Luddite A pejorative term for someone who opposes technological or industrial innovation, especially if it automates manual functions or processes.The term originates in an unconfirmed folk legend about a feebleminded English (Nottinghamshire or Leicestershire) textile worker named Ted Ludd who smashed (c. 1779) two stocking knitting frames with a hammer to protest beatings by his master. The Luddites (1811–1816) in England were groups of textile workers who protested the use of automated wide-frame textile looms that could be operated by cheap, unskilled labor.The movement was so strong that it led to labor riots and battles with the British army.At least 17 Luddites were convicted of industrial sabotage and executed for that crime. Many more were convicted and shipped off to penal colonies in Australia. Note: I wrote this definition (and this entire book) on a computer that I seriously considered smashing with a hammer on multiple occasions. |