FORCES OF CONSUMPTION - FROM THE SYMBOLIC TO THE PSYCHOTIC

The soft machine is the human body under constant siege from a vast hu ngry host of parasites with many names but one nature being hungry and one intention to eat. (Burroughs, 1986: 130) When our knowledge is ha rd to bear with, our only escape is to treat it the way we treat thing s that offend us: we sweep such things away, put them at a distance fr om which their stench or repulsive sight is less likely to affect us; we hide them. Offensive thoughts must be suppressed. (Bauman, 1992: 12 ) How strange it is. We have these deep terrible lingering fears about ourselves and the people we love. Yet we walk around, talk to people, eat and drink. We manage to function. The feelings are deep and real. Shouldn't they paralyse us? How is it we can survive them, at least f or a while? We drive a car, we teach a class. How is it no one sees ho w deeply afraid we were, last night, this morning? Is it something we all hide from each other, by mutual consent? Or do we share the same s ecret without knowing it? Wear the same disguise? (DeLillo, 1985: 198) .