[hackerspaces] A New Hacker Has Joined Your Party!

[Far McKon]

Just to play devils advocate, I worry about some of the themes coming
out in this thread.

I worry that the socially aware 'we need to keep our agility and
ability to do what we think is best' hackerspace movement is shifting
into a 'we need good PR, and to create more startups' makerspace
movement.

Both are legitimate ideas, and both are legitimate movements.  I
personally have lot more interest in things like
 * teaching the people our education system is failing, and
 * reclaiming the term hacker
 * advocating for an open network, and sane copyright/culture laws

and a lot less interest in :
 * creating a startup incubator
 * watch well educated white males meet and network with more well
educated white males
 * make friends with city council, making  501(c)3 status, etc.

Each of these small changes in direction are not too bad, but each one
alters the velocity and direction of the community, and (IMHO) is
steering it away from a direct action, hands on community I originally
got interested in.

Fablabs/Makerspaces overlap a lot with hackerspaces, but I think we
should let them split apart more. I think 'makerspaces (and I include
my own space in that group) are watering down the original spirit of
hackerspaces, and undermining what I love(d) about the community. It's
activism, it's hand-on, and it's distrust (and avoidance) of
out-of-the loop 'authority' systems.

Other opinions?
- Far