Did anyone else see True Caribbean Pirates on the History Channel this weekend? I TiVo'd it and then watched it last night. It was pretty interesting. I've always been fascinated by pirates. From when I was young and watching Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk with Errol Flynn and The Buccaneer with Yul Brynner to when I started playing video games and have played at least 4 different versions of the game "Pirates!" (Nintendo, Sega Genesis, PC version circa 1990, new PC version). It continues even now with the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.
The pirate as represented in popular culture represents a rebellious spirit in all of us. He (or she, as the relatively rare case may be) is subject to no one and lives free. He robs those who would make their fortunes by oppressing the common man. He shares freely with his men, who would gladly give their lives for him. Women flock to him, and he collects them like treasure. He is noble yet not of the nobility. He is the common man rising up and succeeding beyond any of our wildest dreams.
The problem is that the pirate of history is nothing like the cultural representation. Pirates were murderers, rapists and thieves. They were sadistic, merciless, and greedy. The treasure they stole lasted only until they could spend it on rum and women. When it was gone, they had to go slaughter more people and steal more treasure. Yet for some reason, there is a disconnect between who pirates really were and how we perceive them.
Differences between reality and romanticized pirates aside, True Caribbean Pirates was very enjoyable. It was informative and entertaining, proving that these are not mutually exclusive concepts in television. Though they did explain the origin of Caribbean Pirates as well as the terms buccaneer and privateer, I was disappointed that there was no discussion of the origin of the Jolly Roger. They showed the flag, along with several variants specific to certain pirates, but never mentioned where it or its name came from. If you missed it, I'd certainly recommend checking out a rerun.
Until later...
July 11, 2006
Less Work, More Pay, Better Rum
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4 comments:
My only experience with pirates is my lame imitation of South Park's Terrence and Philip "hunting for TRESHA!"
But perhaps now I will check out that show! Fascinating!
I watched a show the other night about the real Blackbeard and found it extremely informative. He was quite a character! I, too, love the myth and legend of the pirate.
I'll have to check out the show you mentioned... sounds like a good one!
My hubby TiVoed that as well, watched it last night and really enjoed it. It sounded really good and informative but I had my nose stuck in a book instead.
If you're interested in women pirates check out "Bold in Her Breeches - Women Pirates Across the Ages" edited by Jo Stanley. Very interesting book about women who took to piracy (often passing as men)in different eras and cultures.
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