The Hacker Manifesto, +++The Mentor+++
Written by an pen named source in 1986, the Hacker Manifesto is an interesting and creative look into the mind of someone the outside world sees as a product of the computer generation boom, a Hacker. The writer writes to two very different audiences, the voice in which he or she mocks, the outside authority figure who calls these hackers “criminals,” and the hacker community at large who can associate themselves to the author’s voice. The author styles the short piece by using two voices, the writer’s own, as the hacker, and individual interjections such as, “Damn kid. All he does is play games. They're all alike.” This text gives voice to a community of people who are misjudged—each time “hacker” appears, it links to another page that defines what a hacker is. The manifesto ends with the collective idea that this hacker community is too large, and will never be stopped.
I enjoyed reading this manifesto, it was creative and different than other texts we have been assigned in class. I liked that the hackers do not defined themselves as criminals, but “One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations.” Also, it made it feel as though any one around me could be the writer because of pen name. I loved the quote “We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias... and you call us criminals. You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals.” The stigma of what they do is misguided and misnamed, and makes the reader question who the real hero is—those that create for destruction, or someone who manages to bypass a system thought unknown. The idea that “curiosity is the crime,” is interesting, because how can wanting to learn be a negative application.
- As I assume most of you are users of facebook or once of myspace, what did the term “hacked” mean in those context? Does the writer of The Hacker Manifesto agree with the term applied in that manner?
- Does this manifesto at all alter your idea of the “hacker” community? Can you relate to the author?
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In response to question 2:
ReplyDelete"The Hacker Manifesto" definitely altered my idea of the "hacker" community. I used to associate the term with negativity at all times, believing that the only goal of a hacker was to take your information and take advantage of you, like the kid arrested for bank tampering. However, after I read this, I felt like it was directed towards me because, no, I did NOT "ever take a look behind the eyes of a hacker". I can see how the hacker community really is just a curious group, one that doesn't want to put up with overpaid systems or other annoyances. They may cut corners, but I can't fault them for having the ability to make use of highly priced services for nothing at all. Basically, after reading this piece, I felt sympathy for the hacker because they do seem misunderstood. It's these types of hackers I feel for, however the ones that benefit themselves at the expense of others are still criminals in my mine no matter what. I may not identify at all with the hacker community, but I do feel like I understand them a bit better after reading this manifesto.
This “Manifesto” gave me a very different image of hackers. I never did any particular research into who hackers are or what they specifically do, all the information I received regarding their actions was via the news or my parents. It makes sense to me that hackers are intellectual individuals shielded by the education systems. Even today, individuals in classrooms who only play videogames are also disregarded in classroom settings, however most of them are quite intelligent, as seen in our reading with Turkle. I now see that some hackers don’t do what they do for solely negative purposes. However, as seen from the various films in class, I do believe that there are hackers who only hack for their own profit and the expense of others. Although this was written in 1986, I still think that there are aspects about this that are true. I feel that there are still people who can relate to this manifesto and therefore it still applies to today’s society. Maybe approaching such individuals with a community such as this one rather than disregard will lessen the amount of hacking that is done for personal benefits.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Manifesto I have a new interpretation of what defines a "hacker." Hackers in movies and in media are depicted as negative occupants of society, but in reality i feel that hackers are like artists in there own way. The computer is their canvas and their cyber intelligence allows them to they arent for solely negative purposes. I like to think that there are two sides to every story. For hackers there are several that use their manipulation and abilities for selfish and dishonorable reasons and there are those who use it for the greater good. We often choose not to see "through the eyes" of others. We rely in our comfort levels of what we see fit in society. Hackers can be catergorized as one of those whom we discredit.
ReplyDeleteLike the posts above me mentioned, after reading the Manifesto, my idea of what constitutes being a 'hacker' definitely changed. I had never investigated or thought in depth about what hackers do and how they are portrayed in our society, especially in the movies and the media. The ideas that were talked about it the Manifesto definitely changed my ideas and perspectives on hackers for the better. I do think that there are hackers that hack for their own benefit, but after reading the Manifesto, I believe that there are fewer of those than people perceive. The Manifesto is a few years old however I agree with Olivia in the fact that it still holds value to today's society and the way that we view hackers in present day. Hackers can do a fair amount of good for our society and this point is never really shown through the media therefore we have the preconceived notion that all hackers are bad, something that the Manifesto strives to persuade us out of thinking.
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