History has a long history of making shit up, but pirates are still real. Since the first seafarers there have been pirates in Asia, Africa and then the New World. There are now Somali pirates and Indonesian pirates and Amazonian pirates. There are pirates everywhere there is water. Inspiring tales from childhood and desperation for money are just two of the leading causes of piracy, and once you start earning money by taking rich people's stuff--as a pirate robber or mercenary--the lure of the life is not going away.
The Cape Fear Coast has a rich history of pirates that is celebrated in every town on the coast to this day. Pirates depend on the water for assault and escape; anyone else is just a regular highwayman, robber or common thief. So what makes pirates so damn cool?
1 - Chicks dig them. Long before Jack Sparrow, the image of a powerful rogue of a man sweeping the damsel from her feet was ingrained in society's consciousness by books and film. They were bad dudes who were going to take the women and the treasure of the establishment buffoons, and that was considered a good thing.
2 - Guys dig them. Most guys are still as poor as any other "middle-class" man in history, and today the "steal from the rich and maybe give to the poor" image is still a powerful draw for men who want to root for the good guy --as long as he is not a lawman.
3 - Moonshiners emulated them. These guys were just land-pirate smugglers--fighting the system and running from the Feds and trying to feed their workers and families. Thank God they did that, otherwise we might still be in Prohibition. If you love NASCAR, you can thank pirates.
4 - The Pirate Code. All for one and one for all--unless you really fuck up, then you're gone. This is still the best way to run an organized crime group or a multi-million dollar company. You get bonuses for production and you get whacked (or fired) for not following orders.
5 - Fantastic graphic design and a wicked sense of style. These dudes had their own cool flags and costumes and hip lingo (still used today) and did plenty of weird stuff to scare the hell out of their adversaries. The next time you are ready to get into a fight, light your hair or beard on fire and start screaming, then watch how people scurry away in fear.
Next: Smokes? Smokes? Got Smokes Here, Mon. Smoke It Up.
