System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian recently delivered a strong message urging public unity in the face of political and media polarization.
The musician took to Instagram to post a short video clip addressing the current socio-political climate. He used his own band, which notoriously features members with wildly different political ideologies, as a primary example of how people can maintain strong relationships despite personal disagreements.
“Let me tell you something,” Daron Malakian began in the video. “System Of A Down is not a cult. System Of A Down is a band with four members – four members who are good people, who have different beliefs about different things, different solutions about complex problems.”
The band’s internal political dynamic has often been a topic of public discussion. Drummer John Dolmayan has been highly vocal in his support for President Donald Trump, while vocalist Serj Tankian is a prominent progressive activist who frequently speaks out against right-wing extremism. Meanwhile, bassist Shavo Odadjian generally keeps his political views private, and Daron Malakian often positions himself as an open-minded observer willing to engage with both sides of an issue.
Despite these sharp contrasts, the guitarist emphasized that collaboration and mutual respect are still entirely possible.
“Stop letting the media divide you, stop letting the government divide you. If we can be on stage together and have different thoughts and different beliefs, you can be together too. And for those of you who disagree with me, pull the tapeworm out of your a**!”
This call for unity follows another recent, highly charged political statement from the guitarist. On April 03, Daron Malakian posted an Instagram video flipping off the camera, accompanied by a caption directly calling out global leaders who initiate military conflicts while shielding their own families from danger.
Revisiting the core anti-war themes of System Of A Down‘s 2005 hit “B.Y.O.B.“, he wrote: “This one goes out to presidents and politicians who start wars and don’t send their sons, daughters, and loved ones to the battlefield. Why do they always send the poor?!!!!”
