Semi-retired professor Carolyn Marvin became a local celebrity facing down Philadelphia’s growing robot delivery army: ‘It’s my first amendment right to protest’
The Luddites were the good guys, by the way. They were labor activists fighting back against mass-unemployment in a world that didn’t care what happened to workers who lost their livelihood.
The government response was to make “machine breaking” a capital crime so that they could execute labor activists who dared take direct action.
Declaring yourself anti-Luddite is just taking the side of the capitalists who would murder workers to protect the machines. That’s not a wise side to be taking today if you’re not a billionaire.
A Luddite is someone who opposes new technology, automation, or the modern information age.
I’m aware of the history and it’s a very apt parallel. At the same time it strikes me as rather futile and misguided to push against progress to save shitty jobs. Worker protections have improved over the 200 years since then, we just need to make sure society keeps moving in the right direction for everyone.
We havnt solved world hunger, income inequality, climate change or so many other human social issues… but yes, a robot to deliever food to the wealthiest folks is going to be the future and help everyone!
You’re right, a person doing that job will totally fill the income inequality gap. That’s the real future of worker emancipation. Up by the bootstraps, one McDonald’s order at a time!
The Luddites were the good guys, by the way. They were labor activists fighting back against mass-unemployment in a world that didn’t care what happened to workers who lost their livelihood.
The government response was to make “machine breaking” a capital crime so that they could execute labor activists who dared take direct action.
Declaring yourself anti-Luddite is just taking the side of the capitalists who would murder workers to protect the machines. That’s not a wise side to be taking today if you’re not a billionaire.
Luddite
/ˈlʌdʌɪt/
A Luddite is someone who opposes new technology, automation, or the modern information age.
I’m aware of the history and it’s a very apt parallel. At the same time it strikes me as rather futile and misguided to push against progress to save shitty jobs. Worker protections have improved over the 200 years since then, we just need to make sure society keeps moving in the right direction for everyone.
I bet you call billionaires “job creators” don’t you?
Progress for whom?
We havnt solved world hunger, income inequality, climate change or so many other human social issues… but yes, a robot to deliever food to the wealthiest folks is going to be the future and help everyone!
You’re right, a person doing that job will totally fill the income inequality gap. That’s the real future of worker emancipation. Up by the bootstraps, one McDonald’s order at a time!
Not having a job is shittier than having a shitty job.
One act of resistance will never solve a societal problem, but that doesn’t make acts of resistance useless.