Pirates

Ok, my last few entries today have been very serious or somber so I thought I'd write about something a little more light hearted to mix things up. The history of piracy is quite interesting. From the days that the European nations would employ pirates as "privateers" in order to plunder or hinder the ships of their rivals, all the way up to the modern age when the pirates of Somalia have come to be incredibly infamous throughout the world. Whenever we hear of this subject, our minds immediately think of adventure, of treasure, and of fantastic battles on the high seas. Granted, the subject does take a bit of a darker turn when we realize that after many of them were finished with their contracts, pirates would continue to plunder in an "unlawful" manner, and they truly did partake in some horrendous practices, we still can't help but think of the gruff and adventurous nature of pirates. The theme of piracy is incredibly prominent in popular culture. Whether it be in the incredibly popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, or the old tales of captain Blackbeard, we all are fascinated and awestruck at the very concept. I think the fact that they were known to operate in such criminal fashions is one of the main things that makes the concept so fascinating. Even though their depiction in popular culture may be quite less than accurate at many times, the folklore and the culture has, does, and will continue to capture our imaginations well into the future. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know everything about piracy, but I know enough to make an entry about the topic so I hope you've enjoyed this entry as a little bit of a break from the gloom and doom that I've been primarily writing about today.