To quote one Martin Ryder, whose words I use in testament to his most excellent compilation of all things Luddite:
"Cultural change necessarily involves resistance to change. The term Luddite has been resurrected from a previous era to describe one who distrusts or fears the inevitable changes brought about by new technology. The original Luddite revolt occurred in 1811, an action against the English Textile factories that displaced craftsmen in favor of machines. Today's Luddites continue to raise moral and ethical arguments against the excesses of modern technology to the extent that our inventions and our technical systems have evolved to control us rather than to serve us and to the extent that such leviathans can threaten our essential humanity. "
I've long wanted to find a use for the domain name "Luddites R Us". It satisfies my sense of the absurd and the contrary that we use the internet to champion the cause of makers and users of hand tools. Here we have the most complex piece of machinery in the world being bent to the needs and uses of the manual arts crowd.
Why else have we turned to hand tools for all sorts of trades, crafts and avocational pursuits than because we seek to re-experience the wonder of putting hand to tool to stuff to create something. The spinning table saw blade separates us from the material to such an extent that we now expect Starrett precision from our craft. Pick up a hand plane, chisel, saw or marking gauge and you know what you are working with and how the stuff you work reacts to the insult of the blade or tooth.
I am now the proud owner of ludditesrus.com, a domain name that in and of itself shouts the peculiarities of modern thought. We (those of us who live in the US or who are tourists to the area) hop in our SUV to take a day trip to Plimoth Plantation in order to experience a recreation of what life was like in the earliest days of the occupation of the America lands. Peter Follansbee maintains his most excellent blog, chronicling his work as the resident woodworker of Plimoth Plantation. Stephen Shepard uses his blog to forward the arts of craftwork of all sorts.
For those of you who may take offense at being compared to the backwards thinking Luddites, take heart in Mr. Ryder's modern day view of King Ludd and his minions (I've always wanted minions... perhaps I should crown myself and find some?). Take heart in reassurance that I will abandon neither my blog, websites, nor Macintosh Pro Tower in any effort to emulate the followers of King Ludd. No tin cans and string for me.
Cleary, I've been reading too much of the inception of the Manual Arts movement of the 19th century.
Till next, Gary
PS: handtoolmakers.com is also a domain owned by yours truly. Possibly the more prosaic of the two will win out in the end of the bitter fight. If so, my favorite ludditesrus.com will remain and will find it's place on the web as a home for all those curmudgeonly aficianados of really old stuff.
