Minnesota Decoy Show Outrage: Linguistic Update

A distinguished Western correspondent suggests that your reporter might reasonably have substituted another word for Luddite: At least equally appropriate would have been "troglodyte."

Possibly I pushed the use of the word Luddite a bit, tho the dictionary I consulted just now says in part: "broadly : one who is opposed to especially technological change" but technological progress clearly requires scientific research, and our friend Host certainly expressed his lack of enthusiasm for the latter.

Another dictionary offers "opposer" and "resistor" for "Luddite", and I think this gentleman clearly qualifies on both counts.

Merriam-Webster Online does support troglodyte, however: "1 : a member of a primitive people dwelling in caves 2 : a person resembling a troglodyte (as in reclusive habits or outmoded or reactionary attitudes)". Well, the Noble Host did lure into his cave those who sought only to slake their thirst for knowledge, rather like Polyphemus luring Odysseus and his crew into his cave.

I guess our Hero and his companions were lucky to get off as easy as they did, especially given their entire lack of a sharp stick: they could have ended up in the Cyclops' soup. So I think this would be an appropriate use of the term troglodyte, especially given his in this author's opinion outmoded and notably reactionary attitudes.

Discussion is available in the Comments section.

UPDATE: Our esteemed Western correspondent writes again to suggest a new-coined term which might cover the bases: trogluddite.