If someone calls you a Luddite, it is probably because you have complained, for whatever reason, about the dangers or failures of technology. Perhaps you have denounced the automobile industry because a failed computer chip causes your car to stall in the middle of heavy traffic. Or you threatened to cancel your credit card because it wouldn’t work at the pay-at-the-pump gas station. Or you complained loudly when your employer fired you because the computer was more efficient than you. The New Columbia Encyclopedia tells us that Luddites were workers in England who, between 1811 and 1816, destroyed textile machines they felt caused reduced wages and unemployment. They rioted in the name of a mythical figure called Ned Ludd, or King Ludd. Since then, Luddite has come to mean anyone opposed to technological change. Computer hackers, for example, use technology to develop and release viruses whose purpose is to infect and, thus, destroy business and corporate computer files. Most of today’s Luddites, however, aren’t violent. They don’t riot, don’t break into factories or warehouses and smash computers or other machinery. Suspecting that technology is more of a threat than a blessing, they secretly, sometimes loudly, denounce technological developments. Their hearts sing when the slide projector jams or repeats the same frame over and over. They cheer when the company computer comes down with a virus. They smirk when they read that pornography is readily available on the Internet and that pederasts and other unsavory types have access to children through computer chat rooms. In short, pointing to the negative byproducts of technology, they purse their lips, nod, and mutter, So what did we expect? Nonviolent Luddites may grudgingly admit that microwaves and automatic washers, dryers, and dishwashers have removed most of the chore from family chores. They concede that technological contributions to medical science provide many people better health and longer life. Although they acknowledge that the automobile expedites their commutes from home to college to work and home again, they emphasize that the proliferation of cars and trucks is responsible for air pollution, traffic jams, road rage, and highway carnage. Although they grant that airplanes allow virtually anyone to tour the world, they point out that they also provide an avenue for drug smugglers and are relatively easy targets for hijackers and assassins. Although they admit to the efficacy of atomic energy, they nevertheless point to the potential mass-destruction in atomic weapons. Luddites bemoan the fact that ATM machines and bank and fast-food drive-throughs eliminate the personal in customer relations. Finally, although agreeing that a cell phone is a handy tool for a driver stranded on a lonely stretch of interstate, the Luddite fears and deplores the cell phones used by drivers who, instead of watching the road, dial their phones as they weave in and out of traffic. The implied main idea in paragraph two is that      

When you think about people-watching, you usually envision the crowds at a mall or at a park, but most of the strangers you see who parade by you each day are not on foot.  They’e in their cars.   Although you can guess a lot about other people whom you see walking by from observing their clothes, their behavior, or even their bearing it is by their cars that you can tell the most about people that you’ve never seen. Economic status can be accurately divined from the expense of the vehicles that people drive.  That smooth gliding, huge new Towncar must have someone successful behind the wheel.  That sporty utility vehicle, new but inexpensive, most likely is being driven by a college student.  And that white, smoke belching, rusted-out jalopy you quickly pass to avoid asphyxiation undoubtedly that driver can ill afford replacing the old junker and will soon have no wheels at all. Political beliefs and community involvement often show up on bumper stickers, as do philosophies and religious affiliations, not to mention attitudes towards free speech and boundaries of good taste.  Window decals and rear view mirror danglings denote cultural subgroups, while Baby on Board or Caution:  Show Dog signs delineate the drivers personal commitments. Momentary vehicular encounters can provide opportunities for psychoanalyzing drivers.  The Type A sort who tailgates you or passes you dangerously close to the double line is either chronically late or running on caffeine or competitive aggression.  The oh-so-polite people who wave everyone in ahead of you in bumper-to-bumper traffic must be similarly attentive to the needs of others in their lives.  The chatty cell phone drivers must not be able to live very long in isolation without social interaction, gossip, or business dealings.  And the oh-so-slow Sunday driver must be functioning on a different plane of meditation than the rest of us who proceed at the usual hasty pace. External attachments can reveal hobbies and leisure interests from bike racks to boat trailer hitches; if the drivers tote equipment, you can gauge how they spend their weekends and their disposable cash.  But the easiest clue as to the drivers identity comes in the form of an audio rather than a visual cue.  If you’re waiting at a stoplight, and you can feel the vibrations of the bass stereo from behind you, the driver is most likely under thirty years of age. Some argue that the automobile has increased our sense of anonymity, our feeling that we are all alike anonymous humanoids driving like robots in identical comfort capsules.  Not me.  As long as people can use their personal chariots as extensions of themselves and as billboards of self-expression, the driving experiences of our lives can tell us a lot about who else is out there, where they’re coming from and even where everyone is going. In this passage, the author is biased in favor of

“On the other hand, people could allow themselves to be propelled into risky choices. For example, “I know that I got C’s in General Chemistry and Calculus, but I really need to take Organic Chemistry and Physics together this semester, otherwise I will be behind schedule.” The relationship between the two sentences is

“In college, your professors are expecting you to voice your thoughts. Thus, disagreeing (politely of course) with the professor’s opinion is considered an interesting debate, not deviant behavior that will land you in detention.”The relationship between the two sentences above is

Based on the information in paragraph 2, high school students probably

Based on the information in paragraph 1, the reader can infer that

Which of the following most nearly means the same as bleak as it is used in this passage?

56  Herr Stiegelmeier ist an diesem Tag nicht erreichbar.

Despite the passing of SB-4, the state of Texas might face significant political challenges in enforcing its core provisions because law enforcement officers employed by Texas would likely need the support of federal officials to execute the physical deportation of those convicted under the law to another country. 

This is your first extensive exposure to Deaf History and Culture in class.  Can you name three things that you have learned this semester (in class or from the readings) that has made an impact upon you?  Explain why it has made such an impact.   How will you apply what you have learned this semester to your future career job?