What the &*$%& is up with all the Pirate crap?!

[Vuk]

Seriously, Inter Talk Like A Pirate day, people with pirate bumper stickers, the never ending pirate vs ninja debate, etc. Since when were pirates considered role models? Since when were pirates great warriors?! A pirate could mean so many different things that it almost has no meaning. A pirate could be anything from a clueless sea hand who knows not the first thing about combat to a skilled warrior. Even in the case of a skilled warrior with military training, being a pirate makes him no better than any navy vet.
Pirates existed from almost the beginning of human history till the present, and the technology, dress, tactics, etc of them were so widely different! Pirates existed everywhere from China to Spain, and everywhere in between! How can there be ONE pirate accent?! Do you really think that a Chinese pirate would sound anything like a Spanish pirate? Or a French pirate like a British pirate? What about a Turkish pirate?
People's image of pirates is so Anglo-central that they do not even think about their stupidity! Pirates, no matter which time or place they came from were usually a bunch of cowardly, poorly disciplined dirtbags who preyed on civilian and merchant vessels, and would get their butt kicked by a disciplined military vessel. Why would anyone want to be like that? That would be like making a burglar cult, and portraying them as great warriors!

I am sick to DEATH of all the pirate crap! It is just a constant reminder of how brain-dead modern people are.
(present company excluded of course)