Morrissey, animal rights advocate and former frontman for the brilliant 80's rock band The Smiths, is not new to controversy. His anti-immigration views, exemplified in his lyrics to Bengali In Platforms (' life is hard enough when you belong here'), are well-known. Recently, Morrissey made the following comment regarding the treatment of animals in China:
"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."
This is a thread on Morrissey as a musician and social critic. Personally, I feel that he is one of pop music's more fascinating and thought-provoking personalities. Regarding his anti-immigration views, he seems to be more of a natiivist concerned with preserving Britain's cultural identiy than a run-of-the-mill racist. The above statement on the Chinese is indefensible (treatment of animals in China has cultural and not racial origins), although I'd like to believe that he was caught up in the emotions of his animal rights advocacy.
Morrissey reignites racism row by calling Chinese a 'subspecies' | Music | The Guardian