Of Mammon and Men

My rather cranky reaction to an NYT Op-Ed

Nice to read another diatribe from a high priest of Mammon. But of course, is that not the very raison d’etre of the NYTimes, the city of New York, and most urban areas, to spread that poisonous ideology until humans no longer exist as physical flesh, but disembodied “consciousness” inside a network of bits, bytes, wires, and quantum hard drives? How is this “Progress”? 

Zamost’s invocation of economic growth as the be all, end all, reminds me of Edward Abbey’s saying, “endless growth is the logic of a cancer cell.” Society needs treatment, not more malignant growth. 

Then there is this little ditty from His High Holiness that set off my fire alarm: 

“Major changes are coming whether we like it or not — to the economy, to culture, to how we live and work.” 

So, the techlords are going to ram the way of the machine right down our throats, even if we don’t want it? How dare he invoke technology as the friend of Democracy. I’d love to see Paul Kingsnorth’s (or John Zerzan’s) rebuttal to this “technology as God” paean. 

A  society that chooses machines over people is doomed. The whole world needs a spiritual re-awakening and a rediscovery of human values. May the ghosts of early 19th century Yorkshire possess us all, and may we be successful this time. If we lose again, humanity is lost.  Hell on earth begins. The Machine Must Stop (thank you E.M. Forster). 

NO KINGS BUT KING LUDD.