Phaiku No. 16
Luddites
It is not the machines, it is the masters who oppress us.
~ unknown
Phaiku No. 16
Luddites
~ jlynn
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new technology
exploitation mania
who’s afraid of whom?
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Shorthand for ignorance or … foresight?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a Luddite is “a person who is opposed to new technology or working methods.”
The term began not as an insult but as a protest. In early 19th-century England, textile and other skilled workers feared new machines would destroy their livelihoods. They protested, demanding fair wages and working conditions.
Soon after, industrialists and government officials co-opted the word, using it to discredit those same workers. “Luddite” came to mean irrational fear of progress rather than defense of dignity.
Lately, the word’s been revived—this time aimed at those questioning artificial intelligence. But the pattern feels familiar.
Some who’ve been called Luddites for voicing concern about AI’s impact on humanity are reclaiming the term, returning to its roots.
As Joseph Park of the Digital Architecture Lab writes, “It’s important to determine if a technology is harmful to the common good, and to challenge it when necessary. It’s more about thoughtful progress, not about opposing technological advancement outright.”
That, I think, aligns with what the original Luddites believed. They didn’t fear machines; they feared misuse. They weren’t anti-progress; they wanted fair progress.
And maybe that’s what the “Neo-Luddites” of today are asking for—not silence in the face of innovation, but discernment. Not rejection of technology, but resistance to exploitation.
I used to think “Luddite” was just a slur for the fearful. Then I looked closer.
It’s not just because I write that I pay attention to words. I do it because words are supposed to mean something. Without context and care, meaning slips away.
So now I understand “Luddite” a little better.
How about you?
Are you a Luddite—the anti-technology kind, or the anti-exploitation kind?
No answer necessary. Just the thought.
Who’s afraid of whom?
