Whenever I think of pirates, I typically think of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean featuring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Although it has been a while since I have seen that movie, and I do not remember much of the plot, I still associate the type of attire they wore in that movie and old wooden ships, as well as, gross, very mild zombielike people with the stereotype of a pirate. Buried treasure and the search for it also comes to mind when thinking about pirates.
The type of pirates mentioned above must be the old-school version, because the first time I ever heard of pirates in real life (and found out that they really exist) was when the Somalian pirates took over Captain Phillips's ship. If I'm not mistaken, that is what the new movie featuring Tom Hanks is about. Prior to the Somalian pirate incident, I did not realize that piracy (other than the technological meaning) was a real problem in the world. According to the New York Times article, Somali piracy is currently at a seven year low. This is good news for the east coast of Africa. However, on the west coast of Africa, particularly Nigeria, there is a different story. This is where, just a week ago, two Americans were abducted by Nigerian pirates off a US oil vessel.
In my opinion, the new-school pirates are not as cool as the old-school ones. The new pirates (or real ones) do not wear eyepatches, fight using cannons, pistols, and swords, and travel the seas in a wooden ship with a skull and crossbones flag in search of buried treasure, but rather wear raggedy shirts, carry assault rifles, abduct innocent people from ships, and hold them for ransom. This could, however, have been how pirates have always been, but the legends of the pirates of the past have twisted this truth into something completely different and much more interesting, rather than just savage-like and inhumane.
I'd agree that the NEW pirates are much more boring than what the term "Pirate" brings to mind. I too think of Pirates from Johnny Depp's movies when I think of pirates. Pirates to me were always thought of as people with big hats looking for buried treasure and gold. The new pirates in my opinion should not even be termed pirates. They should be termed "thugs" perhaps.
ReplyDeleteJeff, I was also surprised back in 2009 when the "Captain Phillips" incident happened. Before then I had no idea piracy was still an issue.
ReplyDeleteHey Jeff! It seems like everyone loves the idea of swashbuckling pirates like Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean but then are shocked by the violent reality of modern piracy. Do you think as a society we've over-romanticized certain ideas to better understand them?
ReplyDeleteI think the more nostalgic or romantic element comes from the old era it evokes. The clothes are anachronistic, as are the behaviors and the general ethos. But make no mistake--pirates were always like this. If anything, they were probably much nastier in the past. They were more likely to kill you, and if they didn't, they woudln't try to ransom you as that would not be very feasible. They'd either enslave you themselves, or sell you as a servant to others.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, I remember thinking that pirates were cool. Well, maybe cool isn't the right word, but they were definitely an attention grabber. Nowadays though, they are the exact opposite of that. I would really like to know how many vessels they take hold of and and release after obtaining ransom each year. Is this enough to live off of?
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