Isn't the problem that humans think of animals as lesser species? Therefore giving us the right to do with them as we please?
Aren't you admitting then that such thinking is valid when you call Chinese "subspecies"?
It's a self-defeating argument. The fact that it's also racist merely seals the deal.
Chinese who take no part in wet markets are being subjected to discrimination and hate crimes. It's harder to effect a positive change in the world when debate gets shut down because racist @sshats poisoned the entire discussion. It is perfectly possible to raise awareness of and fight against barbaric customs without being racist about it and defeating yourself and sullying your movement.
Most human societies around the world generally think of animals as lesser species, but the level of extreme cruelty and torture treated as normal in these "wet markets" is exclusive to only a very few countries. I mean, this stuff is on another level. So yes it is a sub-section of humanity that engages in these practices. That's what "subspecies" means - a
separate category of a species, not necessarily a
lesser one. It's not racist to identify a category of human behavior found in one culture as distinct from others. I'm not being naive - he obviously didn't mean it as a compliment because he's rightly appalled by it. But subspecies is not a racist term to have used - given the barbarism he's condemning he could have gone harder. You say the way he phrased it poisons the discussion, but if he'd been less tactless and inflammatory would it even
be a discussion? So much has been made of that quote. I think it was certainly a misjudgment on his part and sadly most of the debate is, typically, tediously, discussing whether he's racist. But as the article in the opening post shows, some people are asking if he might have a point.
Obviously not every single one of China's 1.4 billion population thinks and behaves the same way. There are Chinese animal rights groups with hearts of gold working tirelessly to protect these poor creatures and shut these markets down. To be accurate, to be morally virtuous, should he have pointed this out? Sure. We don't even know for sure that he didn't expound further as even the original interview quotes that single statement in isolation. But Morrissey has a history of not stating the obvious. His point is: "this is where this is happening". This is ONLY where this is happening - WHY? He treats people as smart enough to know what he means, or too dumb to worry about if they don't.
Did you call him racist when he boycotted the entirety of Canada even though vegetarian Canadians exist and very few go bludgeoning baby seals on the streets of Toronto? People understood it was from a place of anger at animal cruelty, not bigotry. He similarly blanket-attacks another country, explicitly stating it's the treatment of the animals he's upset about, but this time suddenly it must be racism.