> It went so quickly from a semi-plausible portrayal to a fetishization of [black hat] hackers.
It's understandable that a lot of people on HN went in expecting a realistic show about hacking, and wound up with a much more abstract (and arguably ambitious) show about mental health, drug use, the role of corporations in society and politics, hacking, etc. I can see how that might be disappointing, but personally I like it.
But I don't think it's a fetishization of hackers. It's a stylized, exaggerated portrayal of many elements of society, that happens to include hackers.
This is what hacking really is about. The discipline has nothing to do with computers and can be applied to everything. Those who are fixated on the technical aspects of the show are missing the elephant in the room.
It's understandable that a lot of people on HN went in expecting a realistic show about hacking, and wound up with a much more abstract (and arguably ambitious) show about mental health, drug use, the role of corporations in society and politics, hacking, etc. I can see how that might be disappointing, but personally I like it.
But I don't think it's a fetishization of hackers. It's a stylized, exaggerated portrayal of many elements of society, that happens to include hackers.