In the SEO space, there are always two types of personalities. One is those that go head down and focus on improving their own site and then there are those that look at competitors and complain that they are doing things that are illegal. Typically, it is the first kind that wins out because they are making a difference, whereas the other is not really making a difference.
A thread from the SEO Blackhat Forums has one SEO, who seems new, asking about using bad links to push down his competitors or get them penalized. The response to that is amazing.
Here is one:
Why waste your time damaging other peoples businesses? I don't understand some people.Use your time to gain your own ranking back.
And another:
Better throw your efforts into boosting your own stuff, rather than damaging someone elses.
So those are black hat SEOs responding or white hat SEOs responding in a black hat forum?
There are of course spammers and people doing illegal things like hacking but I would not classify black hat as illegal or criminal.
I like when I see these types of threads, it makes me feel like the blogging we do makes a difference.
Forum discussion at Black Hat SEO Forum.
Image credit to BigStockPhoto for black hat