@Assax
Believe it or not, i am well aware of reality and DO live in it.
My basic point was in regards to LulzSec not really helping to fight the issues, but helping to fan the fire instead. They're not hacking big corporations in order to help bring down the evil people within it, they're hacking random users who have nothing to do with the people in charge for their own egos and entertainment.
LulzSec is part of the problem. Not the only problem for sure, but they aren't helping any and they're a symbol of what's wrong. They're only making it worse for the people they're hacking, not for the evil corporates who might actually deserve such a takedown. Why not kill random innocent people in a country to try to make a point to the corrupt leaders? Makes little sense, especially when we're arguing what a "hero" is (someone who protects people against tyranny and injustice).
Zetta_x said:
You keep regurgitating your words and you still have yet to convince me they are not heroes. The idea of a hero is an opinion. Criminals can be heroes under the right opinion. So when you say I'm flat dead wrong, you are saying that you don't agree with my opinion.
No, i'm actually saying you're flat out wrong. One of the traditional definitions of a hero is someone who fights to protect innocent people. Unless our definitions happen to be different.
You're right though- a certain type of person can be of an opinion that villains are heroes (an opinion though, not a fact held by the rest of reality). If i were that sort of person, i could potentially try to make an argument that thieves, rapists, and murders who commit horrible atrocities are heroes. Perhaps if i raped and murdered the 4-year-old great grand daughter of any evil terrorist or tyrant, i'd be a hero. But no, that's not how reality actually works. By sane people grounded in reality, i'd be put on trial and tried as a sick child raping and murdering bastard. I'd be either sentenced to death or rot in prison for eternity. The only other option is my lawyer trying to declare me insane (big whoop), no sane person would try to make a court case that i'm a hero and that i deserve to be praised for what i did.
And in regards to LulzSec not actually making use of the hacked accounts- Not only can no one actually prove they didn't do anything with the data they collected (anonymous hackers, can you actually believe what they say?). Besides that though, the act of posting millions of passwords and confidential data online for everyone to see and them not being responsible for the hackings can be compared to the act of giving an arsonist a box of matches in a drought-strained wood. Or providing a serial killer a gun, or a child rapist a bunch of little kids. Thieves gonna steal if you directly provide them the tools and resources to do it.
Being a vigilante is illegal, but saving someone's ass from being attacked probably wouldn't end up causing many people to hate on you and call you evil. You stand a good chance of getting off if you saved someone from an evil act. Unlike stealing from random people for the lulz. Last i checked, Batman didn't steal from innocent people for fun or profit.
@Sterling
Someone still makes the choice to break the lock and enter, regardless of how strong or weak it is and how at fault the lock maker is. In the end, you'd have a case against a lock company if you found a serious fault in the lock. But you'd also have a case against the perpetrator of the break in and theft. In that case, both parties could be at fault, but the one who actually did the breaking is still the primary perpetrator for committing the crime in the first place. Nothing can change that fact. Why people can't wrap their head around that is beyond me.