A few weeks back, President Barack Obama told MTV news, “I’d like to see a more explicit discussion of the issues that are out there right now, because music’s such a powerful mechanism.” He continued to explain that he feels that in our current popular culture there hasn’t been as much politically charged music as compared to other decades.
When Rage Against The Machine was still raging against the machine, popular culture at least had someone to publicize the younger generation’s discomfort with the status quo. But now, no one is setting the world on fire like the Dead Kennedys or Bob Marley. President Obama said, “You can set the world on fire in a positive way.”
Sure, Tom Morello has supported the Occupy movement and denounced Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan calling him, “the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades.” But it’s not enough, Rage Against The Machine had its glory days but fans can’t expect them to take on the social crusade forever.
There needs to be someone to take the torch and run with it. It doesn’t need to be rooted in anarchy or staunch liberal ideology, it just needs to be honest and, more importantly, socially viable. Sure, there are hardcore punk bands that have been doing this for years, but it’s not accessible. It needs to be politically charged but relevant enough to be consumed by the general public.
Our generation needs that icon, not an icon that endorses a candidate on national television, but an icon that isn’t afraid to criticize both sides of the political spectrum and spark a real, honest debate within popular culture. It’s time to stop being complacent.