I Do Not Think That Word Means What You Think It Means

I haven't got a smartphone, and I don't use social media much.  I don't have a Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and I don't text much.  Does this make me a Luddite? 

Luddite protestors smashing a textile making machine.

Not in the traditional sense, no.  The word Luddite has come to mean someone who doesn't use much or isn't very good with technology, but originally, the Luddites were a group of protestors in Industrial-Revolution-era Britain.  They targeted factories and broke machines, but they weren't necessarily opposed to technology itself as much as the way that technology was used.  They were fine with machines as long as they were operated by responsible workers who were trained and paid decent wages, and so long as they didn't take over people's lives completely.  Their protests were well-orchestrated, supposedly led by a man named Ned Ludd, who turned out to be fictional.  Some of the protestors cross-dressed, and the protests had a playful and lighthearted feel that made them memorable, even as the Luddites were protesting very serious issues, some of which still remain today.  For our exploration of the Luddites, we wrote a RAFT essay - a mock primary source letter from someone experiencing the Luddites' protests during the industrial revolution. Here is a factory girl's letter to a cousin in America.

Dearest Cousin Addy,

     You know that I have recently gotten a job at a factory in Manchester.  I like it here, and I fear that my father would bring me home if I told him what has been happening here, but I need someone to confide to.  There are groups of protestors who have been rioting against the factories, smashing machines and killing mill owners.  There have been some shots fired, and I am afraid.  None of the protests have been against the factory where I am working yet, but I fear that that may change soon.  Soldiers have been sent to protect the factories, and I am afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
     Factory work can be dangerous, I know that.  Many girls have had terrible accidents and been injured, and I have been very fortunate to avoid something like that.  The work is long and hard and the wages are not stellar, but it is nice to be around other girls of my own age and to be able to send money home to my family.  I enjoy working here.
     I think that these Luddites are right to ask for better wages and working conditions, but the violent protests and the retaliation of the soldiers is frightening.  I wish sometimes that I was brave enough to protest for better wages, but that would surely lose me my job, and I might get hurt in the protests.  I'll leave the violence to others for now.

Love, Mary

Image: Conniff, Richard, What the Luddites Really Fought Against, smithsonian.com
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-the-luddites-really-fought-against-264412/?no-ist=&c=y%3Fno-ist&page=1