when does political awareness become preachiness?

I was thinking about this when i was listening to Honor Role last night. They have several songs bemoaning American obsession with violence/insulation from it. They even talk about the peasants whose exploitation provides our comfort and how they are amassing weaponry. I feel like i often find this kind of thing irritating and preachy. Like when Mr. Lif does it, or any number of crap hardcore bands. But i find the honor role stuff really rousing? Maybe it is the quality of the music that makes the difference? I don't know. A total lack of political awareness also annoys me. Which maybe says something about my penchant for lyrics and ignorance about sound....