I really think that the problem with Agile isn't really Agile as such. It's that Agile, at least everywhere that I've seen it done, is used as a mechanism by management to squeeze developers harder rather than to be a better method of development.

In other words, it exists to serve management, not product development. That's why it ends up as a means to treat programmers like machines.

That's not really Agile's fault. As long as management has the last word about things, any methodology will end up the same way.