There's an article over on MSNBC that portrays Jeffery Parson, a teenager arrested for distributing a variant of the Blaster worm, more favorably (and probably accurately) than many other articles. The article, which seems to be based on an interview with Jeffery and his parents, shed some light on how Jeffery was arrested, apparently, after weeks of interrogation with the Feds, during which he was not given access to a lawyer. He also dispels some of the rumors reported by the media, for example that he drove recklessly (he doesn't have a license) or that he had previous run-ins with the law (he claims this is his first).

But what caught my attention most, was the fact that Jeffery and his parents seem to be more concerned about his portrayal as a "loner", than anything else. They insist that he isn't a loner, that he has an active social life and a group of friends, that he doesn't sit in front of the computer all the time, and what's more, that he's a "normal kid". Now, I don't know, but I find it disturbing when people are more concerned about being labeled a loner than they are about being falsely accused of cyber-terrorism and being arrested for political reasons.

I don't understand this stigma against loners in our society. And yes, it's more obvious in America than it is elsewhere, even countries like Japan that are typically considered to be less individualistic and more group oriented. It's almost as if being abnormal and antisocial (or asocial, unsocial, socially indifferent, socially inept, etc) is a crime against humanity; the sign of a vicious criminal.

Sure, a lot of violent criminals may have been antisocial loners. But then, many great inventors, scientists, writers, intellectuals and artists have been abnormal loners too. The fact of it is, it's the abnormal loners who break the status quo to bring about change and progress. In fact, this obsession with normalcy has no other function than to maintain status quo, and once it goes too far, it'll be just a matter of time before other countries with respect for healthy abnormality overtake us in various fields of endeavors. In fact, I think it's already starting in some areas.

I drifted off the topic a bit, so let me end with a little plug for what I think punishment for teenage "hackers" should be. They should be sentenced to 4 or more years of college (paid for by the government, of course), or an internship with the NSA, CIA, DIA, NASA or one of the many government laboratories. That'll teach 'em a lesson...or two hundred.