Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

Throughline by NPR

Sep 8, 202616:46Society & Culture

Calling someone a "Luddite" is usually an insult – shorthand for someone who is behind the times. But the real Luddites weren't just afraid of change; they were a labor movement fighting to save their jobs from being rep...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from Throughline.

How baseball got its beat

Sep 10, 2026 - 32:03

Major League Baseball’s postseason is just a few weeks away, and here on Throughline we know the power of...

Why American public schools are still broken

Sep 3, 2026 - 36:49

In 1966, the federal government commissioned a massive survey aimed at solving educational inequality. In...

The SAT's 100-year grip on higher ed

Sep 1, 2026 - 18:56

For generations, the SAT has loomed large in the lives of teenagers. The quest for a perfect or near-perf...

The pillage that fueled America's tech booms

Aug 27, 2026 - 52:18

Cobalt mining is one of the world's most dangerous jobs. And it's also one of the most essential: cobalt...

How Korean culture went global

Aug 20, 2026 - 48:08

This year, K-pop Demon Hunters picked up a couple of Oscars, the pop group BTS made its triumphant return...

The blatant betrayal that erased the Tupperware queen from history

Aug 13, 2026 - 49:11

Brownie Wise revolutionized how we store our food. She was one of the first female corporate executives i...

Lies, theft, and cover-up: the history of Monopoly you've never heard

Aug 6, 2026 - 49:49

Monopoly is one of the best-selling board games of all time. It heralds free market economics and celebra...

The song that fueled protests and a legacy of hope

Aug 4, 2026 - 19:26

In our final installment of AP250, how We Shall Overcome became the anthem of generations of protestors....