Hacker's Manifesto

When I first read the Hacker's Manifesto it was far from what I expected.  What I had expected was a couple lines stating why or when someone should hack, what I got instead was this.  The Manifesto turned out to be more of what I would consider a poem, rather than a statement, detailing the life of a kid who strongly identifies with the rest of his generation.  After doing a quick read-up on the Wikipedia page, I learned the Hacker's Manifesto was written by Loyd Blankenship after he had been arrested.

After reading it I gained a greater sense of why people would want to hack, especially if it is their forte.  The Manifesto explains how to this person, and the generalized group that are hackers, feel when they hack.  It gives a sense of freedom and revenge.  Freedom from the social constricts that come with other humans.  With a computer there is no guessing how it will react if something doesn't go its way.

"I made a discovery today. I found a comupter. Wait a second,
this is cool. It does what I want it to. If it makes a mistake it's
because I screwed it up. Not because it doesn't like me...
Or feels threatened by me...
Or thinks I'm a smart ass...
Or doesn't like teaching and shouldn't be here..."

The sense of revenge comes in part from those who say all kids are alike. How adults see all kids as good, for nothings who send all their time on the computer.  

Now, while I do understand the appeal of dealing with something that isn't constantly changing its mind or making me insecure. And I do oppose how most of the older generation generalize any young person who constantly uses a computer as good-for-nothing I still don't know if I believe the Hacker's Manifesto justifies the act of hacking.  It helps me to better understand why they do this, but it also has negative affects on others.   So, no, I do not believe there are necessarily ethical reasons to hacking.