The First Hackers
The weavers who smashed machines to save their dignity
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Beschreibung
Discover the truth about the Luddites: they weren't anti-technology, they were pro-human, fighting for their rights against the machine.
"The First Hackers – The weavers who smashed machines to save their dignity" reclaims the reputation of the Luddites. Today, "Luddite" is an insult for someone afraid of technology. But in 1811 England, the Luddites were highly skilled weavers who weren't against machines; they were against machines being used to bypass labor laws, cut wages, and produce shoddy goods.
Historian Edward Loom argues that breaking frames was a calculated form of collective bargaining—a "primitive trade unionism" in an era when unions were illegal. They only smashed the machines of owners who mistreated workers. The government responded by sending more soldiers to fight the Luddites than they sent to fight Napoleon in Portugal.
"The First Hackers" draws parallels to the modern AI revolution. It portrays the Luddites not as backward idiots, but as the first resistance movement against the "algorithm" of profit over people, asking the timeless question: Who does technology serve?
Autor*in
Edward Loom
Author
Themen in »The First Hackers«
Luddites Industrial Revolution Labor History Technology Automation Workers Rights Misconceptions