I've run across a few people that claim all kinds of things. Usually at past jobs. Some guy bragging about hacking peoples facebook accounts, or cracking wifi access points, or being apart of a DDoS for Anon or something. Generally I would just ignore it and let them have some lime light because I knew they where full of shit and just needed people to like them or think they where smart. I don't mind them, the people I do mind are the ones acting better than other.
Like the ones trying to correct everyone or putting people down for not knowing what torrenting is. I have literally witnessed someone making fun of another person for not knowing how torrents are downloaded. Pissed me off. When I encounter these kind of people I test them. Like with the torrent douche, I asked him what languages he codes in. He literally said C, Java, PHP, C#, VBasic, Pearl, and Ruby. I proceeded to ask him if he has tried Python. He had no idea Python was a language. I asked him what the difference between scripted and compiled languages was, again blank look on his face. Recursion? He claimed I was making words up...
I thought, ok if he is such an 31337 haxor, he should at least know about DNS spoofing, you know since he pops server shells with metasploit all the time [rolls eyes]. He couldn't even tell me what a DNS does. After putting him in his place for the next 15 min, I told him to stop trying to abuse people because he knows a few terms he learned on the internet. He quit 2 days later and I don't feel bad for it.
I was a prick. I used what I knew to put a douche bag in his place by going to his level. But maybe the fag went home and googled some shit and started really learning something. Personally, I do not call myself a hacker. I don't care for people who do call themselves hackers either. Hacker is a title that is given to you, not something you give yourself. When someone calls me a hacker I agree. When someone introduces me to someone new and says I'm a hacker, I don't deny it. But if someone asks me if I'm a hacker I say no. I tell them I'm someone interested in tech and testing my skills and limits.
With that said, being a hacker isn't even a title you can place on someone. It is a way of thinking, a way of learning, and a way practicing knowledge.
Sorry for the 'rant'. I've had a few beers and reminiscing on my past. Or some faggy shit like that.