mwm@ea.UUCP (06/26/84)
#R:ihuxq:-102000:ea:9800009:000:1951 ea!mwm Jun 25 18:13:00 1984 /***** ea:net.philosophy / ihuxq!ken / 2:37 am Jun 20, 1984 */ I'm starting to think that most techies are very insecure. They need a high degree of order in their lives because the world is just too chaotic for them to deal with head on. If they can't find the order, they invent, nay impose, one. ..ihnp4!ihuxq!ken /* ---------- */ First, to define a term: Techies - those who are generally viewed as "wizards" (software), "gurus" (hardware), or "hackers" (the MIT meaning). In general, somebody who likes to play with high-tech tools, and figure out what they can/can't do with them. You may have (nay, I hope you have) another definition of techie. Most people I know that fit in this category are *not* orderly. In fact, they are just the opposite. The amount of disorder in their lives is best described as irresponsible (I plead guilty), with weird hours (showing up for an 8-5 job at 3 in the afternoon is orderly?!!?), desks that apparently don't have tops, etc. Very few of them are insecure, either. Opinionated, yes. Obstinate, yes. Insecure, no. (Once again, I plead guilty.) Equally ludicrous is the comment about wanting to impose an order on the world. Most techies I know would be quite happy if the rest of the world left them alone to play with their toys (guilty). Rather than wanting to impose an order on the world, they want the world to stop trying to impose an order on them. Socially incompetent has also been raised. That is at least not completely at odds with my experience. Whether this is a cause or a result of liking to play with esoteric things is as yet unknown. I think the second paragraph preceding this one is the key: techies don't want people telling them how to run their lives, and assume that others think the same way (If you do want someone telling you how to run your life, please send me mail! :-). The logical extension of this leads nearly invariably to a libertarian philosophy. <mike