Pirates as terrorists

[Caraccioli]

Quirky place? Who would be up to doing such a daft thing as starting a serious discussion in this thread? I mean, really...

You know, John, I've tried to write a response to your post up there twice now and failed miserably. So let me settle with this:

It's good to have many and various options, but it's also good to limit them and come to some decisive ends. Some lean towards more options, others more decisive ends.

Now that's a nice middle ground answer, isn't it just?

[Black Hearted Pearl]

As the one who started this thread and also has to moderate it, I laughed everytime I logged in to see what long winded response was posted next regarding a farside cartoon (pirates in popular culture aka pirate pop.)

I sure know how to stir all yer pots, don't I?

[Sir Eric]

Long winded? How dare you... um...

... ah, okay... you're right. We've gotten way more serious about this topic than it probably merits... but what the heck?

And... in that vein...

Okay... so socialist pirates... I've done a little more relfection on the whole idea, and I've decided that even if pirates didn't actively pursue the idealism behind socialism, they kinda practiced it all the same.

Booty taken went into a general fund, distributed evenly according to rank.

No prize, no booty.

That sounds like socialism in an extreemly general manner. All for one, one for all. Don't hold up your end of the bargain, you get tossed off the boat. No questioning of the authority in control, less you have the numbers to replace said authority. The pirate articles could be seen as a sort of socialist policy... health care and welfare at the expense of the whole without paying in (in a monetary sense.)

I'm not saying pirates actively took a socialist ideology... but there may be an argument that they followed one even if they didn't know it.

Discuss.

[Caraccioli]

Eric, you bring up such interesting points. Really.

I concur that the basic underlying principle is Socialist in nature. It also adopts all the flaws of what we have today in that those that administer such systems get an unequal share.

From Philip's articles:

"1. Every man shall obey civil Command; the Captain shall have one full share and a half in all Prizes; the Master, Carpenter, Boatswain and Gunner shall have one Share and quarter."

From Low's:

"1. The Captain is to have two full Shares; the [quarter] Master is to have one Share and one Half; The Doctor, Mate, Gunner and Boatswain, one Share and one Quarter."

Socialist in nature, yes. Flawed by human nature, definitely.

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Which is just so interesting that at the same time we are discussing the Socialist nature of Piracy, there is a discussion about how DEMOCRATIC pirates were (over in Twill).

Make you say hmmmmm....

GoF

[blackjohn]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

[Caraccioli]

Well, true theoretical democracy is a side of the geometric shape of true socialism, isn't it? Socialism discusses the ownership of the means of production (the People) and democracy discusses the ownership of the decision-making process (the People).

Keep in mind that those of you in the U.S. live in what was designed to be a confederal republic and not a true democracy.

[Sir Eric]

Which is just so interesting that at the same time we are discussing the Socialist nature of Piracy, there is a discussion about how DEMOCRATIC pirates were (over in Twill).

Make you say hmmmmm....

GoF

That was great!