Hacking is an verb
...and attaching a connotation to it is down to the individual that uses the word and the one who consumes it.
If a bank is robbed by gunmen/woman and this is reported as such, one implies guns were used by people, not that guns are always/only used for evil or all gunmen are ill-intentioned. Now imagine a soldier complaining that the term demonises them bc they also wield guns. Silly right?
If they don't like the word's history, be smart and invent a new one or attach a cool companion word to difference yourself from the vanilla 'hacker'. I reckon that'd be easier than trying to hack the word's etymology
Biting the hand that feeds IT
