Noel Gallagher's cruel dig at singing superstar Sam Smith while misgendering them in an interview is nothing short of playground bullying behaviour. The Oasis singer-songwriter took a brutal swipe at the multi-Grammy Award winner Sam in an interview with Dutch radio station, Kink.
He made his sweary rant while blasting the current state of pop music and branded Sam "a "f***ing idiot" as he blew his top to DJ Jasper Leijdens. Noel said: "Pop music is alright if the popstars are cool. Sadly the popstars of today are f***ing idiots."
He was asked "who's the biggest idiot around now?" and he replied bluntly "Sam Smith." Asked why Sam, Noel replied: "Look at him."
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Noel's casual bullying reminds me of pupils in my kids' playground. Picking on someone because they appear different is not okay when you're five or 55-years-old.
Sadly in life, you will always have those who think of themselves as 'cool' and who try and set the perimeters of how they want everyone to act, so they can feel secure in themselves.
And then thankfully, you'll always get those who are heroic to make a stand and stick up for their values. Over the past few decades, the UK has witnessed a rise of non-binary people.
While celebrated by most, we, unfortunately, see platforms still given to former rock stars with outdated views who are attempting to remain relevant by sharing their miserable - and offensive - comments on life.
I would guess, these people have never tried to understand the pain caused by their comments. Speaking to GQ magazine, Sam shared their struggles through childhood while they wrestled with their identity.
They said: “Ever since I was a little boy, ever since I was a little human, I didn’t feel comfortable being a man really. I never really did. Some days I’ve got my manly side and some days I’ve got my womanly side, but it’s when I’m in the middle of that switch that I get really, really depressed and sad. Because I don’t know who I am or where I am or what I’m doing, and I feel very misunderstood by myself.”
But just like the school bullies, I doubt Noel would ever feel ashamed about his comments even though they have caused pain. They might not impact Sam directly, but they add weight to a body of people who think it's OK to misgender or to deny someone their identity. Since his fame from Oasis, Noel has been allowed to live a privileged life offending whoever he likes along the way - including disabled festival-goers at Glastonbury.
My only hope is that people won't accept Noel's, or people of similar ilk, cruel comments, but will instead call them out and let them know they are not acceptable.
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