The Autistic Hacker: is He at Fault?

[ElNeroDiablo]

So then, Kiraxa, it should be fine to cull douche bags of the highest order from the gene pool since they don't provide any benefits to the gene pool when it comes to (say) increasing the average IQ factor?

If you are culling low-IQs, yes, that'd be good for society as a whole. But culling douche bags for being douche bags? Nah. Society needs douche bags.

Michael "I'll go and fuckup one of the best franchises about giant transforming robots by focusing 99% of the bullshit plot on the Macguffin human dickweed played by an actor who's last good role was a fucking DISNEY movie about a decade or so ago" Bay. That is all.
Also, I was being SNARKY and SARCASTIC (hence the [/SARCASM ************] tag) in my original commentary about that, get the hint?

 

[Phlakes]

le snip

People dont take medication for aesperbers you dumbass. that is a total crok of shit.Ive known a guy with the condidtion for the majority of my life and he has never taken medicine for his condition. you are just an incredible liar.

He took antidepressants to control his massive fucking rage that came from having to get what he wanted, which came from the Aspberger's. So he indirectly did.

Even so (if that is really true) then youre brother is not a bad person simply a different person because of the condition.

One time, he ordered a pizza, and it was about ten minutes late. He wanted to call them to see if it was coming soon, but my mother was locked in her room on the phone with one of her old friends who she hadn't talked to in years. So what does he do? He starts yelling at her and trying to break down the door. My father comes to stop him, and after a bit of fighting my brother goes into the kitchen and gets a knife.

Several things were thrown and windows were broken, and then the police were there.

It doesn't matter why he's a bad person, he still is.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Yes, he should be held responsible for his actions if for no other reason than to ensure he cannot unintentionally commit similar crimes in the near future.

 

[Jazoni89]

Psh no. There's no way he didn't realise he was doing something wrong. From what I've seen from the people I know with Aspberger's, they don't have much common sense but they can tell the difference between right or wrong.
I think if everyone should be treated equally, they should be punished equally too.
Now I live with someone with Autism and he's like, "I can talk to you like you're shit because I have autism. I don't have to pay bills because I have autism. I don't have to work because I have autism." For a lot of people it's a sloppy excuse.

Le snip.

Oh God, is my house mate your brother?! He sounds EXACTLY like him. I thought the tantrums were mainly to do with his upbringing and not directly linked to his Aspberger's because his parents just gave him and his sister whatever they wanted and now he's an adult and has to work for his stuff, he'll just start smashing everything up because stuff isn't going his way. My cousin also has it; he's 11 and handles it incredibly well. I guess it differs entirely for each person.

Asberger traits don't really start until you hit puberty (around 13 or so).

I should know, I was a incredibly popular kid when I was very young (I had great social skills, and was very bright for my age). It was only when i was 12/13 or so that i started to feel indifferent about myself, and closed off from society.

 

[KiruTheMant]

Jail him,he understood the consequences. As living with Doctors placed Aspergers, I know that nothing is wrong with you except maybe being a little thick when social graces are neccesary. He broke the law,and then got Caught. He can't use this as an excuse.

 

[scythian0528]

"On the one hand, yes he caused a great deal of damage, turned off several military systems post 9/11 and caused alot of damage." No he didn't, he looked at the files and left polite messages like "your security is crap". By hacking into the US government for a stupid reason (UFOS) he exposed serious security flaws that, if not fixed could have been exploited by someone who actually had bad intent. It should be noted that US gov security, at the time of the hack attempts was absolutely laughable. You could intrude into US military sites in 2001 by logging in as a guest.

Oxblood Ruffin of the famous hacker group, the Cult of the Dead Cow, gave his expert opinion on this topic two years ago. I suggest everyone read it.

http://boingboing.net/2009/09/01/gary-mckinnon-wanted.html

 

[scythian0528]

edit: double post

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Did he commit the act? Yes.

Was a medical problem the reason he commited the act? Yes.

Then he is not guilty by reason of insanity. Honestly though, that can be even worse then being found guilty. They're not gonna let him go for this, you usually don't get a slap of the wrist for stealing information and causing hundreds of thousands in damages.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

"On the one hand, yes he caused a great deal of damage, turned off several military systems post 9/11 and caused alot of damage." No he didn't, he looked at the files and left polite messages like "your security is crap". By hacking into the US government for a stupid reason (UFOS) he exposed serious security flaws that, if not fixed could have been exploited by someone who actually had bad intent. It should be noted that US gov security, at the time of the hack attempts was absolutely laughable. You could intrude into US military sites in 2001 by logging in as a guest.

Oxblood Ruffin of the famous hacker group, the Cult of the Dead Cow, gave his expert opinion on this topic two years ago. I suggest everyone read it.

http://boingboing.net/2009/09/01/gary-mckinnon-wanted.html

Breaking the law to prove a point is still breaking the law. Under that logic, I should be able to sneak a gun on a plane, throw it to the ground and shout "Your secruity is crap" and not get tackled by 5 Air Marhsals.

 

[Chibz]

I should know, I was a incredibly popular kid when I was very young (I had great social skills, and was very bright for my age). It was only when i was 12/13 or so that i started to feel indifferent about myself, and closed off from society.

Actually, Autism Spectrum Disorder can be tested for as early as 2 or 3.

 

[aba1]

Frankly, yes, he should still be charged.

I don't care if you have ADHD or autism or Asperger's Syndrome, that should not be a free pass for anything at all. None of those conditions are untreatable, nor are they even remotely difficult to treat. We as a culture need to stop feeling bad for these sorts of people with extremely minor mental disorders, and stop letting them use it as an excuse or scapegoat.

Schizophrenia, maybe, would be another story. But certainly not Asperger's.

actually ADHD and Aspergers are untreatable (Ritalin only combat,s the "symptoms")
but I agree people should stop using scape goats when they do stuff.

huh funny people keep telling me that I need to tell MORE people I have ADD because I I am constantly not catching things in classes and dazing off in lectures so I miss important things and end up failing assignments but I guess your right its my fault...

Not necessarily your fault, but I would say it's completely under your control if you would make an effort to improve. ADD makes it more difficult to focus, but not anywhere near impossible. And if you really can't help yourself, maybe you should get help in the form of medicine or therapy.

Medicine doesn't work and I can't control it I can try but the harder I try the more my eyes lose focus and I have to move or leave or else I completely daze out

 

[Wintermoot]

If it were autism or schizophrenia I would say he should be let off.

you do know there is a huge difference between Autism and Schizophrenia right?

 

[Jazoni89]

I should know, I was a incredibly popular kid when I was very young (I had great social skills, and was very bright for my age). It was only when i was 12/13 or so that i started to feel indifferent about myself, and closed off from society.

Actually, Autism Spectrum Disorder can be tested for as early as 2 or 3.

Yeah, Autism spectrum disorder is very prominent in children as young as three (with various different behavioural patterns such as aggressiveness, and tantrums), but with Aspergers, it's much older, so that why it's diagnosed mostly in the teens. No one realised that i had Asbergers until I was around fourteen for example.

They may belong in the same category, but Autism spectrum, and Aspergers are two different things entirely. I don't blame you for not knowing, because it's a popular belief, which is proven to be completely untrue. For example, people with autism haven't got a huge amount of intellect, and they have increasing problems with their behaviour, and learning difficulties, while most people with Asbergers are rather calm, intellectual, but suffer in various social situations.

 

[Chibz]

Autism spectrum, and Asbergers are two different things entirely.

I was diagnosed with Aspergers rather late in high school. And I have to tell you that you are wrong here. Asperger Syndrome is on the autism spectrum. All people with asperger syndrome are autistic. Not all autistic people have aspergers.

Also, it is spelled with a p. Not a b.

 

[Jazoni89]

Autism spectrum, and Asbergers are two different things entirely.

I was diagnosed with Aspergers rather late in high school. And I have to tell you that you are wrong here. Asperger Syndrome is on the autism spectrum. All people with asperger syndrome are autistic. Not all autistic people have aspergers.

Also, it is spelled with a p. Not a b.

You've just contradicted yourself when you said that your Aspergers was diagnosed in your late high school years which in turn proves my point. As I described, it's a common misconception that Aspergers and autism spectrum disorder are in fact the same thing. When in fact the difference between the two are very distinct. I had a friend with autism spectrum disorder, and we were incredibly different to each other in our behaviours, and our views. Aspergers is on the autism spectrum, and it shares traits from autism spectrum, so that's why it's categorised as such.

I think you misunderstand me, when you say that not all people with autism has Aspergers, which is correct, I'm just underlining the various differences between the two.

Also, sometimes people like to pronounce it with a B, but you are right, it is a P.

 

[Chibz]

You've just contradicted yourself when you said that your Aspergers was diagnosed in your early high school years which in turn proves my point.

Actually, despite Aspergers being around for an ultra long time (1940's) there wasn't criteria for the diagnosis until the 1990's and diagnosis of it was completely unheard of (at least where I live) until the 2000's. If I was born a bit later, I would've been diagnosed with it much sooner.

Another term that often applies to Aspergers is high-functioning autism.

The problem is that I don't think you really understand how varying the different forms of autism are.

Spoiler: If you care

1. Classic autism
2. Asperger syndrome
3. Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), sometimes called atypical autism.
4. Rett syndrome
5. Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

 

[renegade7]

If it were autism or schizophrenia I would say he should be let off.

you do know there is a huge difference between Autism and Schizophrenia right?

Yes I know there's a difference, but I meant they are both disorders that can seriously impair one's ability to function properly.

 

[renegade7]

If it were autism or schizophrenia I would say he should be let off.

I disagree. If you have anything and break the law then the crime and punishment should be treated with the same severity as someone without it. However, you should be given relevant care to make sure that no harm comes to you or anyone else. So yes, the guy should be charged. If he needs treatment or care give it to him; if he doesn't then let him rot with the rest of them.

Well, that depends on the situation. A schizophrenic who commits a crime while suffering a break from reality is not necessarily in control of his or her own actions. The same as an autistic, who may not understand the implications of their actions.

If the disorder caused the crime, then they should be treated, not punished. They should still be kept seperate from the normal population because they may be dangerous, but as in a facility where they will be cared for, not prison. If their disorder caused the crime, it's not their fault. Now, if they commit a crime and ARE aware of their actions (ie a medicated schizophrenic who is no longer experiencing symptoms) then they should still be put in jail, because it WAS their fault. They should still recieve treatment though, lest they become dangerous again.

The difference here is that the criminal had Asperger's, not autism. In Asperger's cases, the sufferer has all of their mental faculties, and so is (or should be) fully aware of their actions and the consequences. They're just a bit quirky, basically.