Editing Rage Against the Machine (section)

==Political views and activism==
{{Main|Political views and activism of Rage Against the Machine}}
[[File:Black Flag and a Red Voodoo.jpg|alt=Stage with a black flag and red star|thumb|Rage performing in front of the flag of the [[Zapatista Army of National Liberation]]]]
The members of Rage Against the Machine are well known for their leftist [[anti-authoritarian]] and [[revolutionary]] political views, and almost all of the band's songs focus on these views. Key to the band's identity, Rage Against the Machine has voiced viewpoints highly critical of the domestic and foreign policies of current and previous U.S. governments. Throughout its existence, Rage Against the Machine and its individual members participated in political protests and other activism to advocate these beliefs. The band sees its music as a vehicle for social activism; De&nbsp;la&nbsp;Rocha explained, "I'm interested in spreading those ideas through art, because music has the power to cross borders, to break military sieges and to establish real dialogue."<ref name="Juice">Wooldridge, Simon (February 2000), "[http://musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/juice00.htm Fight the Power] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201001329/http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/juice00.htm |date=February 1, 2011 }}", ''[[Juice Magazine]]''. Retrieved October 6, 2007.</ref>

Morello said of [[wage slavery]] in America:

{{Blockquote|America touts itself as the land of the free, but the number one freedom that you and I have is the freedom to enter into a subservient role in the workplace. Once you exercise this freedom you've lost all control over what you do, what is produced, and how it is produced. And in the end, the product doesn't belong to you. The only way you can avoid bosses and jobs is if you don't care about making a living. Which leads to the second freedom: the freedom to starve.<ref>Young, Charles M. (February 1997), [http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/guitaryear.htm Tom Morello: Artist of the Year interview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825135926/http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/guitaryear.htm |date=August 25, 2012 }}, ''[[Guitar World]]''. Retrieved February 17, 2007.</ref>}}

Some critics have accused the group of [[hypocrisy]] for voicing commitment to leftist causes while being millionaires signed to [[Epic Records]], a [[subsidiary]] of media conglomerate [[Sony Music]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Rage On: The strange politics of millionaire rock stars|url=http://www.reason.com/news/show/27818.html|publisher=Reason Online|access-date=September 4, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080831085840/http://www.reason.com/news/show/27818.html|archive-date=August 31, 2008}}</ref> [[Infectious Grooves]] released a song called "Do What I Tell Ya!" which mocks lyrics from "Killing in the Name", accusing the band of being hypocrites.<ref name=blabbermouth>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/suicidal-tendencies-frontman-on-rumored-gang-affiliation-being-only-original-member/|title=Suicidal Tendencies Frontman On Rumored Gang Affiliation, Being Only Original Member|date=November 26, 2008|publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com|access-date=June 26, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110031728/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/suicidal-tendencies-frontman-on-rumored-gang-affiliation-being-only-original-member/|archive-date=November 10, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wdAzAQAAIAAJ&q=do+what+i+tell+ya+infectious+grooves+lyrics|title=The Guinness encyclopedia of popular music|access-date=June 26, 2012|isbn=9781561591763|year=1995|last1=Larkin|first1=Colin|publisher=Guinness Pub. |archive-date=April 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427024051/https://books.google.com/books?id=wdAzAQAAIAAJ&q=do+what+i+tell+ya+infectious+grooves+lyrics|url-status=live}}</ref> In response to such critiques, Morello stated:

{{Blockquote|When you live in a [[capitalism|capitalistic]] society, the currency of the dissemination of information goes through capitalistic channels. Would [[Noam Chomsky]] object to his works being sold at [[Barnes & Noble]]? No, because that's where people buy their books. We're not interested in preaching to just the converted. It's great to play abandoned [[squatting|squats]] run by [[anarchism|anarchists]], but it's also great to be able to reach people with a revolutionary message, people from [[Granada Hills, Los Angeles|Granada Hills]] to [[Stuttgart]].<ref name="officialfaq"/>}}

De la Rocha stated:

{{Blockquote|Yeah, to get as many people as possible to join the political debate, to get the dialogue going. I was wondering today, why would anyone climb to the roof of the American Embassy with a banner that says "Free [[Mumia Abu-Jamal]]", why do you do that? That's to get the international press' attention. The international network that [[Sony]] has available, is to me the perfect tool you know, it can get even more people to join a revolutionary awareness and fight.<ref name="musicfanclubs2">{{cite web|url=http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/prop.htm|title=the complete RATM site|publisher=Musicfanclubs.org|access-date=June 26, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319022800/http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/prop.htm|archive-date=March 19, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}

For their 2020 reunion tour, the band announced all profits from their first three shows&mdash;in [[El Paso]], Texas; [[Las Cruces, New Mexico|Las Cruces]], New Mexico; and [[Glendale, Arizona|Glendale]], Arizona&mdash;would be donated to immigrant rights organizations in the US. For subsequent shows, 10% of the base ticket price and 100% of proceeds after fees and base ticket price were reserved for charities local to each city they were performing in.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wallis |first1=Adam |title=Expensive Rage Against the Machine tickets are for charity, says guitarist Tom Morello |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6569297/rage-against-the-machine-ticket-prices/ |website=[[Global News]] |access-date=20 March 2021 |archive-date=April 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409164245/https://globalnews.ca/news/6569297/rage-against-the-machine-ticket-prices/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Blistein |first1=Jon |title=How Rage Against the Machine Are Trying to Beat Scalpers |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rage-against-the-machine-scalpers-reunion-tour-tickets-953247/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=February 14, 2020 |access-date=20 March 2021 |archive-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327015718/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rage-against-the-machine-scalpers-reunion-tour-tickets-953247/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2021, more than 600 musicians, including Rage Against the Machine, added their signature to the open letter calling for a [[Boycotts of Israel|boycott]] of performances in [[Israel]] until the [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupation of the Palestinian territories]] comes to an end.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rage Against the Machine, Roger Waters, Serj Tankian, among many to boycott Israel |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/glitz/rage-against-machine-roger-waters-serj-tankian-among-many-boycott-israel-254626 |work=The Business Standard |date=2 June 2021}}</ref> Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello voiced support for a ceasefire in the [[Gaza war]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello condemns harm to all children after Jamie Lee Curtis Gaza pic |url=https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/10/12/rage-against-the-machines-tom-morello-condemns-harm-to-all-children-after-jamie-lee-curtis |work=Euronews |date=October 12, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Zack de la Rocha skips Rock Hall Induction to Attend March for Palestine |url=https://phoenixxmusicmagazine.com/zack-de-la-rocha-skips-induction/ |work=Phoenix Music Magazine |date=November 9, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Musicians for Palestine: Thousands of musicians sign letter for Gaza ceasefire |url=https://www.euronews.com/2023/11/23/musicians-for-palestine-thousands-of-musicians-sign-letter-for-gaza-ceasefire |work=Euronews |date=November 23, 2023}}</ref>

On June 24, 2022, the band announced that they would donate $475,000 to reproductive rights groups in Wisconsin and Illinois after the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]'s ruling to overturn ''[[Roe v. Wade]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Iasimone|first=Ashley|title=Rage Against the Machine Donates $475K to Reproductive Rights Organizations Following Roe v. Wade Ruling|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/rage-against-the-machine-reproductive-rights-donation-roe-v-wade-1235106408/|date=June 25, 2022|access-date=June 26, 2022|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=June 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625235528/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/rage-against-the-machine-reproductive-rights-donation-roe-v-wade-1235106408/|url-status=live}}</ref> During their July 9 concert in Wisconsin, the band further expressed opposition to overturning of ''Roe v. Wade'' using screened images of text including "Abort the Supreme Court" and "Forced birth in a country where black birth-givers experience [[Maternal mortality in the United States|maternal mortality]] two to three times higher than that of white birth-givers. Forced birth in a country where gun violence is the number one cause of death among children and teenagers."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-07-11/rage-against-the-machine-reunion-roe-vs-wade-abort-supreme-court|title=Rage Against the Machine reunites with a potent message: 'Abort the Supreme Court'|last=Draughorne|first=Kenan|date=July 11, 2022|access-date=July 12, 2022|work=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=July 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711224123/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-07-11/rage-against-the-machine-reunion-roe-vs-wade-abort-supreme-court|url-status=live}}</ref>