Maybe, although he did shoot his first mate, Israel Hands (name used later by RLS in Treaure Island) in the knee, causing him to be evacuated from the ship. Ironically, this caused Hands to miss the final battle, one of the few survivors.

I'm with Imdonehere. Higher standard or no, robbing is wrong. Along with the other bad things.

No pirate cartoons allowed at Granny's house.

Anyone who confuses a Gilbert & Sullivan musical farce with Somali pirates - or any other real ones - has totally lost their sense of humor.

Probably don't like Robin Hood either. Maybe they root for the Sheriff of Nottingham and Price John!

I'm not at all confused, and I have a sense of humor. I also reject glamorizing evil.

Oh, FFS, it is a fancy dress parade.

Some people ...

NY Traveler, I do not think I have seen you tell one joke in all the years here. Thus accusing another of losing their sense of humor is, well, funny in the ironic pirate sense.

Ah, the comparison between Robin Hood and murdering, torturing, raping thugs. Yes, I can see the similarities.

And the same way I use Hollywood movies as my source of history, I use Gilbert & Sullivan. Nothing says annotated footnote like an G & S operetta, the quintessential Victorian diversion.

Contrary to the modern-day picture of the traditional tyrannical pirate, he commanded his vessels with the permission of their crews and there is no known account of his ever having harmed or murdered those he held captive.">>

A radio programme I was listening to the other day was about the problems that the British Navy of 200 or so years ago had retaining its sailors because the conditions on the pirate ships of the day were so much better. hence the press gang.

I took the decision to ignore IMD earlier because his contribution appeared to me to be both silly and irrelevant; I have seen nothing to make me change my mind.

I'm wondering if I should feel guilty now for liking the movie Pirate Radio.

and as for Errol Flynn!

"and as for Errol Flynn!"

...Swashbuckler Extraordinaire!

I'm sorry to say that even in my mature years I take a lively interest in pirates, both historic and fictional. Sabatini's Blood, brought to the screen in Flynn's debut, is loosely based on the great buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan, an amoral man of outstanding ability, who ended his career as governor of Jamaica (and took advantage of his office to hang a few of his erstwhile colleagues).

I'm also a loyal fan of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Good one Tom

Yes, Ann, I can understand thinking facts are silly and irrelevant.

Too bad G & S are around today to do a snappy operetta of Captain Phillips complete with clever lyrics, memorial tunes, stereotypical characters, and colorful costumes.

There is a wonderful movie called My Favorite Year, where Peter O'Toole plays an Errol Flynn screen swashbuckler. Very funny and touching.

Great performance in a charming movie.

I'm confused. I thought pirates were bad. If they are, I want to be on the record as disliking them. As well as anything else that is bad.

Not bad in the "Superfly" sense, mind you (that would be "camp", and those ethnic people know how to flaunt it I dare say!), but bad in the sense of being something morally reprehensible, which I am entirely against.

Just want to clarify this.

At the risk of offending IMD, may I draw to your attention another event which might be of interest to those of a piratical or even just a nautical bent, the Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, this coming weekend:

http://www.falmouthseashanty.co.uk/

DS will be strutting his stuff as a member of one of the shanty groups, and we will be heading down there for part of the weekend to enjoy the music and the "craic" [no cornish equivalent of that irish word, sadly]. there may even be a few people dressed as pirates, though of course shanties were not only sung by them but by nearly all mariners certainly from europe, and there will be quite a few foreign groups there too.

I just hope that they don't ALL sing the Sloop John B!

Thank you for thinking of me.

I didn't want to offend your delicate sensibilities again, IMD.

That would probably be done through the singing this time.