Wool: Is Howey a Luddite? (spoilers to end of Chapter 18)

[Derek]

So, I'm at the end of Chapter 18, and I know that I still have a lot of the Omnibus to get through, but I'm starting to see that IT in general, or at the very least a certain IT Manager is one powerful force for evil.

And while my thread title is tongue in cheek to be sure, it got me thinking about what messages Howey is really trying to convey, about the ease of abuse of power for those who hold the keys to real knowledge. I might be on the wrong track entirely, not having read the remainder of the book yet (please no Spoilers), but has anyone else felt this way up to this point?

Irl I have a job very similar to Bernard's in IT and I'm so enjoying the book so far I'm almost feeling guilty. Help me out?

[Nathan]

Why should you feel guilty? He seems more to be commenting about people than about tech. This is not a Frankenstein story in any real sense.

Now, if you want to talk about why people have problems with IT where they work . . . well that is a different discussion entirely.

[Derek]

Like I said, tongue in cheek. ;)

I'm further along now, but I still think this is largely about control by those who hide knowledge. And IT gets to be the baddy doing the hiding in this story.

[Robert of Dale]

Serious answer: The occupation of an antagonist is not necessarily a reflection of the author's attitude toward that profession.

I'd have to agree with your comment regarding the hiding of knowledge. That's a common thread through Sci-Fi; 1984 is a prime example of how a society might be controlled by controlling what people can/must know.

Semi-serious: Everybody hates IT except for those people in IT. Well... most of the people in IT.