,
22 tweets,
3 min read
Read on Twitter
This thread got me thinking about DefCon, hacker culture, and insecurity. 1/
My first con of any kind was DC6 in 1998. At the time, I worked for a school, fixing Macs and LaserJets, resetting passwords, etc 2/
I knew some folks from IRC, but approaching them IRL seemed hard. I was really intimidated. So I hung with the local BBSers I came with. 3/
The year before, some of my work ended up in Phrack. I belonged at DefCon, but still felt like I didn't. In 1998, that was 100% on me. 4/
I kept going, made new friends, learned a lot. Drank even more. But everybody still wanted to know about my job & what I was hacking. 5/
And eventually at DC9, I went to a party & met some more folks from IRC, and this one guy unloaded on me for being a poser and a lamer. 6/
I can look back now and see that his bravado and dickishness were the result of his insecurity, but it fueled mine for years after that. 7/
Both of us, young men at the time, fell for the worst parts of hacker culture. Don't perpetuate this crap. The 1337-ness ethos is a myth. 8/
That experience kept me away from DefCon for years. 17 years later, I still don't feel like I totally belong. It's weird. 9/
In that same time, many people I respect, who were in my eyes core members of the hacker community, moved on and left security entirely. 10/
Now there's a lot wrong, and in my experience the social aspect of cons and the community can burn you out faster than the work. 11/
But there's also nothing as good as this in other fields. No other tech sector has the history or community that this one has. 12/
And DefCon, whether it's your thing or not, is the undeniable nucleus of that community. It is hacking's Super Bowl & Mardi Gras in one. 13/
So if you are going, be curious, and be kind to others being curious. It's the only real super power any (and every) hacker has. 14/
Let's call the bragging, trolling, & condescension what it is: bullying. If that's fun for you, I get it, but I'm also sorry for you. 15/
Because as huge as DefCon will feel, this industry is super tiny, and that shitty behavior will be a barrier you have to overcome later. 16/
If you see people being bullied or worse, don't give anyone a pass because of where they work or what code they wrote. 17/
2 reasons:
1) If they're a dick, you don't want to work with them. There's enough work and $$ right now to work with people you like. 18/
1) If they're a dick, you don't want to work with them. There's enough work and $$ right now to work with people you like. 18/
2) Most code looks like magic from the outside, but it's always far from it. They made it, but lots of people could have. Even you. 19/
Being an asshole is not a sign of being a genius. But it is a sign of being insecure. 20/
So put people first. That is literally the entire point of DefCon. Always has been. It's a place to learn and be inspired and fit in. 21/
Anything that works against that -- violence, abuse, bullying, cliques -- is antithetical to why we all go in the first place. 22/
