Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine has slammed a former fan on Twitter for demanding that he stay out of politics.
Over the last couple of weeks, the guitarist has been very active in his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the ensuing protests that sprung up since the death of George Floyd at the hands of white police officers in Minneapolis.
However, like so many celebrities who wade into political issues, he has encountered criticisms from so-called former fans who believe that he should stay out of politics and stick to music.
But Morello, who has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University’s Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, has been hitting back at fans who are attempting to shut him up.
As Morello and other Rage Against the Machine fans pointed out, the band’s songs have always been highly political.
Tom Morello told to cut the ‘political bs’
But that didn’t stop Twitter user Scott Castaneda sending the following message to Morello: “I use to be a fan until your political opinions come out. Music is my sanctuary, and the last thing I want to hear is political bs.”
Castaneda continued by having a go at singer Pink, who has also been a vocal supporter of Black Lives Matter and critic of President Trump.
He wrote: “As far as I’m concerned, you and Pink are completely done. Keep running your mouth and running your fan base.”
Castaneda has since protected his account, so his tweet is no longer available for the public. However, the Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist had the chance to quote tweet Castaneda’s comment and point out that his music has always been political.
He humorously asked Castaneda to tell him which of his band’s music wasn’t political so he could delete it.
Morello wrote: “Scott!! What music of mine were you a fan of that DIDN’T contain ‘political BS’? I need to know so I can delete it from the catalog.”
Scott!! What music of mine were you a fan of that DIDN’T contain “political BS”? I need to know so I can delete it from the catalog. https://t.co/AMpmjx6540
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) June 9, 2020
Twitter joked about the ‘machine’ in Rage Against the Machine
Other Twitter users were quick to start mocking Castenada’s lack of musical knowledge, with many asking what ‘machine’ he thought Morello had been raging against. “The dishwasher?” asked Howard Finkelstein.
What "Machine" did you think he was raging against? The dishwasher?
— Howard Finkelstein (@howfink) June 9, 2020
@CrimBradley777 wrote: “What… machine did you think you were raging against? The busted up toaster? A faulty dryer? Did the printer run outta toner?”
Last week Morello used his account to try to name and shame people who were taking part in the so-called George Floyd Challenge. The sick challenge involves mocking Floyd’s death by posing for a pic with your knee on someone’s neck.
Last week, Josh Gad, who plays Olaf in the Frozen franchise, also hit out at “so-called” fans who were criticizing him for endorsing Joe Biden for president and for supporting the George Floyd protests.
He accused those who wanted to shut him up as being “part of the problem.”
Looks like RATM have now become part of the machine themselves. Weren’t they protesting at a Democrat Convention in their early days, but now supporting BLM who fund ActBlue.