Who Are the Real Luddites of the World?
Who are the real Luddites of the world?
First of all, the Luddites, 19th century followers of the mythical Ned Ludd were more interested in maintaining their jobs than they were in opposing technology. It was a case of one position being the result of the other. In this regard, today’s Luddites could very well be all those former workers in US manufacturing whose jobs went bye-bye as a result of “free” trade. Perhaps the main difference is that in early 19th century England-read some Dickens to learn about the time- it wasn’t a case of Change or Die, as life today may be characherized, it was a case of Change and Die.
Today, the term, “Luddite”, commonly has a less historically-correct meaning. Forgotten is the worker abuse part. A Luddite today is simply a person who opposes technological change. Back-to-the-landers, environmentalists, dirty f**king hippies, tribalists, and other proponents of less industry and more harmony with nature have been called Luddites for their beliefs. For the sake of throwing shit back into certain peoples’ faces (duck!), I am going to use the lower-case term, “luddite”, in its modern context- an opponent of technological change.
But who are the REAL opponents of technological changes, of a new 21st century industrial revolution? That’s easy; they are, by and large, corporate CEOs, board members, and the politicians who enable and support them. What irony. Let’s see about just a few:
a.) Fossil Fuel Power. The real luddites here are the followers of King Coal. Example: For years, Peabody Coal resisted using over 5000 acre-feet of pristine deserst aquifer water to operate a 270-mile coal slurry line to a power plant that was the most polluting facility in the entire US. That was after they succeeded in forcible removing over 10,000 people from the land they had lived on for generations. When confronted with the prospect of a shutdown unless they invested in modernization steps that would abate the pollution and excessive desert water use, they shut down the mine. The Mohave power plant that used all that watered-down coal also shut down. Even today, Navajo people are facing the same set of intrusions into their lives and culture with the imminent construction of the Desert Rock power plant by Sithe Energy, a big energy company. But it's not just coal. Ditto Queen Oil, if for nothing else but for buying up solar energy companies and running them into the ground. Luddites, all.
b.) Automobiles. Let’s not elaborate too much here. As a former UAW member, I saw the end of US dominance in the car and truck industry on the horizon long ago. At least they put robots in the horrible body assembly lines.
c.) Lighting. Can anyone say, compact fluorescent? Wait! This just in: Can anyone say LED or this one: LED(b) or this one: LED(c) or this one: LED(d)?
d.) Nukyular Energy. Whatever happened to those borosilicate beads, anyway? All our storage problems were supposed to be at mitigated by locking up the waste in glass beads. But what about the current resurgence of “new” nuke power? Luddite alternatives like pebble bed reactors and in situ uranium mining don’t change the environmental equations one little bit. Nuclear energy is the quintessential luddite scheme. Nothing changes for 10,000 years or more!
e.) Computers. Sure, hi-tech has Moore’s Law to shield itself from the charges of luddism. Except that Greenpeace has a slightly different take on things, accusing Apple Computer (albeit in a verrrry kindly way) of failing to make proven changes in its laptop manufacturing process that would reduce toxic substances in the industrial stream. Li-ion batteries, too. Poof!
f.) Let’s just stop there. You get the idea, and I’m already on hour two with this post. Yes, I just marvel at you daily diarists!
To summarize: Today’s luddites are the people in power who are resisting technological change in exchange for short-term profits and/or other pathological motives.
p.s.: Possible 21st Century Manhattan Projects: End electrical generation that uses fossil fuels, save billions of tons of CO2 waste; End the manufacture of gas hogs that leave shit in the air from LA to the Colorado River, save billions of tons of CO2 waste; End incandescent lighting, save billions of tons of CO2 waste; End nuclear reactor use, save millions of gallons of pristine desert aquifer water, and tons of radioactive waste; End industrial processes that produce toxic chemicals as an environmental waste byproduct, save a planet and its inhabitants.
Have I forgot any ideas? Duhhhhh....
First of all, the Luddites, 19th century followers of the mythical Ned Ludd were more interested in maintaining their jobs than they were in opposing technology. It was a case of one position being the result of the other. In this regard, today’s Luddites could very well be all those former workers in US manufacturing whose jobs went bye-bye as a result of “free” trade. Perhaps the main difference is that in early 19th century England-read some Dickens to learn about the time- it wasn’t a case of Change or Die, as life today may be characherized, it was a case of Change and Die.
Today, the term, “Luddite”, commonly has a less historically-correct meaning. Forgotten is the worker abuse part. A Luddite today is simply a person who opposes technological change. Back-to-the-landers, environmentalists, dirty f**king hippies, tribalists, and other proponents of less industry and more harmony with nature have been called Luddites for their beliefs. For the sake of throwing shit back into certain peoples’ faces (duck!), I am going to use the lower-case term, “luddite”, in its modern context- an opponent of technological change.
But who are the REAL opponents of technological changes, of a new 21st century industrial revolution? That’s easy; they are, by and large, corporate CEOs, board members, and the politicians who enable and support them. What irony. Let’s see about just a few:
a.) Fossil Fuel Power. The real luddites here are the followers of King Coal. Example: For years, Peabody Coal resisted using over 5000 acre-feet of pristine deserst aquifer water to operate a 270-mile coal slurry line to a power plant that was the most polluting facility in the entire US. That was after they succeeded in forcible removing over 10,000 people from the land they had lived on for generations. When confronted with the prospect of a shutdown unless they invested in modernization steps that would abate the pollution and excessive desert water use, they shut down the mine. The Mohave power plant that used all that watered-down coal also shut down. Even today, Navajo people are facing the same set of intrusions into their lives and culture with the imminent construction of the Desert Rock power plant by Sithe Energy, a big energy company. But it's not just coal. Ditto Queen Oil, if for nothing else but for buying up solar energy companies and running them into the ground. Luddites, all.
b.) Automobiles. Let’s not elaborate too much here. As a former UAW member, I saw the end of US dominance in the car and truck industry on the horizon long ago. At least they put robots in the horrible body assembly lines.
c.) Lighting. Can anyone say, compact fluorescent? Wait! This just in: Can anyone say LED or this one: LED(b) or this one: LED(c) or this one: LED(d)?
d.) Nukyular Energy. Whatever happened to those borosilicate beads, anyway? All our storage problems were supposed to be at mitigated by locking up the waste in glass beads. But what about the current resurgence of “new” nuke power? Luddite alternatives like pebble bed reactors and in situ uranium mining don’t change the environmental equations one little bit. Nuclear energy is the quintessential luddite scheme. Nothing changes for 10,000 years or more!
e.) Computers. Sure, hi-tech has Moore’s Law to shield itself from the charges of luddism. Except that Greenpeace has a slightly different take on things, accusing Apple Computer (albeit in a verrrry kindly way) of failing to make proven changes in its laptop manufacturing process that would reduce toxic substances in the industrial stream. Li-ion batteries, too. Poof!
f.) Let’s just stop there. You get the idea, and I’m already on hour two with this post. Yes, I just marvel at you daily diarists!
To summarize: Today’s luddites are the people in power who are resisting technological change in exchange for short-term profits and/or other pathological motives.
p.s.: Possible 21st Century Manhattan Projects: End electrical generation that uses fossil fuels, save billions of tons of CO2 waste; End the manufacture of gas hogs that leave shit in the air from LA to the Colorado River, save billions of tons of CO2 waste; End incandescent lighting, save billions of tons of CO2 waste; End nuclear reactor use, save millions of gallons of pristine desert aquifer water, and tons of radioactive waste; End industrial processes that produce toxic chemicals as an environmental waste byproduct, save a planet and its inhabitants.
Have I forgot any ideas? Duhhhhh....
posted by jcrit at 9:41 AM
1 Comments:
Opposition to Nuclear Power is the "Real" luddite position.
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