Rage Against The Machine Vs. Pussy Riot: Why Protest Songs By Themselves Aren’t Enough

“The politically important stuff about music isn’t the ‘content’ of the lyrics; it’s the symbolic gestures made by the people performing them. In fact, the lyrics matter so little that Paul Ryan can enjoy songs [by Rage Against the Machine] about American foreign policy that are diametrically opposed to his belief in American exceptionalism.”