What’s it like to be a Pirate?
June 26th, 2007
Want to organize a pirate birthday party? Well, first ask yourself what was it like to be a pirated? Classic Americana gives us plenty of books and films to pour over in our quest for finding the real pirate. Few venture into the historical records to see what life was really like for the average pirate. From films like Pirates of the Caribbean, we see Jack Sparrow plunder his enormous bounty while escaping his enemies like the East India Trading Company. Real pirates were not so fortunate. Many of them were the castoffs of society and needed a place to survive, and pirating provided the perfect escape for many of the. Unlike current films, they were poorly fed, and did not receive the kind of bounty found at a pirate birthday party (pun intended)! Their enclaves could have been the first forms of modern democracy. The crew often chose the own captain. They democratically elected a leader who they thought would be fearless in battle. When the crew was not fighting, the real brains behind the operation was the leader; usually the navigator. This makes sense considering that the fiercest fighter of the group was not usually the brightest. In future blogs, we’ll talk more about life as a pirate. Arrrggghh and good day!