Pirates, right or wrong?

[joshwill]

let me preface this by saying that i loved both the pirates movie and the ride is still, despite the lame refurb, one of my favorites.

i was thinking on this and ind it somewhat strange this obsession with pirates, especially with what is going on in the world thses days. i mean the way people and disney are romanticizing how the pirates were. lets face it, pirates were theives, murderers, rapists and worse. they were the terrorists of their day.

now, i am by no mean a politically correct person, and i do enjoy the pirates stuff. i just find it um...odd that this is what parents are letting their children emulate. while ive no kids of my own, i wouldnt keep them from enjoying the movies and the rides, but i wouldnt glamourize pirates either.

im really interested to hear what parents have to say.

 

[Mansion Butler]

We glorify plenty of less than glamorous cultures once they've reached a point that they can become romanticized. I see nothing wrong with it, really. Pirates are so far removed from present reality that I don't think it's too negative.

Definitely funny when you think about it, though.

 

[Monty]

Pirates, cops & robbers, cowboys & indians...

All contribute to the imagination and learning of a child. So long as these characterizations are done combined with instilling in the child an understanding that fantasy and play are "for fun" and "not real" the role-playing actually helps teach kids to understand right from wrong.

If children were to be raised in a vacuum, they'd have difficulty understanding the bad things in real life and with lack of understanding can come lack of empathy. Empathy is what develops conscience in a person and without it you can become psychopathic [not always, but it's certainly easier], not caring about other people's feelings or valuing their lives.

Interestingly, pretending to be the "bad guy" teaches kids how to be good. They do things in pretend scenarios that give them an understanding of how it feels to be treated badly and grow to understand that it's wrong, without having to experience a real theft or imprisonment at the hands of a real bad guy.

 

[Big-Bad-Dave]

You have a very good point, however the horrible parts are not glorified of a pirates life. It is looked at as a carefree living on the edge life. Just as old west gunslingers are looked at. Really they were also rapists thieves and murderers. I love to read about pirates and watch movies about them. But I have also thought about your point before. It is almost like glorifying a serial killer or career criminal. But Captain Jack Sparrow was a good pirate!

 

[tevange365]

While I can undertsand what you are saying about glorifying the pirates , I along with my ds 6 will be attending TP&PP
Pirates are real maybe not Jack Sparrow but to say they never existed would be worse ....making them out to be heros I don't think thats Disneys Problem it yours as a parent Ilove the Sopranos but don't take my son on vacation to New Jersey to see the sets ....
It is our responsibilities as parents to teach right from wrong
Its all about letting them know where to take your imagination
and the way the world and specifically this country is operating right now its really not a small world after all :lookaroun
I hope Mr Iger does not try to be too Politically Correct with Disney as I feel MIke was.
So while I am seeing the party my son dressed as a pirate I will once again thank Disney for expanding my sons imagination

 

[DisneyMusician2]

Lets not act like we weren't raised with the same kinds of images, though. How about some of the old Mickey shorts, where he pulls a gun on a member trying to leave his band. These images are fantasy, and need to be understood that way.

 

[brisem]

You also have to remember that it's just a movie, a way to escape reality.

 

[no2apprentice]

While the real history of pirates is...um...severly ignored in the pirates movies, I feel that Disney has done a service to youth by the current portrayal of pirates in the films. Bad teeth, dirty clothes, dirty/bad skin, unshaven (in a scruffy way), buffoons, foul smelling, but most of all, cursed usually because of their greed.

Sure, most of it is there for the humor, but it really doesn't portray a life that young people want to completely emulate. The clothes are fun to wear, and hey, who doesn't think it's fun to have a sword at your side?:lol:

 

[The Mom]

We glorify plenty of less than glamorous cultures once they've reached a point that they can become romanticized. I see nothing wrong with it, really. Pirates are so far removed from present reality that I don't think it's too negative.

Definitely funny when you think about it, though.

Unless you're trying to sail around the world. Seriously, we know someone who did this (a young, childless at this point, couple) and there were areas where they were VERY worried about pirates, and had brought weapons as a precaution. I THINK it was when they were cruising through the Indian Ocean, but I'm not certain.

 

[jimmieglen2006]

this may be unpoular but the big problum is that we really dont know what pirates were. what we know of pirates is what rober lewis stephens wrote. most pirates were not "bad guys" that really did not exsist. they were fighting a corupt cultre. i do not condone violience but lets put it in perspective. i thik that glorifing pirates is alot better then other things that the media glorifies like gansters and murders in our tv shows of today. that is just my two cents plus forgive the spelling

 

[afr117]

The Mom is right. Modern day pirates have much faster boats and more advanced weaponry. My husband used to be in international freight and it is a fairly significant problem in some parts of the world. People who have freight on a ship have to pay cargo insurance, and a portion of that goes to cover loss if a ship is taken by pirates. I think it is becoming a problem for cruise ships as well (I think there was an incident not long ago).

 

[cdunbar]

Well not to jump on the bandwagon here but, most people don't know this but Queen Elizabeth the 1st actually used pirates as way to control her waters! I mean we have to realize that an actor such as Johnny Depp and a company such as Disney would not have partaken in this project if they felt that it would of been too grusome or violent! I mean if we look back in history alot of these so called pirates, weren't really all that bad I mean they are nothing more than rebels who did not necessary agree with cultural standards. I mean if people actually understood the background they would see that pirates have this label b/c they were rebelious, now today's pirates I will say are a different story!

This is just my personal view using historical refernences

 

[disneyphilip]

let me preface this by saying that i loved both the pirates movie and the ride is still, despite the lame refurb, one of my favorites.

I beg to differ.

The refurb was not lame--it was very well done. The attraction was already becoming a bit dated and needed the rehab anyway, so get used to it, please.

 

[paul436]

I just take it at face value and realize that it all for fun. I personally don't look at any deeper than that.

 

[bgraham34]

I just take it at face value and realize that it all for fun. I personally don't look at any deeper than that.

Ditto, my feelings exactly.

 

[Glasgow]

I think the statement you are looking for is "How can something so wrong be so right?"

-- FYI .. can also be applied to brownies, ice cream and pizza

 

[Scooter]

When I was a child, I wanted to be a gun-slinging Bad azz Cowboy like The Rifleman and Matt Dillan on Gunsmoke.
When my kids were growing up, they wanted to be Secret agents who killed spys like James Bond.
Now the kids want to Pillage and plunder like Pirates.

This is all stuff we saw in the theatre and on TV.
Now at age 53, I am a retired Lab Technician.
My kids are grown. One works retail, one is a Graphic Artist, and one is a teacher.

I never killed anyone with a six shooter.
My kids didn't become spy's or secret agents and kill anyone.

I doubt very seriously that when these young kids grow up, that they will buy scabbards, eye patches, wear peg legs and let their teeth rot. It's just too much work. While I believe that todays children are all about money and posessions, I doubt they will seize and board ocean going vessels to attain mass quantities of gold, guns, and other pirate "Booty" to get it.
I believe if you raise your children to know right from wrong, they will not emulate what they see in the theatres and on TV.

 

[Shaman]

Well not to jump on the bandwagon here but, most people don't know this but Queen Elizabeth the 1st actually used pirates as way to control her waters! I mean we have to realize that an actor such as Johnny Depp and a company such as Disney would not have partaken in this project if they felt that it would of been too grusome or violent! I mean if we look back in history alot of these so called pirates, weren't really all that bad I mean they are nothing more than rebels who did not necessary agree with cultural standards. I mean if people actually understood the background they would see that pirates have this label b/c they were rebelious, now today's pirates I will say are a different story!

This is just my personal view using historical refernences

Weren't they also hired (by the English crown?) to disrupt Spanish shipping and shipments (you know all that gold and those riches) from and to the New World? I think this was pre-"Protestant Wind"....

:lookaroun

Pirates are cool...and Disney is using them to make entertaining films that subtly impart good messages....not to mention from a business point the whole concept has been quite profitable. I agree, parents should be there to teach kids right from wrong....

Now then....rum for everyone!

 

[MainSt1993]

i was thinking on this and ind it somewhat strange this obsession with pirates, especially with what is going on in the world thses days. i mean the way people and disney are romanticizing how the pirates were. lets face it, pirates were theives, murderers, rapists and worse. they were the terrorists of their day.

"I say they're victims of bad press - it's all exagerated!"
Muppet Treasure Island


Actually, pirates were just Privateers turned, well, private. A privateer was a private ship (or its captain) authorized by a country's government to attack and seize cargo from another country's ships (Wikipedia). They were really nothing more than a continuation of what had been going on in Europe since the classic Greek period (think Homer and the Odyssey), just on a grander scale. Then of course those pesky international laws were written, and well the rest is history.

And furthermore...big deal! I grew up riding pirates, and I never aspired to be one. In fact, I grew up to become a faithful public servant. Wait - isn't that was Privateers did too? :lookaroun

 

[MickeyTigg]

Well not to jump on the bandwagon here but, most people don't know this but Queen Elizabeth the 1st actually used pirates as way to control her waters! I mean we have to realize that an actor such as Johnny Depp and a company such as Disney would not have partaken in this project if they felt that it would of been too grusome or violent! I mean if we look back in history alot of these so called pirates, weren't really all that bad I mean they are nothing more than rebels who did not necessary agree with cultural standards. I mean if people actually understood the background they would see that pirates have this label b/c they were rebelious, now today's pirates I will say are a different story!

This is just my personal view using historical refernences

Yeah...the killing to get what they wanted must have just been made up, right?