written and posted by members of Lancashire Dead Good Poets' Society

Friday 21 September 2012

Pirates are bad people mmmmkay?


Arrrrr. The only form of piracy not covered this week I think is internet piracy. I have no desire to get into a debate about that really, that sounds like no fun at all.

Pirates are not as threatening as they used to be are they though? They are comical little characters who shout “Arrr, me hearties” a lot and carry parrots on their shoulders. I’m sure those who have been robbed by genuine pirates in the past few years can vouch for the fact that they are actually scary ruthless criminals. Who will kill you if they need to. They might not make you walk the plank but they might stab you. Or shoot you.
 Like highwaymen they have become romanticised and caricatures of what they once were. They are the stuff of children’s books. Children dress up in pirate costumes. Would you let a 5 year old dress up as Fred West? I probably would for a laugh but most people wouldn’t, it’s a bit weird. But they think nothing of popping an eye patch on them and encouraging them to wield a cutlass. Which is actually a really big sharp knife for cutting people with. And making them dead.

I remember a film from when I was a lot younger called The Fog. I think it was written by Stephen King. It was obviously quite scary. The fog would descend on a seaside village and with it brought death to anyone caught in it. And guess what was in the Fog we find out near the end? Pirates. Scary ones, proper villainous murderous pirates who cut people to bits. Bring back the scary ones please.

3 comments:

Ashley Lister said...

The Fog, staring Jamie Lee Curtis, was a John Carpenter movie. Nothing to do with Stephen King, although his short novel (The Mist) was out around the same time. It was quite entertaining for its day and still makes me jump when I watch it.

And you're right about the way we celebrate these monsters nowadays. Fred West baby costumes, and maybe David Cameron ones too, would be kinda funky and would certainly make a point.

Ash

Lindsay said...

Ah sorry for the mistake there, I must have mixed up the two, the film was good though.

Damp incendiary device said...

Kids should always dress up as Robin Hood, V or Ghandi. Especially the girls.

Interesting post Lindsay.