pirate

Still with us today – It’s hard to believe that pirates are back in our world. In many ways, the Somali pirates bear a striking resemblance to those of the so-called “Golden Age” of pirates in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Piracy expert Eric Browne says, “Piracy requires certain circumstances in order to thrive, namely friendly ports, a ready market for stolen goods and/or people willing to accept stolen currency, disgruntled men willing to risk the possible consequences, and lax enough security to operate. Somalia, just like the colonial Atlantic and Caribbean world of Blackbeard and Black Bart, is thus a ‘perfect’ setting for piracy.
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Sociologists from Florida who are studying old-fashioned pirates who sailed the oceans in the 17th and 18th centuries (not the modern, movie kind) say that pirates were pioneers when it came to exploring new territory and meeting the native peoples they found there.

Researcher Jason Acosta says, “Hollywood really has given pirates a bum rap with its image of bloodthirsty, one-eyed, peg-legged men who bury treasure and force people to walk the plank. We owe them a little more respect.” He ought to know, since one of his ancestors was a pirate who fought for the United States in the Battle of New Orleans. He compared pirate charters with the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution and was amazed by the similarities.
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