AI doomerism and neo-Luddite sentiments have become increasingly prevalent in recent discourse. Given the remarkable things that technological progress has made possible for us, one would think that the Luddite fallacy would have died by now. Nonetheless, it is alive and well.

Matt Walsh—A Neo-Luddite

Reactionary theocrat and commentator Matt Walsh has been no exception to this trend. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Walsh wrote:

Whether we like it or not, the Progressive Era and its mainstream historical interpretation—even when fictional—has virtually defined our last century. The dominant, though false, narrative is basically that unfettered free market capitalism led to negative outcomes, “robber barons” monopolized the market to their benefit, and that disinterested federal regulation brought discipline to this system, keeping its benefits while curbing its excesses.

A leaked photo of text messages from US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent captures the absurdity and unintended consequences of the latest US international economic intervention.