Technology that once had opposition

Discussion
  • Printing Press: Many feared that printed books would cause people to spread dangerous ideas quickly without government control
  • Trains: Many feared that trains went so quickly that they could harm the human body, and they thought all the steam hurt the environment. They were also scared they'd crash (though that's understandable)
  • Elevators: People feared elevator cables would snap and send the passengers falling toward the ground. While there are documented cases of this, elevators are statistically the safest form of machine transportation.
  • Light Bulbs: Some feared that light bulbs would catch fire and injure people's eyes.
  • Cars: Many feared that cars would make travel more dangerous; they also feared horses would be killed en masse due to their lack of use, and they were angry about how loud cars were.
  • Refrigerators: Early fridges used toxic gases to operate, leaving many to refuse to buy one. This was understandable, but that stigma continued long after they became a lot safer.
  • Television: Many people feared that TVs would cause people to become glued to screens and not socialize anymore.
  • Credit Cards: Some confidently claimed that credit cards were scams designed to trap people in debt.
  • Email/Texting: Some worried that digital communication would hurt people's social skills and writing abilities.
  • Calculators: Many feared that calculators would destroy society's ability to do math, and put many of our smartest minds out of business.

All of these fears were overblown or completely non-existent. More importantly, the opposition did NOTHING to stop the growth of technology; it didn't then, and it won't now. In 2050, people will have moved on from AI just like everything else here and instead be complaining about the robots who now work at restaurants and stores instead of people.

Posted Aug 10, 2026, 4:19 PM UTC

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