[simmons]

The more I think about it, the more similar these sorts of groups seem to inner-city gangs. Otherwise good kids get caught up in the wrong environment, find acceptance within a peer group, and then become seduced by the intoxicating taste of power over others. As someone who engaged in my fair share of computerized mischief as a teenager, I can understand how a kid could fall into that trap. As someone who's pulled all-nighters to re-install/recover servers from attacks -- because you can never really trust your systems again, otherwise -- I don't think even the "non-profit" attackers realize the harm they cause.

If someone has a beef with society, there are plenty of honest and constructive ways of "sticking it to the man" without resorting to violating people's property.

[err_badprocrast]

> If someone has a beef with society, there are plenty of honest and constructive ways of "sticking it to the man" without resorting to violating people's property.

People say this all the time, but always fail to give examples of what sort of activities they think would be a constructive alternative. Would you mind sharing what you envision as alternative activities?

[GeraldFondue]

When it's a battle for the hearts and minds of people, human suffering is your only concern. The more pain you inflict the less likely you will win.

(R)evolution is not looking at what is wrong, it's looking at what is working. Study the leaders of successful change movements of the past. Most talked about what they wanted (but might not have existed yet), rather than what they didn't want (i.e. "I have a dream" not "I have a nightmare"). Then share that vision with the world. Change begins with a vision of a better and different world. Inspire people to want to move closer to that world. Share your ideas with others. Learn to express yourself through the arts. Form a band. Start blogging. Become a filmmaker. Learn to program and make an app or service that helps people. Build a business that embodies this new world you want to see. Be the change you want to see, said Gandhi.

If you don't yet have a vision for a better and different world, start by asking yourself these questions: "What am I passionate about?" "What's broken with my world?" "What gets me angry or really worked up?" "What are some of my earliest memories of experiencing pure joy as a child?" "What’s the most important thing I know?"

Creating a vision for a better world, sharing that vision with as many people who will listen, and then acting on that vision is the best way I know how to "stick it to the man."

Here's some quotes to help inspire you:

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." - Richard Buckminster Fuller

"People who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring explicitly to everyday life, without understanding what is subversive about love and what is positive in the refusal of constraints, such people have a corpse in their mouth" --Raoul Vaneigem, The Revolution Of Everyday Life

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. --George Bernard Shaw

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. --Marianne Williamson

“Let me say, with the risk of appearing ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by strong feelings of love. Above all, always be capable of feeling any injustice committed against anyone anywhere in the world.” --Che Guevara

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. --Margaret Mead

“Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” - Steve Jobs

"When people focus on the value they provide to others, they take their eyes off their own insecurities." --Dave Navarro

“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced” --Vincent Van Gogh

"An entrepreneur is someone who, almost artistically, designs a living entity which embodies the values, beliefs, and ambitions of the creator." --Jake Lodwick

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." -- Alan Cohen