At Both Conventions, Rage Against The Machine Salutes Anarchy

NY Times:

On Wednesday night, Republican delegates fresh off Gov. Sarah Palin's vice presidential nomination speech at the Xcel Energy Center here formed a conga line of taxis, buses and private cars to Minneapolis, where post-convention parties were firing up. At almost the same time, a huge crowd was emptying out of the Target Center after a political show of a different sort -- a concert by the band Rage Against the Machine.

A small fraction of those people, perhaps 200, decided to take over the intersection of First Avenue North and Seventh Street. Traffic snarled, and delegates watched in waiting traffic as riot-clad police pushed the spontaneous, vocal protest up Seventh Street. A delegate from Texas said, "Those guys, again?"

Yes, again. For two weeks straight, both in Denver and in Minneapolis, Rage Against the Machine, a rap-metal band formed in 1991 and known for its big noise and ferocious politics, formed an ad-hoc convention in opposition to both major parties. Although the band has been a significant commercial success -- three of its albums in the 1990s attained multiplatinum status -- radical politics have always been baked into their music.

Read the whole story: NY Times

Comments

[yngcelt]

04:01 AM on 09/09/2008

Rage Against the Machine, what a bunch of pot smoking, patchouli-stinking, flag-burning, circle-jerking, pedarist, vomitous masses of walking human excrement.

[CroatianCritter]

03:31 AM on 09/09/2008

I am sick of the distortion used by the media to describe anarchy. Here is the definition in the Merriam Webster dictionary:

anarchy
Main Entry: an·ar·chy
Pronunciation: \ˈa-nər-kē, -ˌnär-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin anarchia, from Greek, from anarchos having no ruler, from an- + archos ruler — more at arch-
Date: 1539
1 a: absence of government b: a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority c: a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government
2 a: absence or denial of any authority or established order b: absence of order : disorder

Once again, the media confuses "anarchy" with "rioting!" When have Americans ever been concerned with proper semantics though. Anarchy is the idea that people can rule themselves responsibly without leaders controlling our lives. The founders of the United States were light anarchists. In addition, 'Rage Against the Machine' does have a political viewpoint and it has lots to do with DISTRUST of leaders. They believe, as I do, that people in an unchecked position of power will inevitably be corrupt. History proves that this is the case. Plus the believe that government politics leads to crimes against its citizens and whatever country is demonized by the elected leadership. This also is true. Listen to their music carefully and you will understand their viewpoints.

[botboy]

04:02 PM on 09/08/2008

One of my favorite bands of all times, but RATM are not anarchists. They simply have a message for those that will listen. Yet, because it is a different message than your standard self hating fare from the fm dial, they get labeled. Go look at some lyrics before you decide, but I think this is a band that want's you to be angry about what is going on. We should be in the streets. This country has subverted the constitution, tortured, spied, and lied. Why aren't we in the streets.

All of that aside, I am pained by their statement that both parties are not worth our votes and trust. Let me paraphrase a forgotten figure in our government, "you go to war with the parties you have, not the parties you wish you had." Voting is the last vestige of our enumerated power as a citizenry. The only way we will get what this country needs is by ELECTING the better of two candidates. But don't be fooled. Once that is done your job will not be complete. We will all need to go out into the streets and reform this country. We need to stop having these conversations every four years. BY THEN IT IS TOO LATE. Vote now and then the fight begins. No more complacency. If you do nothing, you get to say nothing. Capisce?

[Mattyhorn]

02:57 PM on 09/08/2008

RATM are the kind of activists other celebrities only wish they could be.

And what they said about both parties is somewhat true...part of the sad, larger truth that things may have to get much worse before they get better.

I'm disappointed there weren't more riots in the twin cities...the only reason conservatives don't riot is because they don't have the heart...or the ball$.

Neo-cons like to talk tough, but they're glass-jawed, every last one of them. Punch a neo-con today...he'll be glad you did.

[wwja]

02:11 PM on 09/08/2008

Have they ever called themselves anarchists? So people who don't support one of the 2 major political parties are anarchists. This is super shoddy reporting on NYTimes part. Really disappointing.

[lucasb2]

09:14 AM on 09/07/2008

and after they incite a mob with talk of anarchy, they are taken by their limos to their private jets waiting to take them back to their multi million dollar homes. Fakes- everyone of them

[duckcrackers]

09:27 PM on 09/06/2008

You want real anarchy- How about this: Ernest Borgnine pulled down his pants and furiously masturbated when Palin was speaking last Wednesday.

[ChurchAndState]

06:43 PM on 09/06/2008

Damn I have missed this band. And no, there is no difference between the parties. For every wrong you blame on a Redumblican, i can find just as worse on a Democrat. Corruption, petty politics, kickbacks and favors, and destructive policy.

When the HELL did protest become a bad thing in this country. When thousands of pe9ple pour into the streets in South America and Europe there aren't armies of riot police beating them back. Clear the intersection? IT'S A PROTEST! Sorry I wasn't in a "Free Speech Zone" but I could of swore the country I live in was a free speech zone.

Anarchy? Hardly. Civil disobedience? Definitely. These carefully crafted, commercial, corporate events we call conventions are a disgrace. I hope to GOD these boys are back. No, they're not likely to make any big changes but it would be grea tto have another anti-establishment voice. 'Specially such a poised veteran one.

[Trollstakeyourmeds]

01:10 PM on 09/06/2008

Rage is one of my favorite groups, EVER. And I'm 54 years old. One of my true disappointments was never seeing them in person while they were together the first time. I'm not going to miss this opportunity. They can energize folks like few other bands before or after them. I hope they stay together for a long time.

[ohiomark]

11:33 AM on 09/06/2008

Anarchy is not something to be "celebrated". There is a reason why these losers (anarchists) are always wearing masks on their faces. They are no different than the Islamic terrorists who cover their faces when they are walking down the street holding an automatic weapon.

When I listen to "Rage", I don't really listen to the words, because I don't relate with their politics.

I enjoy their musicianship, much like I did when they played with Chris Cornell in Audioslave.

[RebelPatriot]

12:43 PM on 09/06/2008

Interesting comment.

perhaps you are unaware of the state tactic of using agent provocateurs to start the trouble thereby giving the police forces the visible means/motive to crack down - often very hard - on the legitimate protesters?

for example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWbgnyUCC7M

These agent provocateurs are often the most destructive and outlandish of the protesters - to diminish the credibility of the genuine protesters - and the media covers them and then makes them the representative sampling of the protest.

Its all a scam. EVERY. SINGLE. BIT. OF. IT.

[jrb35]

01:54 PM on 09/06/2008

If you don't think that there are protesters who show up just to battle police and smash things then you're kidding yourself. You and I and everyone else knows very well that a lot of these guys go to protests just to start a riot or to live out their idealized fantasies of what 1968 must have been like. Sure there are going to be undercover cops around. There may even be some right wing types looking to start things in order to make the far left look bad (as if they don't make themselves look bad already). It's pathetic that the Left won't condemn these "anarchist" clowns who offer nothing but violence and destruction. I'm so sick of the denial, the claims that they're all undercover cops or Republicans in disguise. Take responsibility for your actions.

[ThinkForYourself2]

03:39 PM on 09/06/2008

You're absolutely right RebelPatriot. Governments around the world use this technique of infiltrating peaceful protest groups with these "agent provocateurs". It's interesting that the news cameras always seem to know where these people are at as they start smashing windows, inciting violence, attacking the police etc. Obviously it's all done to paint the typically peaceful protesters as the bad guy and to justify police violence and unlawful arrests in order to squash dissent. Many people who marched peacefully during the DNC and RNC are presently being charged with felonies or even acts of terrorism. Change We Can Believe In? Wake the hell up people!!!

http://www.infowars.com

[Mattie]

12:44 PM on 09/06/2008

In St Paul, they broke car windows, they slashed tires, they intimidated and assaulted peopled in the street. The most disgusting of all, they threw urine on police officers, and yet here on Huffpo I heard the police described as pigs. I live in MN, we don't appreciate people coming in and assaulting people and destroying property whether they are Democrats or Republicans, and we certainly don't condone violence against our police. As Rybek the Democratic Mayor of St Paul said, we filmed ever arrest, go ahead and try to sue us. The local media did a great job of showing how horrible these people behaved. Mika B on Morning Joe said she was afraid to walk past them, that they called her vile names and lunged at her several times. I'm sorry people here want to call the police who protect us horrible names, but I'm glad they are here, and for the record we had thousand and thousands of peaceful protests all over St Paul during the convention. We don't live in a police state as Tom Hartman like to say ever day on his radio show. I wonder how much he would complain if someone threw urine on him., or destroyed his car just parked out side his home. I wonder who he would call, perhaps the police.

[kwright]

11:31 AM on 09/06/2008

So any one that writes about the great wrongs in our so called civilized society is an anarchist ? Lets see. Bob Seger ,2+2 is On My Mind, CSYN, Ohio, The Who,WE Won't Be Fooled Again. The only problem is that people have been cowed into a position of fear of being jailed for expressing what they feel is wrong with our government. Free thought is under attack. The right to speak your mind is under attack. Anyone that disagrees with policy is subversive or a terrorist. Get a clue.

[rini]

11:20 AM on 09/06/2008

I can see both sides of it..

Rage et al are correct in surmising that both parties are corrupt and under corporate influence.

However, are both parties the same?? Not at all. In the past decade or so, the democrats have consistently been more thoughtful, pragmatic, modern and in tune with the american people. It's not that there are no thoughtful conservatives, it's just that the Peter Principle seems to be at work in the GOP. Only the real boobs advance to powerful positions within the party.

If you loved the last eight years, then don't worry. If you did not.......vote democratic.

[stinkinthinkin]

10:02 AM on 09/06/2008

Ugh, I hate to sound like the Texas delegate, but, those guys again? Their politics have always seemed to contradict their successful music career- releasing albums (all of them?) on major labels, and all the merchandising and videos. It's an easy shot at them, but it doesn't make it irrelevant.

[Warmglobe]

09:58 AM on 09/06/2008

Yes those with too much time on thier hands and too little bathing were out in force

[quantumfields]

12:20 PM on 09/06/2008

You can hope it's that simple.

[AurigaRa]

09:37 AM on 09/06/2008

May be one of the single most damaging headlines on Huffpo.

Anarchy? Yeah lets inset that word into two events where totally innocent
bystanders and journalists were arrested. How much did you really cover that part of the conventions?
Maybe no one associated with Huffpo was treated that way, but only because they
were lucky enough to avoid the police state of St Paul MN.

We are headed down a dangerous road and you folks are not helping.

[Mattie]

12:49 PM on 09/06/2008

Do you condone assaulting people, throwing urine on people, destroying private property. Yes, some innocent people were swept up in the arrests, if they listened to police and followed instructions they were released. If they defied police, they were booked. I guess if someone tried to climb the fence at the Democratic Convention, the police there would have just allowed them to proceed. Is that what you are saying, because the police did arrest people who were climbing the fence outside the RNC convention, should they have been allowed inside to assault people, just because they have different views than you. Is that what we should be doing, attacking people in the street who think differently than we do, because that's what some of the protesters in St Paul were doing. Just ask the people who's cars were damamged, or the 80 year old woman who had bleach thrown on her. Do you call the police when you are your property are being assaulted. Or do you just call them pigs, and try to handle it yourself, just curious.

[Yermammy]

09:28 PM on 09/06/2008

You seem much too nice to be sticking your nose in something you know very little about. The police are using plants in the crowd to start the anarchy and then that gives them an excuse to attack. You're in a police state and don't even realize it- yet. I suppose you would include Amy Goodman and her two producers in this group of "anarchists" too. I went to a concert at Busch Stadium back in 1975 (Super Jam 75) and there were police in the stadium, but you had better believe me when I tell you they were very polite- they had no damned choice. You had better wrap your head around the fact that Government and the Cops are PUBLIC SERVANTS and should work at OUR pleasure. Somehow through the years, the Government has sought to erase that obligation. Think about it.