Rage Against the Machine are awesome. As someone who spent the 90s as a budding music nut, they were one of my favorite bands. They have it all; a raw rock sound, rap touches, a strong message, and a counterculture feel that appealed to teenage me. I still like them, though now my jaded cynicism makes me give one of those awkward "if-only-the-world-worked-that-way" smiles when people take their message as words to live by. In essence though, their name says it all. Their music is an angry indictment of the cynical socio-political machinations of the ruling class (which yes, the US has, despite the ardent claims that everyone is equal in the land of the free).
Paul Ryan seems like a clean cut Republican, holding all the "right" values, the proper background and upbringing, and in general seems like a more relatable version of Romney without financial scandals and draft dodging. He hasn't yet made an impression, but seems rather likable so far. And then he said that his favorite band is Rage Against the Machine, which I found confusing. Then he said that he didn't really listen to the lyrics, which got me very angry. It can't be your favorite band if you ignore what they sing about. That is the worst insult you can give an artist, sticking only to the superficial aspects of their creation, while ignoring the heart of it, what actually makes it art.
Tom Morello, singer of the band, said that Paul Ryan is the machine he's raging against, in a scathing critique of Ryan in Rolling Stone magazine. Now, some people will jump up and say "hey, that's unfair, you are taking your position as an artist and using it as a political tool". But they would be wrong. The reason why RATM can claim that they hate Paul Ryan is rather simple. Let's make a musical analysis of their biggest hit, Killing in the Name.
The lyrics are simple, and here is a short version, with repetitions removed:
Some of those that work forces Are the same that burn crosses.
Killing in the name of!
And now you do what they told ya
Those who died Are justified For wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites You justify Those that died By wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites
And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control
FUCK YOU, I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!!
On the face of it, very simple. Many people believe this to be a shallow yet awesome anarchist theme, but this is not entirely correct. A skin deep analysis might make it seem so with the "fuck you, I won't do what you told me" and the combination of metal and rap themes, but actually, there is a surprising amount of depth here.
"some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses" is followed by "those who die are justified, for wearing a badge, they're the chosen whites". This is obviously pointing out that a black man in the police force is actually enforcing racist policies and attitudes. This is a commentary on the way the US police targets the black communities, and the fact that this is an attitude all along the chain of command, from the war on drugs policies, three strikes laws, etc, down to the fact that if you are black you have a higher chance to be searched.
This is pointing out the inescapable fact: if you are a part of a group you must accept responsibility for the actions of every single one of the members in it. You are part of the police force, you don't get to take pride in the accomplishments of the police without the personal responsibility for the fuck ups. You are an American citizen, you are responsible for the actions of your country.
This is in a way an extreme barrage against the US two party system, forcing you to pick between two sides that don't have clean hands. It goes against the blind acceptance in the name of partisanship that has tainted the US political system. You have to choose between two sides that are both responsible for a lot of horrible policies that go against minorities and consider political ramifications first while service to the public at a lower priority. Freedom can only be sustained by personal accountability, and standing up for what is right.
The chorus, "fuck you I won't do what you told me" is therefor not just lashing out in defiance of authority. It is about civil disobedience, protesting, and taking personal responsibility for morals, your own, your community's, and yes, even the entire nation and world. The anarchist theme here is that liberty cannot be maintained by complacency. You must be willing to make a stand for what is right, even when the odds are against you. Even when you risk jail.
It goes against the basic western morals handed down from Socrates, that even if you disagree with legal authority, you must accept it's judgement. It points out, and rightly so, that this morality is only acceptable to people of equal rights, not only in theory, but in practice. And in practice, this is not, and never will be, the case.
In this way, Paul Ryan's policies and ideology are indeed everything that RATM goes against. He completely ignores all social imbalances, and would do nothing to fix them. He thrives on partisan politics, and his view of personal responsibility is "buck up and take it for the greater good", something that can only be honest by the most jaded of elites. Paul Ryan saying he likes RATM belittles everything they stand for, and is an insult to their message. If he likes them, it's for everything but their message. That is basically the most vile thing you can do to someone who cares deeply about anything.
tl;dr: Tom Morello was right, Paul Ryan is the machine he rages against.
On August 20 2012 22:07 Malaz wrote: I wanna be Jackie Onassis I wanna wear a pair of dark sunglasses I wanna be Jackie O Oh oh oh oh please don't die!
That's from Tire Me, that song is saying that pop culture killed the spirit of the US; the obsession with celebrities and the rise of TV, starting with the obsession with the Kennedy family, the rise of the corporate control over what people view as entertainment, news, and in general, information filtered to the general public... culminating with "we're already dead" at the end of each verse, obviously, metaphorically.
I have to say I really like the song analysis and I didn't just reply because someone was wrong on the internet. I'd love to read more on other songs, band influences (was it the and general RATM related stuff from you
And the videoclips! Some of those were a lot of fun.
I have some black eyed peas/the wanted/rihanna/Brittney Spears songs in my playlist but I never listen to the lyrics. I know they are dumb. I only have the songs for the instrumentals or techno parts. Not everyone is in it for the words, some just like the music.
RATM are pretty good. I did find it hilarious and ironic that Killing In The Name contains the lyrics "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me" which was edited out for the radio version, or so I've read.
This is pointing out the inescapable fact: if you are a part of a group you must accept responsibility for the actions of every single one of the members in it. You are part of the police force, you don't get to take pride in the accomplishments of the police without the personal responsibility for the fuck ups. You are an American citizen, you are responsible for the actions of your country.
I don't think this is an inescapable fact. I think this is quite wrong. Many groups we are born into are pretty much arbitrary. Nation, race, even class/subculture to some extent.
I certainly don't think that citizens are responsible for the actions of their country. People are responsible for their own actions. I'm not responsible for whatever bullshit the leaders of my country are doing just because I was born here.
Nor do I think a good cop that joined the force to do good in the world is in any way responsible for the bad shit many cops do. In fact, quite the opposite. If you join the force to counteract that shitty behavior, then you are far better than someone who sits around and complains while doing nothing. You are in no way responsible for police fuckups, and in fact you are less responsible for them than the people who just complain about it because you are being an active force in changing that.
I think how much a population is responsible for their governments actions varies depending on how the government was chosen. If it's a monarchy or despotism, it's not like the people have a choice, but if most people in the country elected the government, I think it does indeed represent them.
A cop of course doesn't have a say in what other cops do-- but people, in theory, have a say in what a democratic government does.
Paul Ryan stands for small government, in other words less government telling us what to do in our daily lives. People who don't like the government telling them what to do should consider voting for him.
On August 21 2012 01:28 Blazinghand wrote: I think how much a population is responsible for their governments actions varies depending on how the government was chosen. If it's a monarchy or despotism, it's not like the people have a choice, but if most people in the country elected the government, I think it does indeed represent them.
A cop of course doesn't have a say in what other cops do-- but people, in theory, have a say in what a democratic government does.
A cop can improve things. You can talk to IA when you see a dirty cop. You can not use racial profiling, and tell your partner that you won't stand for it. That is taking responsibility for many of the fuck ups of the police force. I believe it is the duty of every cop to do that. Just as it is every soldier's job to report looting, stop senseless violence, and so on. People can accept responsibility. Most choose not to, and just let it be "someone else's problem". Even in a totalitarian and violent regime, people can do the right thing and fix whatever wrongs they can, or at least contribute to solving them.
On August 21 2012 05:37 ziggurat wrote: Paul Ryan stands for small government, in other words less government telling us what to do in our daily lives. People who don't like the government telling them what to do should consider voting for him.
Small government is just one of the things he's calling for. He's also calling for the super-rich to pay less than 1% of their income as tax. He also wants to fix medicare. But he also wants to make it into a foodstamp like humiliation experience for everyone who can't afford private medicine. You can't just cut his opinions down to one thing. Here is his complete voting record. Stop being reductionist; it's not just "small government vs. big government", as you can see that during the Bush years, he voted for every increase in spending (including TARP), small government be damned. He only started to call for small government once Obama got in office. His voting record shows that he votes exactly according to RNC lines and nothing more. He is a political blank slate at the moment.
And people aren't voting for him; they're voting for Romney... unless Ryan intends to become Cheney 2. A VP (according to the laws and constitution) is more of a symbolic post, whose only job is to become the acting president should the president become incapable of completing his term. Personally, the only point is that it pisses me off that he calls himself a RATM fan despite not liking their lyrics, which is equivalent to liking SC2, except for the fact it contains Zerg.
On August 21 2012 05:37 ziggurat wrote: Paul Ryan stands for small government, in other words less government telling us what to do in our daily lives. People who don't like the government telling them what to do should consider voting for him.
Small government is just one of the things he's calling for. He's also calling for the super-rich to pay less than 1% of their income as tax. He also wants to fix medicare. But he also wants to make it into a foodstamp like humiliation experience for everyone who can't afford private medicine. You can't just cut his opinions down to one thing. Here is his complete voting record. Stop being reductionist; it's not just "small government vs. big government", as you can see that during the Bush years, he voted for every increase in spending (including TARP), small government be damned. He only started to call for small government once Obama got in office. His voting record shows that he votes exactly according to RNC lines and nothing more. He is a political blank slate at the moment.
And people aren't voting for him; they're voting for Romney... unless Ryan intends to become Cheney 2. A VP (according to the laws and constitution) is more of a symbolic post, whose only job is to become the acting president should the president become incapable of completing his term. Personally, the only point is that it pisses me off that he calls himself a RATM fan despite not liking their lyrics, which is equivalent to liking SC2, except for the fact it contains Zerg.
They lyrics you posted don't say anything about taxes or food stamps (or any of this other nonsense that I won't bother arguing about). The song is about about government control. If you want less government control of your life then it's obvious which candidate you should vote for.
On August 21 2012 05:37 ziggurat wrote: Paul Ryan stands for small government, in other words less government telling us what to do in our daily lives. People who don't like the government telling them what to do should consider voting for him.
Small government is just one of the things he's calling for. He's also calling for the super-rich to pay less than 1% of their income as tax. He also wants to fix medicare. But he also wants to make it into a foodstamp like humiliation experience for everyone who can't afford private medicine. You can't just cut his opinions down to one thing. Here is his complete voting record. Stop being reductionist; it's not just "small government vs. big government", as you can see that during the Bush years, he voted for every increase in spending (including TARP), small government be damned. He only started to call for small government once Obama got in office. His voting record shows that he votes exactly according to RNC lines and nothing more. He is a political blank slate at the moment.
And people aren't voting for him; they're voting for Romney... unless Ryan intends to become Cheney 2. A VP (according to the laws and constitution) is more of a symbolic post, whose only job is to become the acting president should the president become incapable of completing his term. Personally, the only point is that it pisses me off that he calls himself a RATM fan despite not liking their lyrics, which is equivalent to liking SC2, except for the fact it contains Zerg.
They lyrics you posted don't say anything about taxes or food stamps (or any of this other nonsense that I won't bother arguing about). The song is about about government control. If you want less government control of your life then it's obvious which candidate you should vote for.
That's a common misconception. Killing in the Name is about social responsibility, not about politics. People reduce it to "fuck you I won't do what you told me", and think of it as a simple anarchist theme. It's far deeper than that, like many of the simple-on-the-surface rap lyrics of the time. You are trying to make this song have a partisan meaning, rather than the strong universal message. With that attitude you may have a bright future in cable news channels
EPT
