Luddite?

What is a Luddite? Can they be relevant in today’s society? What is a modern Luddite? Is it (lud-ite) or (lude-ite)?  After reading Pynchon’s article, I had a broad idea of what a Luddite was and what they did but I wanted to look further into the subject. Honestly in all my 18 years, 7 months, and 15 days on this earth I have never heard of the term Luddite but I was willing to do some research. 

Many sites I came across told me the Luddites were people who were angered at the invention of the sewing machine and smashed them all up to open jobs up for people. They were against the establishment. They were not against machines, or even technological change. They were just against the labour saving machines that would put them out of work. If machines have been created back then to aid the Luddites but not take away their jobs, they would have been all for it. 

Now if you bring that definition to the 21st century, we can say we are Luddites to a degree. For example, I think everyone would appreciates the computer, after trying to write a 5 page essay on a typewriter. Imagine restarting your paper after every mistake you made on the typewriter. The computer now was the technological change. It helped us without taking away our humanity or jobs. Another example is illegal immigrants coming to work in the U.S. I hear that those immigrants are taking away U.S jobs. Now look at both examples. Did you react the same way? If you did you are a Luddite. 

The vast majority of us are Luddites and many do not even know about it. Maybe we as humans are born humanists but by human nature and curiosity we are pulled toward science. 

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I found this song on youtube as I searched for Luddites. I would fit it into the category of Rebecca Blacks Friday but at least it has some helpful information.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgBiGrpWNQU 

I also found an interesting article relating the unemployment rate with automative machines taking jobs. This is an article that would get any Luddists blood to boil.    http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/515926/how-technology-is-destroying-jobs/