Word of the Week

Lud·dite

Yesterday, as I sat reading What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown, I noticed the word “Luddite.” Without giving away any spoilers, a girl and her father are living off the grid, and he decides to write his manifesto, aptly titled The Luddite Manifesto.

It got me thinking about how so few of us might fall into the category of Luddite, or maybe even know what the word means. Broadly speaking, it’s a term to describe someone who is resistant to life changes like technology. Merriam-Webster shares that it stems from “a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest.”

Tech upgrades? I’m out. Well, that would be true if I were a Luddite. In a less formal way, the term might be used to express that someone is resistant to using the latest technology, like social media or maybe movies on demand. It’s a fitting term to get familiar with, for those who have no interest in ChatGPT or AI (myself included) might now wear the term “Luddite” with a badge of honor. TC