Who's Your Luddite

The Luddites were a group of textile workers who during the English industrial revolution resisted progress and the implementation of technical advancement. The nature of their work was threatened by new developments and they resisted by sabotage. They were severely prosecuted for their efforts, imprisoned and in some cases killed.

Linda McQuaig likens the late Bush administration and the Cheney oil lobby as this ages’ Luddites. They have been resistant to change and have actively sabotaged Kyoto among other things to maintain a golden age of the oil economy.

What about ourselves? I find myself driving an SUV and occasionally flying in an airplane, today for the purpose of playing with gravity on a mountain, and more importantly to meet with my son Crossley. I have met the Luddites, and they are us. What influence can I have on him during our brief visit and what might he teach me?

One interesting direction the comments to the news have taking has to do with ‘the unions’. They alone seem to be responsible for the success or demise of the car companies. They cause one airline’s employees to be surely and pass the buck when they can, as opposed to another non unionized airline’s employees to be fun and more proficient. Reading between these lines one would conclude that unions are the root of all evil and the cause of all our economic stress. Somehow structure for fairness is being blamed for all that ails us and is being framed as something obsolete in today’s world.

I think instead of pointing the finger at the structures around us we might make more headway by starting with ourselves and re-framing our approach to the bigger issues that we face. It is amazing what the power of collective like mindedness can amount to when unleashed. This is one thing I hope the Green Party can help facilitate.