Modern Day Pirates

I don't know what it is about human nature that makes us romanticize outlaws. A look at film lists suggests it's not a purely American quality. But for whatever reason people are drawn to the violent among us, even if we have to weave a fantasy about the people, their lives and motives. Perhaps because we're looking through the rose colored glasses of distance, time, or both. But Americans did it with Capone, the James gang, Bonnie and Clyde. . . the list is endless. Films and historical romances certainly have done their part when it comes to romanticizing the pirate.

Admittedly, I find the this version of the pirate to
be. . .well. . .wildly romantic. Maybe because the characters are invariably depicted by hot virile men who any woman in her right mind knows she could be *the one* to make him see the error of his ways. Consider Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty in the picture on the left.


Or the incredible Errol Flynn in Captain Blood:

And of course, everyone's favorite pirate (what IS it about Johnny Depp??? Sigh.) Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Carribbean:





Somehow, of course our fantasies tend to gloss over the real habits of pirates, which was the business of robbing, raping, pillaging and plundering. Our films and books weave stories of dark heroes with noble causes, or at least deeply flawed men who can be led to do the right thing, if only for their own reasons. They end the story being better men, if not completely changed, for having done something for the greater good.

Recent news shows us something far different. One wonders what Hollywood filmmakers would make of the Somali pirates who have been preying on ships in the Indian Ocean. Somehow they even managed to hold off the US Navy Destroyer sent to assist in the situation.

The reality of modern day pirates comes with sticky issues like terrorists at sea, armed with automatic weapons who will kill the hostages they hold because they lack the moral parameters the rescuers operate within. And if you're like me you watch the news, fascinated in spite of yourself at the complete disconnect as fantasy collides with reality. It's like being transported into history, two hundred fifty years past, when cargo ships and pleasure crafts sailed the seas at their own risk. And there's no way to romanticize the motives and actions of these modern day pirates.

FBI hostage negotiators rush to the scene to bargain for the release of captives. And gangs of pirates come to the assistance of a fellow ship under seige, while the host country offers them asylum and funding in return for a portion of the riches they bring back. Part of me sits here shaking my head, thinking, "You can't make this stuff up."

But in the end, of course, my mind turns to stories. And how we as writers romanticize many things for the enjoyment of readers. When we do it well, our readers close the book and sigh, completely satisfied. But have you ever read a book or seen a movie where reality intrudes on the fantasy? Ever watch a western and wonder what those cowboys really smelled like after a week on the range :) Or think you'd probably want to bitch slap that perky heroine if she lived next door to you? Or strangle the strong silent hero who has to have every word pried out of him? Are you able to completely set aside reality in a really good story?