Not just a hypothetical negative, but a hypothetical selfish negative. He is a horse farrier fearing the rise of the motor car.
It's true that old fogey skeptics who have vested interest in the old ways are disposed towards motivated reasoning, but they're also the ones most able call out the motivated reasoning by the few who make disproportionate profit most from pushing new technologies.
I strenuously disagree. The people with most to lose have the least objectivity and the greatest tunnel vision. There’s no silver lining to such bias. Being able to shoe a horse doesn’t give you special insight into civil engineering and sociological trade-offs.