mere cat

Rage Against the Machine

When I was a kid and started reading sections of the newspaper other than the comics, I would come across the term “machine” in articles about politics. Fascinated as I was by science and engineering, this image appealed to me, but I had no appreciation for the subtlety of the metaphor. I was trying to picture an actual machine.

I haven’t had any direct experience with the machine, but after reading Albert’s post (“Democratic Committeeperson Challenges”) it’s clear how very real it is. I think the machine metaphor may be inadequate, though. I’m picturing something more organic, perhaps even parasitic (the lamprey comes to mind), something with a hyper-sensitive immune system that reacts to any attack, real or imaginary. With self-preservation seemingly as its primary goal, it’s a life form that isn’t interested in evolving, that’s for sure.