I’ll be talking to people about the internet and the tech that’s destroying our minds and destroying our world — as part of my research for Vampire Valley. Live streams are available to the public but recorded streams are only available to subscribers. Reminder: If you give $100 or more to Vampire Valley, you will automatically get an annual sub. If you want to give a larger tax-deductible donation, get in touch with us at vampires@yashalevine.com
For this anti-vamp stream from my newly established basement studio, I’m joined by the internet by Brian Merchant, author of the wonderful book Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech. It’s about the rise and fall of the Luddites, a decentralized 19th-century movement of English textile workers against factories and the centralization of power. We talk about the history and politics of the movement and how the conditions it faced were not that different from what we’re all facing today. In fact, it’s a lot worse now.
Eventually, the Luddite insurgency was crushed by a military force larger than the one England sent to fight Napoleon, which was happening at the same time. The history of this rebellion was erased, the state and its factory owners won, and the term “luddite” became synonymous with ignorance and laziness — any opposition to tech was branded as crazy and stupid. At the same time, the Luddites were a huge cultural power, inspiring the Romantic movement and launching the sci-fi genre with works like Frankenstein. Of course, in the end, the Luddites were right. We’re all Luddites now, whether we realize it or not. And Brian and I both agree that this actually gives us hope.
Watch and/or listen…and buy Brian’s book!
Yasha
And here are my show outline about the topics I wanted to cover. We got through most of them and more:
