his cover art? In Morrissey's case (or The Smiths), cover art models have always been statements.’

Well, his use of black or Hispanic people as cover art, etc is his statement today.

 

[Deleted member 29417]

Since the 80s he has been rich and privileged, despite his working class origin. And being white does in fact make a difference in one's privilege- if you don't understand that, shame on you. He has stayed true to no roots, he is a racist spewing filth that he never would have championed in the 80s or 90s. Being a vegan does not make someone diverse. I don't think you are a doctor qualified to analyze his mental health or whether he is autistic. He is a cranky privileged rich white man. If he is so desperate to record another album, he can do it himself. The very idea that this jerk would ride on the back of diversity, which is clearly a word that you don't understand, is absolutely disgusting. Wah wah, his mommy died, his cat died. My mom died, my dog died, i didn't demand princess diana level flowers left outside my gate- and suffering a tragedy does not make me nor him diverse - it is simply the human f***ing experience.

Morrissey LGBT+ so he has a diverse sexuality & gender identity.

He's also of Irish Catholic origin - an ethnic & religious minority in the UK that has faced discrimination during his lifetime.

Plus his depression & anxiety are bad enough to be a disability.

He's also never spewed filth. And his first scandal was in 1986.

 

[gashonthenail]

Since the 80s he has been rich and privileged, despite his working class origin. And being white does in fact make a difference in one's privilege- if you don't understand that, shame on you. He has stayed true to no roots, he is a racist spewing filth that he never would have championed in the 80s or 90s. Being a vegan does not make someone diverse. I don't think you are a doctor qualified to analyze his mental health or whether he is autistic. He is a cranky privileged rich white man. If he is so desperate to record another album, he can do it himself. The very idea that this jerk would ride on the back of diversity, which is clearly a word that you don't understand, is absolutely disgusting. Wah wah, his mommy died, his cat died. My mom died, my dog died, i didn't demand princess diana level flowers left outside my gate- and suffering a tragedy does not make me nor him diverse - it is simply the human f***ing experience.

I'm not ashamed to say I don't understand how 'being white does in fact make a difference in one's privilege'.

 

[Vegan. Cro. Spirit. 444]

Very much so, at least initially and set it on its course.

is the Pope Catholic?

 

[NealCassidy]

It’ll be all white on the night.

 

[GirlAfraidWillNeverLearn]

Morrissey LGBT+ so he has a diverse sexuality & gender identity.

He's also of Irish Catholic origin - an ethnic & religious minority in the UK that has faced discrimination during his lifetime.

Plus his depression & anxiety are bad enough to be a disability.

He's also never spewed filth. And his first scandal was in 1986.

Technically his first scandal was in 1983, after their first Peel session.

 

[Anonymous]

You are right that he has been a sitting duck for years. But what has changed is the environment around him. Cancel culture has been developing for some time but it is only really in the last decade that it has become most acute - and it is getting worse. It's the religious zeal around it that is most disturbing. Let's hope there is a reaction against it at some point - but I doubt it. For the younger generation who know nothing but social media - death by social media means total death. At least for Morrissey this isn't true - he knows/remembers a life outside social media.

The latest victim is 'comedian' Jack Whitehall. I can relate to people not finding him funny, but when a guy as bland and pc as this becomes the focus of cancel culture...

What these virtue signalling tossers don't realise (because they're too thick) is that they are re-establishing a Western culture of intolerance and censorship that it took centuries to break down, and that within a generation the censorial power that they are enthusiastically entrusting to our social media institutions to enforce will be turned on them again as, inevitably, the right wing takes advantage of it.

 

[Bengali in Knightsbridge]

Morrissey LGBT+ so he has a diverse sexuality & gender identity.

He's also of Irish Catholic origin - an ethnic & religious minority in the UK that has faced discrimination during his lifetime.

Plus his depression & anxiety are bad enough to be a disability.

He's also never spewed filth. And his first scandal was in 1986.

An immigrant with a inferiority complex. He truly believes some immigrants are better than other. Puke!

 

[Uncleskinny]

The latest victim is 'comedian' Jack Whitehall. I can relate to people not finding him funny, but when a guy as bland and pc as this becomes the focus of cancel culture...

What these virtue signalling tossers don't realise (because they're too thick) is that they are re-establishing a Western culture of intolerance and censorship that it took centuries to break down, and that within a generation the censorial power that they are enthusiastically entrusting to our social media institutions to enforce will be turned on them again as, inevitably, the right wing takes advantage of it.

What c***s like you want is the freedom to target minorities with impunity, and attempts to stop you from this action are met with the risible text we see above.