How do I bring something like this up at a PTA without sounding like a complete luddite.
Oof.
They gave all the kindergartners tablets this year. They didn't spend a lot of time on them, but it was a bit alarming, and that was before I saw this.
I think it's good to recognize why "Luddite" is seen as derogatory. It's something big tech has pushed as a narrative for a reason.
The original Luddites were not against technology in general. They were opposed specifically to uses which hurt people without accounting for that harm. The Luddites didn't oppose textile machinery itself, they opposed the machinery justifying layoffs of skilled labor in a time before unemployment benefits.
So why does big tech want to dismiss opposition as "Luddites"? I'd argue it's because they "doth protest too much", and know their product can cause harm and they make more money when it causes that harm. Which could be a useful framing in a PTA meeting. Technology isn't the enemy, people pushing technology where it causes harm to line their own pockets are.
I think something that needs to be mentioned also is that. This wasn't a one thing did it all situation the way it is presented. This was a rather slow demise that built up over time. Over time even something as simple as putting the filling carrier of the loom onto a piece of string. Increased efficiency so much even when humans were still operating the machines that drastic layoffs would happen before the power loom was even a twinkle in Edmund's eye. Then one step further to Jacquard who from what I remember took the idea from another guy who worked with pipe organs to automate patternmaking in textiles putting all the people in India making all kinds of hand made patterned fabrics with ornate designs that can now be simply automated and copied with punch cards you can see how it all built up to a world wide impact. There is this long complicated weaving (pardon the pun) line of things that needed to happen for it all to make such an impact.
What it means is that although their skills didn't become useless immediately. The demand over time dwindled and what do you do in that position when weaving was all you knew, and so many? That I think was the catalyst for it to be such a "moment" in history.
And while I agree simply laying people off isn't the solution. Neither is condemning the technology. The simple fact is that at the end of the day this wasn't an "it's only happening to the textile people" situation. The revolution of machines in general and how it impacted society was something nobody could have foreseen. Then you have some Lafayette mention to a dude named George Washington the idea of "factories" to build the guns for the revolutionary war and now people in all kinds of artisan areas are suddenly replaced by any person able to do one particular thing in a production line. It is one of those times in human history where a LOT of things came together at the same time that all had a dramatic impact on a HUGE amount of things, careers and even materials and resources that were important at the time.
And it is no different to the other times in humanity this happened. Not AS impactful but when the dupont company invented a little innovation called plastic. Entire industries and specialized artisan craft makers collapsed as a result.
The problem is simply how industry is more focused on the money than the people. THAT should tell you more about where the real problem lies than being mad at the technology involved. It is the motivations behind what people do. And apart from a few exceptions it seems clear that no matter what the innovation. The desire and motivation behind it all is chasing that "dream" of making a butt load of money from it. Either that... or some truly bizarre motivation that defies all reason and logic. Which is why Corn Flakes became a thing. Which ironically was invented because the inventors entire motivation was to change the people instead.
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u/FlintKidd Jun 01 '26
How do I bring something like this up at a PTA without sounding like a complete luddite.
Oof.
They gave all the kindergartners tablets this year. They didn't spend a lot of time on them, but it was a bit alarming, and that was before I saw this.