Questioning Tom Morello about his political knowledge probably isn’t the best move. The Rage Against the Machine guitarist reminded us of that recently when the musician highlighted his response to a fan who did so. But when challenged about his educational background, the guitarist had receipts.
On June 6, Morello provided a screenshot of the exchange between himself and the listener wary of mixing music and politics. The rocker’s response has since become something of a meme on the subject. As Reddit users investigated, the quote that Morello re-shared stems from at least last year.
“Like shooting fish in a barrel,” Morello said last week when reliving his reply. See it toward the bottom of this post.
At the time, the person tweeting had made a snide comment regarding the Rage Against the Machine member and his outspoken views about the world. “Another successful musician instantly becomes a political expert,” was the initial shot taken.
Here’s how Morello responded: “One does not have to be an honors grad in political science from Harvard University to recognize the unethical and inhumane nature of this administration but well, I happen to be an honors grad in political science from Harvard University so I can confirm that for you.”
The Rage Against the Machine guitarist’s reply gained new steam on Twitter this past week following various musicians’ involvement in protests and demonstrations surrounding the killing of George Floyd in police custody. Not to mention the Trump administration’s overall response to the unrest.
But as longtime Rage listeners should know, Morello and politics go way back. And not only has the musician carried a commitment to activism throughout his career, but, yes, Morello also has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard’s Committee on Degrees in Social Studies under his belt.
Now testify, Tom.
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