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Have you ever tried krokodil — the semi-synthetic opioid that, in the early 2010s, achieved viral notoriety from the gory images of it literally eating away at the flesh around where it was injected?
No? Would you, therefore, call yourself a krokodil luddite? Someone too closed-minded to appreciate the benefits of necrosis in one’s arms and legs?
Have you ever taken a bath with a toaster? And if not, would you describe yourself as a taking-a-bath-with-a-toaster luddite?
Of course you wouldn’t. Not least because the term luddite is pretty much exclusively reserved for those who oppose the rising tides of technological advancement, and doesn’t encompass those who engage in insanely risky behaviors (like, for example, injecting themselves with a drug whose name literally means “crocodile” in Russian).
Having been described as a luddite on many occasions, in part because I’ve never shied away from saying “this is dumb and harmful,” I’ve had plenty of cause to think about why this epithet bothers me so much. And it’s not just because I’m incredibly thin-skinned.
I think my issue with the term comes down to the presupposition that tech either isn’t harmful, or is safe until proven otherwise, and thus any skepticism must therefore be completely irrational.
Or, perhaps those using the term believe that any harm that tech does is relatively minor, especially compared to the good it brings, and thus, focusing on the harm is irrational.
Perhaps it’s just an easy way of shutting down an awkward conversation — one where the opposing party has to acknowledge that the devices they use, or the websites they frequent, have a cost, whether that cost be personal or societal.
The reason why I bring this up is because I’ve noticed the term pop up over the past few days to describe attitudes to tech that aren’t irrational, and are, in fact, rather sensible.
And, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, it bothers me.