Okay but like… the Luddites were right though.

They weren’t opposed to technology. In many cases, they were the ones who built the machines they would later destroy.

They were opposed to letting capital owners dictate how the technology was used. They worried that they would end up working longer hours, in worse conditions, for less pay.

They died (and killed) to prevent this — to the point where destroying a knitting frame was declared a capital offense.

While they did get disbanded eventually, they also laid the groundwork for modern labor rights.

Which is why it’s super disappointing that their name has become a derogatory term for being stuck in the past, when they were ultimately calling for a progressive technological revolution that we have still failed to achieve today.