Most people agree that the ongoing purge of predators is a painful but necessary step in tackling sexual misconduct in our society. However, in a new interview with Germany’s Spiegel Online, Morrissey came out in defense of Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein, worrying that they’re being caught up in a sort-of witch hunt. (Editor’s Note: Morrissey’s comments were translated from German to English)
“Anyone who has ever said to someone else, “I like you,” is suddenly being charged with sexual harassment. You have to put these things in the right relations. If I can not tell anyone that I like him, how should he ever know?” Morrissey griped in response to a question about the ongoing #MeToo campaign.
“Of course, there are extreme cases, rape is disgusting, every physical attack is repulsive. But we have to see it in relative terms,” he added. “Otherwise, every person on this planet is guilty. We can not permanently decide from above what we are allowed to do and what we can not do. Because then we are all trapped. Some people are very awkward when it comes to romance anyway. They do not know what to do and then their behavior is aggressive.”
He was then asked specifically about Kevin Spacey, who has been accused of sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old boy. In Morrissey’s opinion, the outrage should be focused on the boy and his parents.
“[I] was wondering where the boy’s parents were. One wonders if the boy did not know what could happen. I do not know about you, but I’ve never been in situations like this in my youth. Never. I always knew what could happen. When you are in somebody’s bedroom, you have to be aware of where that can lead to. That’s why it does not sound very credible to me. It seems to me Spacey has been unnecessarily attacked.”
Similarly, he believes Weinstein’s multitude of accusers are at fault because “they play[ed] along.”
“People know exactly what happens. And they play along. Afterward, they feel embarrassed, or they do not like it. And then they turn it around and say: ‘I was attacked, I was surprised, I was dragged into the room.’ But if everything had gone well and had it given them a great career, they would not talk about it. I hate rape. I hate attacks. I hate sexual situations that are forced on someone. But in many cases, one looks at the circumstances and thinks that the person referred to as a victim is merely disappointed. Throughout the history of music and rock ‘n’ roll there have been musicians who have slept with their groupies. If you go through history, almost everyone is guilty of sleeping with minors.”
While that last point is certainly true, not really sure how that justifies the behavior of men of today — or is reason to victim-shame their accusers.
So, yeah, fuck Morrissey.