Documentary on the Phreq's way of life and government:

Recently quite a bit of controversy has been going around about a group
which has come to be called "the phreqs". They insist that they have their
own system of government and their own ideals of society. Some members
state that their organization is very open-minded and welcoming, and others
say that they have very high standards.

Origins:

Though the orignial creator, Renee, insists the name is pronounced Freaks, 
most of it's members and non-members pronounce it in it's slang style,
Phreqs. The phreqs have been slowly growing and gaining members, and
are now centered at Pen-Hi. The name's origins are unclear, but perhaps 
the name was derived from a sub-culture which has existed since the 
mid-70's, called phone phreaks. The phone phreaks share many traits 
with computer "hackers", but are more specialized in the phone system.
Since the phone phreaks have been around for many more years than the 
phreqs, it can only be said that the phone phreaks had the name first.
The rest of this document will be dealing with "the phreqs", lest any 
confusion arise.

Government:

Roughly a quarter of the recognized phreqs call themselves anarchists.
Anarchism, on the surface, appears to be a very simple system, but
in fact, it is a complex political ideal, perhaps best philosophized by
Petr A. Kropotkin, a 19th century anarchist philosopher. He thought that
human beings would not submit to the specialization proffessed under
capitalism. Thus leading to a system which would welcome anarchy.
Meaning, peacful economy without a government, not the widely believed 
mass destruction and violence. How much of the actual anarchist
movement the phreqs acatually understand is debatable, but the fact
remains that they do, in a way, follow what they are saying.

This message was posted onto the guestbook by Renee, and sums up
the phreqs official government philosphy:

"I am the original phreq.....but since we are either anarcist phreqz or 
non conformist standerized phreqz we have no government...it would go 
against phreq law.....but this is part of our law and govenrment thang
goin on....what is said to one phreq by an outside person(read: a nonphreq)
is said to everyone of the members...we'll all be pretty much n yer ass if 
its a bad thang....as for government if you have a problem with one of us 
too fuckin bad for you....talk to one or all of us and we might help you 
out.....we are kind if you get on our good side" -Renee

While this message conveys the general idea, it has a few discrepancies.
Renee mentions that the phreqs have no government, but in the same
"run-on" sentence, she mentions "phreq law". How can law exist without
a government? Logic dictates that it cannot.

Also, Renee talks about how phreqs look out for their own members.
Under a true anarchy, everyone looks out for themselves, and only
remain peaceful at a mutual understanding that what goes around comes
around. The phreqs are close to a communistic philosophy, except that
they are financially individual, and only rely on each other for social
support. So to sum up, the phreqs are a little anarchist, part communist,
and part capitalist. This is understandable, as they were raised in
Canada, which follows, for the most part, the same ideas.


Standards:

"Everyone wants to be a Phreq but do you have
the qualities to be one???" -Jen

Every phreq seems to have their own idea of how the organization
runs. Since the official phreq website is run by Todd, the website
is a reflection of his own ideals. I've tried to gather my information
from a number of sources, but you'll have to excuse the differences
in opinions for a lack of information, not a willingness to report.

The phreqs standards seem to vary with each phreq, so who gets in
must be a trifle of a problem. If they have meetings, this must occupy
a large segment of their meeting time.

The phreqs have been around for quite a while, but still have a relatively
small enlistment. This can only be due to generally high standards,
an elaborate screening system, or a desire to keep the group small.

Here are some quotes illustrating the standards of the phreqs:

"If you don't like hack, you can shutup and die.
No, we're not superficial, we just have standards." -Website

"Here is a short list of the current never-be phreqz. 
They can all die." -Website

"YOU MUST EI THER spend lunches in the PHREQZ SPOT or have a spare or
SAS (self appointed spare) in Block C so you may hang with 
us peeps........" -Renee

"If you've never touched a hack, you will never be good 
enough for a phreq..." -Website

"YOU MUST EIOTHER dispise rap or country or both......." -Renee

As one can plainly see, they are not exactly the most welcoming people on
the earth, and I assure you, this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Far be me to look down upon them, I realize that every group has their
own standards and require their members to live up to them, and
the phreqs don't differ much from these groups.

In the interests of this document however, it is neccesary for me to
point out their hypocrisy, so here are some quotes about the
open-mindedness of the phreqs:

"....all phreqz have open minds...." -Renee

".....being a phreq is just being
 yourself...however you act is accepted..." -Again, Renee

We could go on, but...


Ways of life:

Phreqs, although they claim otherwise, don't lead an altogether
different life from most of us. They may, as they benevolently state,
be different, but it only shows on the surface, ie: how they dress,
who they talk to. Not in the lives they lead, or what they say.

They use swear words with roughly the same frequency as most people,
write in mostly the same way as most people, and use the same slang.
These are obvious and can be seen by anyone willing to take the time
to read anything they've written. These facts are probably enough 
to get a fair reflection of their lives. Although I can't confirm this,
I think I am making a correct assumption by saying that they read the
same books as most north-american teenagers, watch the same TV shows,
eat the same food, and have been raised in roughly the same ways.

Note: These are liberal generalizations, if you are a phreq and they
don't apply to you, ignore them. There are always SLIGHT exceptions.

So to sum up, this section doesn't really need to be elaborated on at
all, for more information, just ask any teenager.


Anti-Phreq "Movements":

These are laughable at best, and although they claim to be hazardous
and targeting the phreqs, they are no more than individuals who have
been wronged or rejected by one or more phreq members, and are fighting
back in the only way they know how, idle threats.


The whole idea of phreq government is an interesting one, and one
that I hope will continue to be debated on the message boards.
Few of the members of the phreqs could actually tell you anything
about the groups philosophy, because it hasn't been explained to anyone
by the only person who claims these ideals, Renee. If your ideas
do exist, Renee, quit hiding behind such covers as "if you can't understand
now, you never will", and actually post a clear, concise, message about
the philosophy and government of the phreqs. Enlighten us
non-members and members alike. This IS a challenge.

Doug Hoyte and Jim Crass