Have you heard the term Luddite tossed around on the news lately? Perhaps you have come across it in print media and are unsure what it means. If so, then we can help. Though the word is used with negative connotations, the actual meaning is quite different. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n
The meaning of Luddite is a person that is against the progression of technology, advanced ways of working, or advancement in general. Luddites typically were lower working-class people who made a point of sabotaging machinery or tech that they felt threatened their job security.<\/strong><\/p>\n Though the Luddite trend started in the 1800s, they still exist even today. There are many people and communities that are against modern advancement. Specifically, advancements that have the potential to replace human labor and those that invade human privacy. Another meaning of the term Luddite is a person who is unable to operate or comprehend new technology, even if they are not vehemently opposed to its use.<\/p>\n \u201cI think people that avoid using smartphones or the internet, in general, are Luddites\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrying to convince people that using self-checkout or avoiding automated services makes you sound like a Luddite\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is nothing wrong with being a Luddite so long as you don\u2019t try to force everyone else to live by your ideals\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of people running our government now that are actually Luddites, the problem is they resist change while also influencing policy\u201d.<\/p>\n The actual origin of the term Luddite is not exactly clear, however, it started showing up in the 1800s. It is said that a worker named Ned Ludd was responsible for breaking a machine in a factory where he worked in Nottingham. At the time, his boss thought him to be feeble-minded so it was assumed that it was not intentional. As a result, other factory workers started to blame future breaks on Ludd even if he was not at fault.<\/p>\n During the time of the Industrial Revolution, factory workers started revolting as machines were brought in to replace some of their jobs. This was also due to poor work conditions and skinflint pay scales. During the revolution, people began to Coplay in different disguises claiming to have been sent by Ned Ludd to encourage workplace improvements. When the demands were left unheard, these men would then break machinery in the factories in the middle of the night. Over time it became clear that if someone showed up to make demands given the name of Ned Ludd, the result would be broken machinery if the demands were not met. Eventually, the act went so far as to gain widespread popularity after which the term Luddites was created.<\/p>\n However, despite getting broad support for their movement, the Lancashire mill protest is where things took a turn for the worst. Several people ended up dead at the end of the protest, though the term Luddite lived on.<\/p>\nExample Usage<\/h2>\n
Origin<\/h2>\n