“The government is us”? Nice bumper sticker Jerry, but hardly a commonly held belief. Lucky me…another derisive letter last week from Mr. Hiniker…again I find myself scrambling through my “outdated” reference books.
Jerry’s 1970s simplistic definition of the word “Luddite” barely scratches the surface of what that labor revolt during England’s industrial revolution entailed. I would suggest that Mr. Hiniker read Rebels Against The Future subtitled Lessons For The Computer Age written by Kirkpatrick Sale. Happy to lend you my personal copy Jerry.
The Luddites revolted against English industrialists during 1811 – 1812 as they watched their cottage artisan livelihoods threatened by industrial mechanization and cheap labor…not unlike the current corporate exportation of American jobs to other countries. Belching smoke from coal-fired steam boilers powering those early factories threatened the air they breathed and jump-started the industrial pollution that continues today.
At the behest of early industrialists, the infractions committed by the Luddites (machine vandalism and arson) were elevated to capital crimes by the English government. Though the Luddites faced hanging for their crimes, they were typically sent off to Australian penal colonies.
The Luddite movement is considered by some as the precursor to contemporary groups opposed to modern technologies such as nuclear power, genetic engineering and rampant agro-chemical use. Mr. Hiniker might be surprised to find more than a few Neo- Luddites at our local food co-op, folk school and bike shop.
Jerry rambled on in his letter about laissez-faire incarnations of Adam Smith and Milton Friedman, neoclassical government models, economic recovery theory, debt versus GDP ratios and Japan’s lost decade. Like that decade in Japan, I was hopelessly lost and found myself reaching for the aspirin bottle.
We have an eclectic mix of citizenry in our small community. You could meet a realtor who might also be both a talented musician and a nationally rated athlete. Or perhaps…you may even unearth a local bicycle repairman who would happily advise you on the quality of your reference materials or endeavor to set you straight on global economic theory.
We are truly blessed.
Bob LaMettry
Grand Marais, MN
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