The neo luddism in resemblance to 21st century's technocracy

1. THE NEO-LUDDISM IN
RESEMBLANCE TO 21ST
CENTURY'S TECHNOCRACY
TAMSA PANDYA
ROLL NO: 28
EMAIL ID: TAMSAPANDYA25@GMAIL.COM
PAPER NAME: literary criticism
SUBMITTED: S.B.GARDI DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH , MKBU

2. WHAT IS NEO-LUDDISM?
Neo-luddism according to KIRKPATRICK , a
social critic and historian, refers to a
“Group of people who use technology in
passive.” They propose living a simpler life
instead using no modern technology .
Whereas according to CHELLIS
GLENDINNING writes that “ notes toward a
neo-luddite manifesto” neo-luddism is not
against technologies. They are opposed to
the kind of technologies that are , at root,
destructive to human lives and communities.
Technologies that produce a negative effect
and impact on the individual and the society
we live in.

3. THE BRIEF HISTORY
OF NEO-LUDDISM
Luddites could be considered the first victims of
corporate downsizing. The Luddite movement
began in the vicinity of Nottingham, England,
toward the end of 1811 when textile mill workers
rioted for the destruction of the new machinery
that was slowly replacing them. Their name is of
uncertain origin, but it may be connected to a
(probably mythical) person known as Ned Ludd.
According to an unsubstantiated account in
George Pellew's Life of Lord Sidmouth (1847),
Ned Ludd was a Leicestershire villager of the
late 1700s who, in a fit of insane rage, rushed
into a stocking weaver's house and destroyed
his equipment. From then on, his name was
proverbially connected with the destruction of
machinery. With the onset of the information
age, Luddite gained a broader sense describing
anyone who shuns new technology.

4. CAUSES OF ENGLAND’S DISTRESS
Poverty: Harsh
economic time
because of
Napoletic war
Non-
enforcement of
laws meant to
protect
workers
Mechanical
looms and
spinners
replacing skilled
craftsman

5. TARGETING NEO-LUDDITES IN THE 21ST
CENTURY
 “While technical innovation has come on
leaps and bounds since the early 19th
century, these Luddite-inspired trends
are still present in the form of the “neo-
Luddite” – ADAM HOWTSON
 The rapid advancements in technology
that we’re seeing in the digital era is
bound to continue to grow.

6. SHASHI THAROOR’S POINT
OF VIEW TOWADS LUDDISM:
IN 21ST CENTURY
The Luddite movement may have died out soon
enough, but the name clung to those who opposed
many forms of modern technology over the
following two centuries. In India, the Communist
cadres who smashed computers when they were
first introduced into LIC offices and public sector
banks in the 1980s did so for exactly the same
reasons as their forebears in Nottingham in 1811 –
they feared the new machines would replace them
in their jobs and make their mathematical and
computational skills irrelevant. They were Indian
Luddites. Today the word is also used more
irreverently to refer to anyone resistant to
technology; housewives who won’t trust
microwave ovens, parents who don’t Whatsup,
middle-aged resisters of smartphones, and the like
can all be described as Luddites

7.  But there are still some serious Luddites around, who don’t
agree with the way modern technology is transforming our
lives. In April 1996 the Second Luddite Congress met in
Barnesville, Ohio, and issued a manifesto proclaiming the birth
of Neo-Luddism as “a leaderless movement of passive
resistance to consumerism and the increasingly bizarre and
frightening technologies of the Computer Age.” As with all
leaderless movements, however, the Neo-Luddites seem to
have faded away without a whimper; Google, another
technology they no doubt oppose, records no mention of a
Third Luddite Congress.

8. Luddism in the future
As a result of the increasing automation and
robotization of the economy, some experts think that
the Luddite movements will have a great boom in the
coming years. Due to this, there are opposing
theories; those that maintain that automation will not
destroy jobs in the next few years, but it will create
new jobs, and those that think that it will cause
massive unemployment and important social
problems.

9. EXCESSIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY WILL LIKELY LEAD TO CYBERCRIME, DATA
THEFT INCIDENTS, AS WELL AS CYBER SECURITY, SECURITY CODES ARE
EXPECTED TO MAKE INTRODUCE ALTER SAFE ZONES AND JUDICIOUS USE
OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE FUTURE.
 The second one happens then, it is
possible that some people, due to being
removed from the labor market, might be
led to Luddite movements and these
might become important, perhaps even
to the point of the rise of some violent
movements. Should we think about
looking for protection for our mobile
phones?
 However, it is worth remembering that
technology has been around for many
decades and has been essential for
human progress. Technology has
contributed to the human being for a
longer, healthier, more comfortable and
more enriching life. Although it is
convenient to have control over
technological progress for its ultimate
purpose, which is to improve people’s
lives, ending technology completely does
not seem like a good idea.

10. Works Cited
Andrews, Evan. History. 7 August 2015. 25 February 2020. <https://www.history.com/.amp/news/who-were-
the-luddites>.
Merriam-Webster. n.d. 27 February 2020. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Luddite#other-
words>.
Tharoor, Shashi. Hindustan Times. 21 September 2019. 25 February 2020.
<https://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/shashi-tharoor-s-word-of-the-week-luddite/story-
Z2qlAwKA83rreaGSVYsyXM.html>.