It's sadly more common than not for musicians to be told to “stick to music” instead of speaking out about politics as if they're not members of society. And let's just say Tom Morello has no patience left for those types of comments.
Over the weekend, Morello shared a screen grab of an old Instagram comments exchange he had with a fan/troll (hopefully the latter) last year that's still relevant today given the Rage Against the Machine guitarist continues to speak out about racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd.
“Another successful musician instantly becomes a political expert,” the person wrote at the time, clearly not knowing Morello's vast knowledge making him an easy target for the guitarist.
“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,” he replied.
Morello brought the Instagram exchange back as a reminder for anyone brave enough to try and discredit his knowledge commenting, “Like shooting fish in a barrel.”
Morello isn't a badass political expert by accident either. On Sunday (June 7), he honored his 96-year-old mom in an Instagram post writing about all the ways she's been an activist throughout her life and it's pretty impressive. He also recently recounted being the subject of racist remarks as a child.
“My 96 yr old mom has been a tireless advocate for Black Lives her whole life. From being a foreign student advisor at the Univ. of Illinois, to teaching in Kenya and supporting the anti-colonial movement there, to teaching African Studies and bringing a radical perspective to a white conservative high school for 30 yrs, to being a member of the Illinois Urban League and campaigning for civil rights, to helping homeless African American men get their GED at the Salvation Army, to telling anybody who came at our family with any racist garbage to go straight to hell, to arming me with pride & confidence, to being a lifelong proponent of racial justice and ruthless critic of racist police. Proud to stand with her today, as always, in solidarity in the fight for a more just and humane country & planet.”
Photo: Getty Images