Reminder that the Luddites were not against mechanization, and not just made at the loom and nothing else.

They were a pro-worker movement who want to see the increase in efficiency translate to less hours for more overall pay, instead of just a drastic reduction in the amount of jobs with weekly earnings remaining unchanged.

They got made a joke, because they did gain some ground.

The looks were expensive and located in a central location, so that’s where Luddite activity was focused. A modern equivalent would be something like all the AI data centers being built nationwide against locals wishes.

Especially before construction is finished. Delays in construction are very expensive and not exactly covered by insurance to my knowledge.