▁newsp apers ▁( and ▁later ▁books ) ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁an ▁effort ▁to ▁end ▁his ▁bomb ing ▁campaign ▁of ▁the ▁te ch no - indust rial ▁infrastr ucture . ▁There ▁are ▁also ▁sub c ult ures ▁that ▁disapp ro ve ▁of ▁some ▁or ▁most ▁technology , ▁such ▁as ▁self - ident ified ▁off - gr idd ers . ▁ ▁App ropri ate ▁technology ▁ ▁The ▁notion ▁of ▁appropriate ▁technology ▁was ▁developed ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁by ▁think ers ▁such ▁as ▁E . F . ▁Sch um acher ▁and ▁Jacques ▁Ell ul ▁to ▁describe ▁situations ▁where ▁it ▁was ▁not ▁des irable ▁to ▁use ▁very ▁new ▁techn ologies ▁or ▁those ▁that ▁required ▁access ▁to ▁some ▁central ized ▁infrastr ucture ▁or ▁parts ▁or ▁skills ▁imported ▁from ▁elsewhere . ▁The ▁ec ov ill age ▁movement ▁emer ged ▁in ▁part ▁due ▁to ▁this ▁concern . ▁ ▁Opt im ism ▁and ▁ske ptic ism ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 1 st ▁century ▁This ▁section ▁mainly ▁focus es ▁on ▁American ▁concerns ▁even ▁if ▁it ▁can ▁reason ably ▁be ▁generalized ▁to ▁other ▁Western ▁countries . ▁▁ ▁In ▁his ▁article , ▁J ared ▁Bern stein , ▁a ▁Senior ▁Fellow ▁at ▁the ▁Center ▁on ▁Bud get ▁and ▁Policy ▁Prior ities , ▁questions ▁the ▁w ides p read ▁idea ▁that ▁autom ation , ▁and ▁more ▁broad ly , ▁techn ological ▁adv ances , ▁have ▁mainly ▁contributed ▁to ▁this ▁growing ▁labor ▁market ▁problem . ▁His ▁th esis ▁appears ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁third ▁way ▁between ▁optim ism ▁and ▁ske ptic ism . ▁Ess entially