Morrissey has never been known for keeping his opinions to himself, but in a recent interview with Der Spiegel he discussed sexual assault allegations against Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein, which have made many people furious. Judging by the German translation of his interview and also the reader’s interpretation, he appears to many to be suggesting that victims of these two men should have known better than to get themselves involved in situations where they could get hurt.
During the interview , Morrissey did clarify that he is firmly against rape and sexual attacks of any kind, according to the Independent .
“I hate rape. I hate attacks. I hate sexual situations that are forced on someone.”
Yet in the same breath, he also suggested that victims of sexual abuse and assault may merely be disappointed.
“But in many cases one looks at the circumstances and thinks that the person who is considered a victim is merely disappointed.”
Despite Kevin Spacey allegedly trying to seduce a 14-year-old boy, which would be a sexual situation forced upon someone and an idea that Morrissey claims to abhor, the singer puts himself in the boy’s shoes, suggesting that he surely should have known better than to ever be alone with Spacey and that at that age he would never have done the same thing, forgetting that everyone’s life experiences are different and that not all 14-year-olds are necessarily sagacious enough to say no to a famous actor who tries to befriend them.
“One wonders if the boy did not know what would happen. I do not know about you, but in my youth I have never been in situations like this. Never. I was always aware of 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 that Spacey has been attacked unnecessarily.”
It is clear that what happened to the 14-year-old boy could have happened anywhere as there are now up to 20 people who have made complaints about Kevin Spacey’s conduct when he was engaged at work at the Old Vic Theater in London, so is Morrissey suggesting that potential victims of any kind should never be alone with anyone anywhere so that nothing bad will ever happen to them, thus blaming victims rather than their abusers? Morrissey has even gone so far as to say that allegations against Spacey are, in his own words, “ridiculous.”
According to Uproxx , Morrissey also took the time to examine the history of rock music, noting that many artists have slept with underage groupies in the past, thus appearing to excuse those who continue to engage in this behavior.
“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.”
Perhaps most perplexing are Morrissey’s comments surrounding allegations of sexual assault at the hands of Harvey Weinstein. Morrissey once again suggests that victims have only themselves to blame as they surely must know what’s going on, and even says that if Weinstein had given them a good career they would have kept quiet.
“People know exactly what’s going on. And they play along. Afterwards, they feel embarrassed or disliked. And then they turn it around and say: ‘I was attacked, I was surprised’. But if everything went well, and if it had given them a great career, they would not talk about it.”
Yet plenty of women with long and illustrious careers in Hollywood have spoken out against Harvey Weinstein, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, Rosanna Arquette, Heather Graham, Kate Beckinsale, Mira Sorvino, and numerous others, as Jezebel report.
Morrisseys Weltbild: “Die Person, die als Opfer bezeichnet wird, ist lediglich enttäuscht” https://t.co/EF8oLveZ75 pic.twitter.com/ytWiBezQgI
— DER SPIEGEL (@DerSPIEGEL) November 18, 2017
Morrissey’s original German interview where he discusses sexual assault victims of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey can be read in its entirety on the Spiegel Online website.
[Featured Image by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images]