Thoughts on the Hacker Scene
Alot of people talk about the "hacking scene." Indeed, it is a topic of much heated debate. Yet, one can hardly gain a good view when neck deep in the mire of ideological, obsessive, and often hypocritical box-preaching and mudslinging of various "hacking" organizations and movements. I know this from experience as I myself was at various points caught up in different views and philosophies revolving around the controversial issue of "hacking". It wasn't until I began to take a step back that I began to take serious note of the often risible hypocrisies that plague the scene. I began to realize that even things that I "penned" while immersed in the discussion had been seriously neglectfull of many of the facts that I would rather not have noticed at the time. It is on this note that I wish to speak to self-styled hackers. I would like to take some time to write about a few issues and close off with what I would like to call the uselessness of the current hacker scene.
My first stop on this road of discussion is the mission that many "hackers" have taken on themselves. This mission is that of saving the meaning of the word "hacker" from the media distortions that have come about it. They going about proclaiming what hackers are and aren't. They flame those they consider "script kiddies" or "lamers" all over a petty little word. This is an interesting concept, considering this misuse of terms has been going on with little notice for quite some time with only casual notice. For example, no one seems to care much when someone uses the word "cool" where "neat" would have been a more proper term. This only goes to show the subjective nature of language as we know it. The only reason a word means what it does is because you think it means that, or the majority of people do. Now, if the majority of people think that a hacker is someone who breaks into computers what can we assume? However, few ardent "believers" in the "cause" of saving the word hacker would care to consider this. So, I would ask people to keep reading down until they get to my concluding statements that will give the message I'm trying to portray concerning these topics.
What is the second stop? Well, tell me this. Have you noticed recently a bunch of people carrying around philosophical sounding ideologies about the internet and society on the internet? Yeah, the same guys who go around speaking about things like "the boundlessness of society on the internet," "no age, race, and gender," and other utopian sounding themes. To this I must say "get real." Anyone who has spent anytime in the scumholes of the internet will realize that it has quickly become a hive of wretchedness and perversion. I'm not downgrading the good things that have come about because of the internet, but to say that there is some brotherhood on the internet that binds the souls of the users togethor is unrealistic. Many of these ideologies are ploys used to waylay any form of government or law pertaining to anything on the "wired." Of course, among these are often the mass mp3 and movie sharers. Of course, there are some who truly believe in these rather unpractical principles with little or no gain to be expected. Yet, they generally turn a blind eye to many of the realities that face them. The internet is made of of many organizations all trying to go about their business to achieve their own purposes. They don't give a care about some "greater good" to be achieved through the society of "netizens".
Now, we get down to it. The following will be the point I want to make. I know I have been longwinded in getting here, but I feel I needed to lay at least a small amount of groundwork. I feel I have layed it inadaquately as it is, but I will continue anyway. Since when did "hackers" get so obsessed with defending there "word" that they neglected what they describe themselves as. Aren't you suppossed to be people who thirst for knowledge about computers and other things? Aren't you supposed to be looking to the ins and outs of technical issues and not sitting around arguing over who misused a word and how you can make the public know what it means? Oh, and getting some publicity for yourselves while you are at it, I should mention. How many of you really don't like the reaction of people on the street when you drop that you're a hacker? How many of you don't like the ego trip you get when you get all arrogant on them and huff and puff as you explain the "real" meaning of hackers. Of course, how many of you got into the "scene" because you truly loved computers and wanted to learn all you could? You can tell me that the very media twists you cry and whine about didn't draw you in the first place? Then when you saw all those neato hackers flaming you you realized it was the cool thing to get angry over the media and hate everything about "evil society," as if you'd be sitting on your precious computer without that very society. So, if you're really people striving for knowledge about computers then stop arguing and start learning. If what you really cared about was the knowledge than you wouldn't care about the word hacker. So, if you need something to tie yourselves togethor, pick a new word. Let's stop caring what we call yourselves, stop caring who is the coolest, stop caring about all the "causes" and get back down to what we say we're are about. I know there are people who don't fall under the above. I know there are people who use the term "hacker" for different reasons. However, the majority does seem to fall under the above, and that's who I'm talking to. To those guys I know who are truly what they describe themselves as I must say bravo. Those are the guys who aren't out screaming about it, though. In conclusion note that I don't much care anymore. I myself once wrote a paper about the definitions of "script kiddies" and the like. I just shake my head when I read it now.
KeltikRaven
