• magnetosphere@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I read an article (probably linked to from here) about how “Luddite” isn’t the insult many people think it is. Luddites weren’t dumb, or superstitious and needlessly afraid of technology.

    The historical Luddites were knowledgeable regarding technology. They weren’t anti-technology in general, they simply didn’t trust the rich and powerful to use it in a way that genuinely benefited society as a whole. Unfortunately, capitalists did what capitalists always do - they used machines to churn out inferior goods and cut worker pay. That’s why Luddites destroyed/sabotaged machines.

    After learning that, I started considering Luddite a compliment.

    • tillimarleen@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Cool! I‘d also see it as a compliment. That‘s why I was surprised that a fellow luddite would interpret it differently. Alas, it was just this little word that made us stumble. But yeah, the Luddites knew that machines weren‘t evil. But that they would be used to generate more profit and not to lessen their toil