Dealing with your conscience

Hey guys, I've been in blackhat for quite a while. I've done a whole number of things and it's starting to get to me. How do you guys put up with yourselves? I'm thinkin bout finally calling it quits. Would like a few perspectives on this.

I have no conscience...

Are you referring to the voices in my head?

Typically, I smoke pot and drink beer to shut them up.

Nah seriously though, what exactly do you mean? we aren't robbing people, we're just exploiting systems & violate companies' TOS (companies that make billions and do darker shit than we do, and don't give a fuck). So no, it can't possibly affect my conscience.

Yeah I mean obviously if you're using stolen credit cards to fill out offers, that might bother you, lol

I think BH methods are still several notches above car salesman, if they can live with themselves I can too.

simple go shopping

Dude really what did you do to feel remorse? Normal blackhatting doesn't hurt the buyers, it just uses technology in an ingenious way . If you are not running some ponzi schemes or using stollen credit cards you are not doing anything wrong.

What are you doing to make your conscience feel so bad. I haven't seen a thread like this since CL was big. Maybe you should stop doing that or maybe you are just really sensitive. Most BH methods aren't actually that bad. Take some time and think about it objectively, who's actually getting hurt from something like this? If the answer is eBay, Google, Facebook, Rich People/Companies, people who are too lazy to do any research then come on who cares? Get over it. But if the answer is single mothers raising 3 children or innocent impoverished hard working people then you should probably not do that method.

Come on, what's so terrible?

as long as you're not stealing, no problemo!
(and i don't have any issues with c-o-o-k-i-e s-t-u-f-f-i-n-g).

Send me all your earnings and then make love to your conscience.

I find it hilarious that everyone is confused. Guilt? Conscience? Anyway, I've seen some ridiculous things here. It's obvious that the average person engaging in black hat has more flexible ethical standards the the average person. However, the average person is a complete moron. Ethics are complicated.

There are so many variables involved that it's difficult to judge right away whether something is unethical. Take a site marketing a Clickbank product that is completely worthless. Yeah, the person is stupid for buying it, but it's not nice to exploit people. Nonetheless, there are useful products to market that will probably sell better anyway. I don't market products (I might try sometime), but it's not due to ethical objections.

I'm studying philosophy, and I can probably argue that just about any career is unethical. There are just so many factors to consider. I wonder what you're doing that makes you feel bad about it?

As for your conscience, it's significantly the result of natural human empathy and socialization. If I lie for a good reason, I usually feel guilty. I shouldn't feel guilty, and I feel less guilty than I used to feel. It takes times.

In philosophy, there is a debate over whether or not you should push a fat guy into a train if it will save more lives. I thought "no!" but my mind say "yes." My conscience was very opposed to pushing people into trains. I thought about it long enough, and I am now emotionally critical of someone who wouldn't push the guy. You can actively shape your conscience by logically telling yourself why you should or shouldn't feel X.

If you want a quick fix to feeling guilty, donate a significant percentage of your income to a worthy charity. Oxfam is good, apparently, though I don't know if I agree with prioritizing aid to starving people (for complicated reasons). Just pick something that you would feel good about.

The reality is that the average person is a selfish "insert expletive" that deserves to be stolen from and beaten with a bat - myself included. The fact that people in our own neighborhoods, sometimes family, are suffering from things we could easily eliminate is really ridiculous.

Basically, you don't have to do much to even it out. Just Robin Hood it up and redistribute some money to something useful. You know keeping some is alright because you wouldn't keep earning and donating if you didn't (cause you're a bad person like everyone else, most likely).

**

Personally, I haven't done much that isn't white hat. I created another account on a website using a proxy and spammed some links using a program once. You can rationalize almost anything so I wonder what you've been doing now.

I saw some guys website and he was selling an ebook on how to cure cancer..... If I was doing that then that would fuck with my conscience.

Spamming people on facebook or having a twitter account farm or other blackhat shenanigans?.... not really.

Try some new methods

Despite what most of the population thinks having money doesn't mean shit. You have to feed your family and all, but after that who gives a shit?

I know of quite a few multi millionaires who can buy whatever they want (I am talkin an SLR a year, jets, mansions, the works), but are still unhappy. I also know train hoppers who have nothing but the clothes on their back and are happy as hell. Which shows money doesn't matter when it comes to your overall happiness. I belong to a fairly high income family and have always had a large amount of capital available to do and go wherever I want, yet some of my fondest memories cost less then a movie ticket.

Pretend that you are making nothing from your method, morally would you feel good about your actions? If the answer is no then stop, because once you start throwing your morals out the window no amount of money, fame or power will bring them back. I like to make money just like everyone else out there, but since I have enough to afford all the necessities I will walk away from work I find unethical. Because of this monetarily a lot of my family members are worth much much more then me, but I wouldn't trade places with them.

mo money mo problems?

I don't do anything I consider actively hurting other people. Including scamming noobs, the closest I get to doing something that I consider morally wrong is flaming people on IM forums.

spamming is morally wrong I think (although I personally don't care)

does anyone really get hurt? No - but they do get irritated. irritating thousands of people a day couldnt be the best plan if karma was real (it's not)

haha same problem! My solution is white-hat, 'solve people's problems' internet marketing lol.

Just calling someone a dumb name like 'stupid' or 'fat' makes me feel terrible if I think I made them feel bad even just a little! I don't know what it is, but I can't live with myself if I feel like I am the cause of someone elses discomfort or sadness if I didn't have to be.