"When programming is outlawed, only outlaws will program""

From: James B. DiGriz <jbdigriz_at_dragonsweb.org>
Date: Thu Apr 4 10:02:15 2002

William R. Buckley wrote:
>
>
> I once met John Draper at a Hackers Conference. He did not seem
> that bad a person to know. What is it about him that others on
> this list find undesireable?
>
> William R. Buckley
>

Why do people not like, say, Jim Goad, when they revere a lovable old
"misanthrope" like H.L. Mencken or Mr. Clemens?

I don't know John, but I think Doug covered this one pretty well
already. He's an ex-con. In our culture, even just being accused of a
crime is a big sign plastered to your back, saying, justly or not, "I am
a loser." If you maintain your innocence, or unrepentence, or even just
your worth as a human being, you can also very easily wave that sign in
people's faces, if you aren't very careful. Not saying that it isn't
worthwhile. Just that there's a stigma there, one which most people fear
is contagious, and may well be in some cases. Which is not an accident,
nor benign, but we are off-topic enough here, so I won't go into that.

As an aside, I would recommend people add "Papillon" to their reading
lists along with "1984", "Fahrenheit 451", and the tech manuals.
Especially pay attention to the part about the leper colony.

jbdigriz
Received on Thu Apr 04 2002 - 10:02:15 BST