John Henry beat the machine and died. Wow, that line came out accidentally perfect for a direction I didn't intend to travel.
"The Machine": the social construct that confines us, that limits us, that watches and caps our actions
John Henry beat the machine and died. If you stick it to the Man the best you can, you're still mortal.
Anyways, back to what I was going for:
John Henry's story isn't just about race or technology or love or a tall-tale. The story of John Henry is about the struggle of life, resistance to change, staying strong in the face of adversary.
I was going to talk about that and make it an emotional gooshy statement of courage and pride, but I like the opening more:
John Henry beat the machine and died.
"If you stick it to the Man the best you can, you're still mortal."
Scary thought. Can anyone really beat "The Machine?"
Zach de la Rocha and Serj Tankian are probably the only people who've ever come close to beating "The Machine."
But seriously, to say that there really is a "Machine" is to say there is some kind of collective invisible boundary preventing us from our full potential. So in that sense, no, it is not possible to beat The Machine.
I'm not saying I like it.