Arr!
International Talk Like A Pirate Day is upon us again, which means that people all over the world are going to realize at some point this week that they missed it again.
Talk Like A Pirate day was concieved by a couple of guys that had a funny idea, and then happened to get Dave Berry's email address. A lot of us would like to think that we could do the same thing, but honestly, not many funny ideas are so universally likeable. Seriously, if a person can't enjoy themselves on International Talk Like A Pirate Day, it's a pretty fair indicator that that person is either a terminator or has been replaced by a pod person.
What today makes me think about, though, is not just talking like a pirate, but all the things that make us love pirates. They're a bunch of funloving nautical guys that love drinking rum, right? Jimmy Buffet with cutlasses? Who doesn't love that?
The fact is, pirates were kind of jerks. They killed a ton of people, did all kinds of unplesant stuff with the people they captured... some particularly brutal pirates in the china seas often practiced cannibalism. So why do we turn them into beloved heroes of blockbuster films that suddenly launch longtime hollywood outsider Johnny Depp to superstardom?
It's not because of what pirates are, it's because of the world we imagine for them. A world where Errol Flynn swings from the mast as he takes a spanish treasure ship and woos the beautiful niece of the english plantation holder... where young Jim Hawkins outsmarts Long John and his crew of bloodthirsty buccaneers to find the treasure and become a man. Pirates course with the lifeblood of adventure.
Honestly? It's barely about the pirates at all. It's about standing astride adversity and boldly shouting "Arrr!", carving your name into legend! So enjoy International Talk Like A Pirate Day, and if it makes you feel a little bolder, a little more the adventurer, them maybe you might find it in you to be that guy all year!
International Talk Like A Pirate Day is upon us again, which means that people all over the world are going to realize at some point this week that they missed it again.
Talk Like A Pirate day was concieved by a couple of guys that had a funny idea, and then happened to get Dave Berry's email address. A lot of us would like to think that we could do the same thing, but honestly, not many funny ideas are so universally likeable. Seriously, if a person can't enjoy themselves on International Talk Like A Pirate Day, it's a pretty fair indicator that that person is either a terminator or has been replaced by a pod person.
What today makes me think about, though, is not just talking like a pirate, but all the things that make us love pirates. They're a bunch of funloving nautical guys that love drinking rum, right? Jimmy Buffet with cutlasses? Who doesn't love that?
The fact is, pirates were kind of jerks. They killed a ton of people, did all kinds of unplesant stuff with the people they captured... some particularly brutal pirates in the china seas often practiced cannibalism. So why do we turn them into beloved heroes of blockbuster films that suddenly launch longtime hollywood outsider Johnny Depp to superstardom?
It's not because of what pirates are, it's because of the world we imagine for them. A world where Errol Flynn swings from the mast as he takes a spanish treasure ship and woos the beautiful niece of the english plantation holder... where young Jim Hawkins outsmarts Long John and his crew of bloodthirsty buccaneers to find the treasure and become a man. Pirates course with the lifeblood of adventure.
Honestly? It's barely about the pirates at all. It's about standing astride adversity and boldly shouting "Arrr!", carving your name into legend! So enjoy International Talk Like A Pirate Day, and if it makes you feel a little bolder, a little more the adventurer, them maybe you might find it in you to be that guy all year!
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