In Episode 319 [11] of the CounterVortex podcast [12], Bill Weinberg resumes his rant against the hegemony [13] of digital and cellular technology—and takes heart from the local New York chapter of the Luddite Club [14]: smart, free-thinking youth who are eschewing [15] cellphones and social media in favor of "real life." Despite the cynical predictions [16] of some, the chapter is true to its values and refreshingly doesn't even have a website—although a documentary film [17] about them is in the works. In other glimmers of hope, the New York City nurses' strike [18] that just ended [19] in victory [20] had as one of the key demands [21] safeguards against workers being replaced by artificial intelligence. And the recent India AI Impact Summit [26] in Delhi was disrupted [23] by a protest action [24].
These signs of human resistance inevitably face contradictions, however. Some members of the Luddite Club spoke favorably of the new youth social media ban [27] in Australia, which is opposed by civil-liberties groups—pointing to a long-term intractable dilemma.
Listen on SoundCloud [11] or via Patreon [28].
Books discussed:
Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites and Their War on the Industrial Revolution — Lessons for the Computer Age [29] by Kirkpatrick Sale, Addison-Wesley 1995
Front Lines: A Lifetime of Drawing Resistance [30] by Susan Simensky Bietila, PM Press 2026
Production by Chris Rywalt [31]
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