Dear Tim Commerford, Tom Morello, Zack de la Rocha and Brad Wilk, collectively known as "Rage Against the Machine",
I am a business owner. Or, to use the language you would prefer to deem us, "the evil bile of Satan". On your collection of similarly-sounding generic rap-metal albums, you have demonized business owners based upon a year in the various privately owned colleges your rich parents paid for you to attend, in which you skimmed the treaties of left-wing philosophy masquerading as economics, as written by Marx, Bakunin, etc., as well as the works of government dictators such as Che Guevara and Fidel Castro (not to mention a near-fetishistic appropriation of the uniforms and philosophy of the Soviet Union dictatorship that only compares to the makers of '70s Nazi porno films in scope) and decided to take it upon yourselves to vocally support this drivel as a social movement.
First, let me correct one of your many incorrect notions. Capitalism does not stand for exploitation of workers. Capitalism does not exploit workers. Socialism does. Now, let's look at the definition of capitalism, from Webster's dictionary:
cap·i·tal·ism noun ˈka-pə-tə-ˌliz-əm, ˈkap-tə-, British also kə-ˈpi-tə-
: a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government
See? Nothing about "exploitation". It just means that the means of production are owned by individuals rather than the government (which occurs under socialism). This also means that non-government "Co-ops" actively qualify as capitalism, for unless government coercion and ownership is involved, the means of production are still owned by individuals and not the state.
Overviewing your entire discography would be utterly pointless, and, quite frankly, a painful process, so, let's look at your first album and see what's wrong with this dreary assortment of dismal lectures inspired by the spoutings of a bunch of old farts who think they know the whole score (but, in reality, don't).
I could do a track-by-track analysis, but that would be quite boring to read, and, quite frankly, makes no sense, considering that there is no individuality to your album's 10 tracks, which would necessitate a track by track review to compare the deviations from each individual track. Quite frankly, there are no deviations to be found on this album. It all sounds the same. Generic,
Urban Dance Squad knock-offs by third-grade substandard musicians do not make an album.
But I can point out problems with a handful of tracks which I do have really specific grievances with. First, "Bombtrack". You've plastered the face of mass-murderer and dictator Che Guevara on your single's cover. Imagine if some rap group put Adolf Hitler on their cover. Do you think that the
Beastie Boys would find this amusing? I should say not. The term "bomb" in hip hop slang is meant to denote quality lyricism. Zach De La Rocha, you are not a good rapper. You are a meandering, whiny suburbanite who's angry at the privilege he's received from your rich family and have decided to take it out on them via economic ignorance. I know landlords piss you off. But if you wanted to make your own rules, you could try owning your own land. You can afford it. But even collective land ownership has rules. And communes are worse off than any landlord you're likely to encounter. Keeping in line with your support for mass murderers, Maoist dictator Abimael Guzman is promoted in this song's music video, which you've kept off your DVD releases due to having changed your opinion. It's funny how one form of dictatorship is now not okay to you, but you still keep Che in your promotional devices.
Also, let's examine a lyric from your song "Killing in the Name": "Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses." Yes? Does the presence of racism in the corporate world equate all corporations as being racist? You obviously don't feel the same way about Sony, the corporation you signed with, who was accused of racism by
Michael Jackson, who is far from a Marxist. And let us not forget that Che Guevara described Black people thusly:
"The black is indolent and a dreamer; spending his meager wage on frivolity or drink; the European has a tradition of work and saving, which has pursued him as far as this corner of America and drives him to advance himself, even independently of his own individual aspirations."
Guevara also branded Mexicans as "a rabble of illiterate Indians". Please explain why Che's racism is defensible.
The most famous section of your song is the line "*** you, I won't do what you tell me" repeated over and over annoyingly, like a kindergartner having a temper tantrum. Maybe if you felt this way, you probably shouldn't use your concerts as a Soviet Union cosplay, as the Soviets DID tell people how to act, feel, think, and what politics to support, and had people shot for disobeying their government. Che Guevara also executed people for dissent from his movement, as well as for playing rock and roll music, the genre from which rap-metal spawned. And Fidel Castro is also known for executing dissenters.
It is on this song that you adopt the drop-D tuning ripped off from
Faith No More and
Helmet, a staple of nu-metal songwriting. Because it's so much more fun to be like everyone else, isn't it? A whole nation of people, thinking and acting exactly the same? Listening to the same music? Reading the same books? Or is the word I'm looking for "terrifying"? Yes, "terrifying" is the word that accurately describes this scenario.
You advocate violent action against capitalists by "Taking the Power Back". Let's stop you right there. The United States of America was founded on the basis of free enterprise (capitalism), before being corrupted by collectivism. Anti-business attitudes are the cause of the social and economic problems which you've blamed on capitalism. Antitrust laws, the Federal Reserve (central banking is a Marxist concept) and regulation of capitalism have created the economic, social and political problems which face struggling Americans today. Your kind is already in power. The goal should be taking the power AWAY FROM PEOPLE WHO THINK LIKE YOU.
The power structure does not belong in the people who think that a "Bullet in the Head" is the answer. As you advise your followers to "Know Your Enemy", I think the only appropriate summation of the problem of this song is a quote from Walt Kelly's "Pogo" comic strip: "We have met the enemy and he is us." The cause of all wars is collectivism. It is impossible to be anti-war and simultaneously anti-capitalism. There would be no wars under capitalism. A free market spreads peace. Collectivism spreads violence. Until you realize this, you will continue to be asleep and will never "Wake Up". Know that what you preach is not "Freedom", but tyranny. In the form of really bad nu-metal.
Sincerely,
A capitalist
