The word Luddite is tossed around on a daily basis. And its use is unfair. The more you know about the real Luddites, you more you realize they shouldn't be mocked.

Sure, they went on a rampage of machine-smashing in England 200 years ago. And, okay, fighting the future is never a good strategy. However, here are...

Five Reasons to Respect the Luddites:

1. They Were Not Stupid

In the modern world the term Luddite implies someone is too stupid to use modern technology.

But the actual Luddites were anything but stupid.

Their opposition to machinery was not inspired by fear of machines, or by ignorance of how they worked. They understood the machines perfectly well. And what they also understood very well is that machines were a threat to traditional craftsmanship and, therefore, their very way of life.

2. They Cared About Quality

The main objection the Luddites had to machines being brought into the textile trade was obvious: jobs, many jobs, would be eliminated. 

But there was another legitimate grievance: the machines being used to cut material and do other tasks did a much sloppier job than a skilled man or woman performing the same task.

The textile workers who violently attacked machinery tended to be skilled workers from families which had practiced the same crafts for generations. So the introduction of machines that could work faster, but produced shoddy work, was highly offensive.

3. They Could Organize Effectively

The Luddites became known, in late 1811, for midnight raids on mills housing the new machinery.

After breaking down doors, the Luddites would smash the machines. By early 1812 the raids had escalated until parts of the country were seeing Luddite activity nearly every night.

The Luddites were obviously able to create an organized movement nearly spontaneously. A loose network of workers was able to communicate effectively, either by sending written messages or posting proclamations.

The level of organization was a shock to the British authorities. There was a theory for a time that Luddite actions were secretly instigated by older revolutionary groups, such as by Irish rebels who had been organized for years.

4. They Had Guts

In January 1812 the British government sent troops to put down the Luddites. Workers were warned not to participate in attacks on machinery. Yet the attacks continued.

And the reprisals could be brutal. In some incidents Luddites were fired upon, wounded, or killed. And the repression of the movement was harsh. In late 1812 a dozen Luddites were publicly hanged to send a message.

5. They Led the Way for Other Workers

The Luddites are often thought of in isolation, and it's true they did not become a sustained movement. Within a few decades, at the Great Exhibition of 1851, massive crowds gathered to gawk at textile machines in action. What had once been hated was considered a point of national pride.

However, the Luddites were, in a sense, early protagonists of the labor movement. Their actions in the early 19th century foreshadowed more famous labor actions such as the Homestead Strike or the Pullman Strike. And in some ways the Luddites shared an affinity with a movement that occurred in the 1890s, Coxey's Army, a mass march of unemployed workers in America.

Sympathy For the Luddites

The next time you call one of your computer-challenged relatives a Luddite, remember: those textile workers turned machine smashers deserve some sympathy and respect. It may be fair to say they were battling progress. But they had their reasons.