Comedy Duo Deliver an Apolitical Parody of Rage Against The Machine

Two Tree Hill, a self-proclaimed “first musical comedy duo”, performed the funniest version of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing In The Name” in recent history. It’s “no politics here, just ROCK,” which sounds absurd when talking about the notoriously activist band. But it’s not as apolitical as it seems, and the musical duo made a diss track for fence-sitters. The duo describes centrists as people with “conflicting thoughts on a lot of things,” from trivial matters such as choosing between Shake Shack or In-And-Out, to heavier matters that demand firm stances.

Two Tree Hill namechecks issues such as climate change and gender identity, which are topics that require people to choose sides. To believe in climate change and defend LGBTQ+ rights are both issues that demand definitive statements. Choosing to stand in the middle of these issues, despite claiming to understand both sides, is an irony that the duo revels in. They also poked fun at centrists’ ability to provoke questions sans hardline opinions on ethical and moral issues. Conservatives like centrists because they’re agreeable to the point of compromise. These centrists will never stand in the way of the conservative agenda, thanks to their indecision and inaction.

The second half of the performance is even funnier as it highlights the apathy among centrists. Being able to stand in the middle and constantly weigh beliefs isn’t necessarily bad. But Two Tree Hill take centrists’ inability to choose sides as a major point of criticism. Their version of Rage Against the Machine might have a “no politics” disclaimer, but apathy is also a political statement, albeit one that won’t win favors from either side.

(featured image: screenshots/TikTok)