Pirates!!

Discussion in 'General' started by Seyer, Dec 14, 2008.

  1. I was just chilling letting my mind go a thousand thoughts a second, and I stumbled across this one thought that was bugging me. here it is

    Do you think Pirates back in the 1700's had it harder than the modern day pirates? or vice versa?

    Really before you answer think about it, they both have pros and cons

    I mean the modern day pirates have technology on their side, but when you think about it thats what against them as well. But they OG pirates had fucking cannons, haha Anyways

    how about your 2 cents?:D
     
  2. modern pirates dont need the wind to get moving
     
  3. I think its harder now because the police are a bitch
     
  4. ^^thats what I was thinking, but imagine some suped-up speedboat/submarine shit haha
     
  5. old-skoo' pirates didn't need to worry about authorities communicating back and forth with each other (radios, phones, etc) thus they could sink ships without people noticing - too quickly.

    old skoo' pirates also did not need to worry about flying machines
     
  6. old skool pirates really had to have a "fuck it" attitude to aisilate themselves from the rest of the world to go off and jack people at sea.
     
  7. old school pirates couldnt be tracked like they could today

    also there were more of them so it was harder to take them down

    but i predict that as the economy gets worse there will start to be more pirates
     
  8. yeah i think it would of been easier back in the day. Like magic said, you couldn't track them down, thats a big plus. You could do pretty much whatever you wanted. And there was more places to hide, theres islands everywhere, but now rich ppl have houses on a lot of them.

    The main prob with back in the day is that there wasn't good meds yet, doctors couldn't do much. Get real sick or stabbed out in the ocean, your not going to make it long.
     
  9. Would have been easier for the older pirates. Without the use of rapid communication they would have had a chance to hide and with imperialism had certain ports where they were safe. With modern weapons and communication (modern imperialism in Africa on the rise not withstanding) there are no safe ports. Old pirates could have ships that could rival most ships they came across. Now, only international regulation keeps merchant ships from becoming Q-Boats. Also, if there were a pirate port that truly became a problem we don't have to siege it and storm it to solve the problem. We can more or less annihilate a city and everyone in it in a matter of hours. A starving man on a jet ski /= a pirate with a letter of marquee on a frigate.
     
  10. ^^yeah, Im kinda thinking that the older pirates had a better environment to acomplish their job , yeah plenty of cons, but being tracked and not having the weaponry to take on todays law enforcement is a BIG con for the modern day pirates.
     
  11. Well, if you want to go down that lane...

    The first pirates, back in Antique times didn't attack boats. (I'm talking 2000-1000 BC up to about Octavius or Thrajen, roman emperors.) They would actually raid the coasts. So I guess it becomes irrelevant to ask ourselves if it was easier for them.

    Now, as of the pirates in the 1700s, I guess they probably had it a little easier, but the conditions on ships would probably compensate for the lack of communication their targets had. In other words, it's easier to be sneaky about it, and raid ships, but the conditions that you had to live with on the ships makes it just as hard.

    Oh and pirates didn't have an easy life, most of them back in the days were in the Mediterranean Sea, and they got hunted down a lot, depending on what period of time, and who had the hegemony on the Mare Nostrum.

    Elend.
     
  12. Dang, all this sea scavenger talks makes me wish I was a old skoo' Pirate
     
  13. Piracy has changed drastically, like most everything. The old barbers of North Africa (by far the greatest perpetrators of piracy) used to pirate the seas as far north as Canada down to Cape Town. Today, from what I read and hear on the news, which is taken with a grain of salt, pirates are mostly operating from Somalia and simply sticking close to their coasts.

    Considering the sailing life of those old barbers in the 1700's. Considering the greater amount of pirates then, and their motivation and freedom to scour the "Black Atlantic", perhaps they had it easier. Their time represented a period of burgeoning trade and use of the oceans, therefore greater opportunity to gain riches without fear of persecution once they returned home.

    For the modern pirates, they have greater limitations. As much as technology may help them, it also helps those policing the waters, probably explaining their quick attacks close to a safe haven. As with most crime that allows for massive gains of wealth, and is relatively successful, the powers of the world will narrow their focus to stop it.

    Sorry to run my keyboard everybody, lots of knowledge about the Oceanic Revolution is all...
     
  14. It was much easier back in the day than it is now. There may be a lot of technology out there, but you think the pirates have the bankroll to really invest that much money into counter intelligence?

    Technology works in advantage to the authorities by a long shot. Radar, helicoptors, submersible speed boats.

    I'd also say the punishment for piracy back in the day was much worse than it is now, too.

    They didn't go to jail. They were killed and put on display as warnings to others, who may have considered or are already participating in piracy.

    Also, back in the day when you got a ship - it could/would have been filled with amazing things - such as paintings and treasures, kings money, gold doubloons and treasure chests. You also kept the ship and forced those still alive to become pirates as you now have two ships intead of one.

    Now pirates take ships, use negotiations and diplomacy in order to strike up a rannsom, and after they're paid they return the crew and the ship back to the original owners.

    I mean disease and ship conditions back in the day were much worse - and there were many other factors in play out of control, that can be controlled now too. (such as wind, faster boats, quicker repairs, etc).

    I don't know. I'm rambling.
     
  15. No ramble on! Your right on point. Those the pirates of the 18 c.e not only sought money, but the treasures and goods on board the ships as well. Modern pirates using diplomatic measures to get compensation seems to be signaling the end of the pirate legacy, although I'm sure it will never truly die out.
     
  16. well Ithink we came to a census, 17th century pirates had it easier, than moder day pirates. It makes sense. I think The next big thing in piratetry (i dont think thats a word) will be space pirates. If we ever get to that point. It's the next big open space (literally) that I can think of that will be hard to police once it's roamed freeley.
     
  17. Butt pirates UNITE!!!!!!!!!!!





















    This isn't where I parked my car..
     
  18. I think GC members should all chip in and buy a giant sailboat pirate ship (preferably with tattered sails) and go on adventures pillaging and whatnot!

    Arrgh!








    :yay:
     

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