In comparing McDonald’s to the tragedy in Norway, Moz gives the rest of the meatless world a bad name.

Once again, Morrissey has proven that just because someone is good at making music doesn’t mean they should open their mouths to talk. During a concert in Warsaw, Moz compared the actions of fast food joints like McDonald’s to Anders Breivik’s massacre in Oslo.

“We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown, with 97 dead. Though that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Shit every day,” he said.

There might be a point in there that’s worth making, but framing it like that just gives fuel to the “everyone who avoids meat is sanctimonious and irritating” fire. Those flames really don’t need any fanning.

Morrissey sounds like a little kid who just discovered animal welfare, a la Lisa Simpson crashing into the roast pig in “Lisa the Vegetarian,” more interested in screaming at or shocking people than having a respectful intellectual conversation. Sure, this isn’t the only topic where he has used alarming comparisons to make a point, but this one plays into a stereotype that just won’t die but really needs to. There are obnoxious people on both sides, but the ones who shove pieces of steak in their friends faces rarely get attention.

Like previous ridiculous things he has said, there was an argument buried in there that had some merit, but he presented it in a way that completely removes the possibility for debate. If Moz wants to talk about the unethical practices of certain chain restaurants or the environmental impact of dietary choices, he needs to say it in a way that doesn’t exploit the grief that follows a tragedy like the one in Norway. It would be completely out of character for him—but then maybe people would listen to the valid points that are usually hidden deep inside his usually ludicrous statements.