On identity politics and the personal being political, I understand very well your points. But for my part I have always been sceptical to that, because it has such obvious downsides. Sure, you can see as good that you can make a statement about who you are and what you believe in by wearing certain clothes, for example. But on the other hand, there are a lot of negative things connected to that. For instance, what if you don't actually want to define who you are by what you wear? Maybe you can't afford the right trousers. Maybe you just like orange cashmere. Maybe you just find a Duffle Coat comfortable. Maybe your job or some other commitment requires you to wear certain clothes. Maybe you just don't feel like walking around like a f***ing pamphlet. It can be annoying, or even offensive, to have people make assumptions about you on the basis of what you're wearing.
Also, it tends to reduce things to a few composite identities - essentially little more than a slightly refined form of stereotyping. You wear that, so your political opinions must be this and you listen to that music and eat that kind of food. And then it all starts working in the opposite direction: People walk into pre-set molds where beliefs and tastes tend to follow logically from a general lifestyle choice. I just find that oppressive. And to my mind, that is such a strong message in Morrissey's lyrics.
Fine points all, but personal politics wasn't a choice made by bored, disaffected bourgeois kids.
The personal became political when AIDS was declared a "gay disease," when the Religious Right declared that Conservatism was god's political preference (and the Republicans became the official party of Christendom), and when "political elite" became shorthand for a good liberal arts education. The Reagan era politicized everything. In such a divisive atmosphere, the personal became political by fiat. As is painfully evident, America never recovered from that rift.
Sure, it can be taken to silly extremes, but people didn't wake up one day and say "I think my band t-shirt is politically important," they woke up and said "Oh, I didn't realize that I wasn't invited to the party." So, eating organic food became a way to support environmental causes (which became an
exclusively lefty cause, unfortunately), and Silence=Death t-shirts became a way to declare your disaffection from the official government line that AIDS either wasn't happening, or was god's way of saying "I told you so."
Yes, it's childish and narcissistic, but in a highly polarized political state (like the one that exists today), everything becomes a signifier (remember when Obama didn't wear a flag pin on his lapel - oh my god, he
hates America
).
The Smiths came along at just such a moment in history, and were drawn into a highly-politicized music scene. They became a signifier for something rather nebulous, but highly charged. Sure, Morrissey stands for the opposite of stereotyping (he defied all conventions), but The Smiths were a rallying cry for a certain
something that obviously meant different things to different people: A Rush and A Push And The Land is Ours...
EDIT: let's not overlook the current "War on Christmas," where "Happy Holidays" is code for "I am a Heathen warrior who hates Freedom, Jesus, apple pie and America and wants everyone to be gay." The 21st century makes the end of the 20th century look like a golden era of love and cooperation. The personal isn't just political anymore, it's a declaration of war...