Making life especially uncomfortable for those who derive their spiritual upliftment and enlightenment from Saturday newspaper supplements and TV talk shows, a hacker will never stand by silently and allow inaccuracy to go unchallenged. The easiest way to recognize the hacker at a dinner party - he's the guy who listens intently and doesn't say a word, except for frequently interjecting 'Not true' and lapsing back into smug silence. He really does believe he has all the answers to life, the universe and everything. Free software, free markets, and a free society would probably top the list. Taking the initiative and the risks is almost universally accepted amongst hackers as the only route to the big time 2 .
Most talented hackers are gentle, friendly creatures with a versatile sense of humor.
Hackers universally abhor senseless violence, in fact senselessness or violence of any kind. The most pacifist of all varieties of humans, their peace trappings may often make them identify with, and be mistaken for 60s hippies, though there is a lot that sets them apart from people whose experience with virtual reality is limited to the use of psycho-active drugs. Some hackers have experimented with a variety of drugs nevertheless, and all would agree that nothing really beats the high you get from hacking a complex system. Creativity and intelligence are the ultimate trip. Hackers automatically resist and rebel against external authority of any kind.