Jolly Roger, Pirates and Political Correctness

[Blue Stocking]

So if I fly my CF burgee-it meens I agree with everything on this forum??

Not bloody likely.

[Triton318]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Cruising is NOT about unblocking the heads, its about unblocking the brain

I like that.

-------------
Jay White
S/V Dove
Hayes, VA

"Cruising is NOT about unblocking the heads, its about unblocking the brain." -MarkJ

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Thats my point exactly... you are in an International forum! You are not in a USA forum.
Its not owned by an American ...

Notwithstanding that the CF's owner probably is an American (sometimes expat'), immature bad taste remains bad taste, even if eloquently rationalized, even by a well-intentioned cruiser of good will.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by CoastalCowboy

Now that I could not agree with more.

BUGGER!!!... and I was so enjoying the stoush

[Bash]

Originally Posted by colemj

I appreciate those pirate flags - they help me identify the people I like to stay away from.

+1

It's like the non-boater guests who come aboard saying, "Arrrrrr. Avast!" It never seems to fail that the ones who have perfected pirate-speak are the first ones who will get seasick.

[Blue Stocking]

Is this where we run up the S(orry) N(ot) O(n) B(oard) flag.

[wolfaroo]

haha great thread... come on PC babyboomers, we're not living in the golden age of sail, surely flying a jolly roger in 2011 is just a bit of harmless fun. I'm pretty sure if I saw one approach my starboard quarter I'd be looking forward to a bit of banter rather than preparing to dodge their cannon shot.

In England there still exists a law that allows a boat flying a jolly roger to be blown out of the water if it closes within a certain proximity to a HM Naval vessel... but there is also a law that still exists allowing Englishmen to fire arrows using a bow at Welshmen crossing the border in groups of 8 or more (which tend these days to be in a minibus/coach/train, so not very effective unfortunately).

The point is over time often things lose their original meaning/offense, so why not reclaim them in a humurous/entertaining/bit-of-fun way? Light-heartedness is the way forward PC brigade!

shiver me timbers

[perchance]

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

I don't mind pirate flags.....Can't stand Jimmy Boo-Fay or Steel Drum Bands.

Your not the only one. A pox on all their houses!

[rgscpat]

ALL pirates were thieves.
SOME pirates were murdering, torturing, barbarously cruel thieves.

All pirates used the threat of force to rob people. Beyond that point, they were diverse in their motivations and methods.

Some approached piracy purely as an economic transaction and used a minimum of violence. Others enjoyed being bloodthirsty. The most ethical pirates might merely rob their victims of choice cargo and useful supplies, but leave the victims with their ship and supplies. Other pirates would torture some of their victims, either to locate hidden plunder or for the beastly, bloodthirsty enjoyment of it. No doubt you could draw a continuum, from the relatively "civilized" Jennings and Hornigold (not to mention Drake or Morgan) to the more evil Vane or l'Olonnais.

Surprisingly, Blackbeard (Ed Teach/Thatch) was one of the less violent pirates; he used a terrifying appearance to overawe victims into surrendering without fighting.

Besides greed, motivations included the political (some pirates were former victims of the Bloody Assizes of 1685 [the back story to the movie Captain Blood]) or, a generation later, failed Jacobite supporters of the Stuarts; whereas others continued to prey upon their country's traditional enemies even after peace treaties invalidated their privateering commissions.) Other pirates may have rebelled against injustice, poor treatment, bad food, crowding, tyranny, years at sea without reprieve, and harsh treatment in the Royal Navy, which all too often was governed by "Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash". The pirates were happy to keep the first of these.

One of the more interesting pirates was the inept, landlubberly, weak, and outlandishly dressed Stede Bonnet, who appears to have been a touch mentally ill and who made a spectacularly unlucky pirate, being hanged after a short career.

[genomic]

It must be a cultural thing. I occasionally see folk flying a little Jolly Roger flag around Qld, and have even talked to a couple of them. They seemed like nice people (no doubt with peccadilloes like all of us). Who knew they were actually horrible monsters who were displaying tacit approval of modern-day piracy, or terribly immature people who I should have, apparently, been avoiding at all costs.

In my newly enlightened state, next time I'm at Sea World and see the actors dressed in pirate regalia, or see Pirates of Penzance, or encounter someone at a party wearing an eyepatch and an inflatable parrot, I'll be sure to give them a good stern talking to. Also I may shout obscentities at the screen during the next Pirates of the Carribean movie.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by wolfaroo

haha great thread... come on PC babyboomers, we're not living in the golden age of sail, surely flying a jolly roger in 2011 is just a bit of harmless fun. I'm pretty sure if I saw one approach my starboard quarter I'd be looking forward to a bit of banter rather than preparing to dodge their cannon shot.

In England there still exists a law that allows a boat flying a jolly roger to be blown out of the water if it closes within a certain proximity to a HM Naval vessel... but there is also a law that still exists allowing Englishmen to fire arrows using a bow at Welshmen crossing the border in groups of 8 or more (which tend these days to be in a minibus/coach/train, so not very effective unfortunately).

The point is over time often things lose their original meaning/offense, so why not reclaim them in a humurous/entertaining/bit-of-fun way? Light-heartedness is the way forward PC brigade!

shiver me timbers

Great attitude! No, real Pirates were not pleasant people, but the pirate flag as we know it has little or nothing to do with them. It has everything to do with an idealized age of sail that only ever really happened in Hollywood. Real pirates would not even recognize the Jolly Roger, it was an invention of the later era of piracy and was similar to flags used by navies as well to mean no quarter in a boarding. Here in the western US it also has to do with a perception of political freedom and is a statement of democracy and freedom. Yes, that's me in a Pirate outfit in my avatar, haven't missed the Portland Pirate festival yet. My little girls love Pirates and have been on all the local tallships which show up for things like the pirate festival to fire their cannon. My wife and I met in a wooden boat building school many years ago and have worked on many of these vessels too. Zodiac, Adventuress, Lady Washington, etc. Many of these vessels make a living doing pirate movies and pirate themed events, seafair, etc. It's the only mythology from the age of sail the average person knows anything about, and if more people learn about wooden ships and sailing as a result, that's great! I'm sure there's people sailing now who wouldn't be if they had never read Treasure Island as a kid....

[boatman61]

AAARRRGGGHHHH......Tis the Black Spot.... Arrr Jim me lad.... I be boogered... ahhh stuff it splice the mainbrace...

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by boatman61

AAARRRGGGHHHH......Tis the Black Spot.... Arrr Jim me lad.... I be boogered... ahhh stuff it splice the mainbrace...

I was wondering when you were going to come over the horizon.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

I was wondering when you were going to come over the horizon.

Ay... it be the sixty...een year old raising his ugly head..... Aharrrrr me hearties..

[Tori]

Aaargh we are in the USA in a marina, we have a Jolly Roger flying even when we sail, two parrots who live loose on board and rum. Obviously we are criminals but this has already been established since Joe was arrested.
Seriously, however I would not fly the Jolly Roger outside is the states as a matter of respect to others