What media gets RIGHT about pirates

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Last month I published a video about a few of the things which media tends to get wrong about pirates, and it's not exactly a new idea to make videos about this sort of topic - people have made it before me. On the other hand I haven't seen anyone cover the opposite, that is, the things which media get right.
0:00 Introduction
0:31 What a few get right
3:42 Pirate accent
6:26 Rum
7:12 Pets
8:35 Lost limbs
10:07 The tropics
11:23 Outro
#pirates #history #piratesofthecaribbean #blacksails

[@RietasB.Murunen]

The fact that gaining control over Davy Jones and The Kraken was a major boost to the EIC war effort against the pirates.

[@pigmentpeddler5811]

What is it about the fact? Finish your statement

[@pandemicphilly60]

​@@pigmentpeddler5811The world may never know

[@jellybean547]

Although the Kraken was actually killed by Persesus in what was believed to be Mycanean Greece.

[@roger5059]

@@jellybean547 perhaps the one historically used b the east india company was kraken jr.

[@Kropolis]

​@@pigmentpeddler5811The fact that gaining control over Davy Jones and The Kraken was a major boost in the EIC war effort against the pirates.

[@bigblue6917]

According to local folklore, a French Napoleonic warship was wrecked in a storm off the coast of Hartlepool, England. The crew kept a monkey as a pet and dressed it in a French army uniform. The monkey, being the only survivor, was found by some locals and because the monkey was unable to answer their questions, and because they had seen neither a monkey nor a Frenchman before, they concluded that the monkey must be a French spy was duly sentenced to death and summarily hanged on the beach. "Monkey hanger" is a colloquial nickname by which people from the town of Hartlepool in County Durham, England are sometimes known. Interestingly an earlier and remarkably similar monkey-hanging legend refers to the inhabitants of Boddam, Aberdeenshire as well as Mevagissey in Cornwall and Greenock in Scotland, which would suggest this was apocryphal and used to poke fun at various groups of people, possibly by a rival group.

[@Ian-mj4pt]

Yeah that's why we call them Monkey hangers 😅😅😅just up the road from me in Middlesbrough

[@thecasul1524]

Pffft, no way that's real. Right?

[@merafirewing6591]

​​@@thecasul1524 it's as real as your mom.

[@mageillus]

It’s surprising how the “pirate accent” actually has some historical basis

[@ValleyMansonOfficial]

My Scotch-Irish, and Isle of Man ancestors didn't like the British Empire. They wanted them in indentured servitude, they weren't given a choice. The poison growers accent is that similar, in Manx, Celt, and English.

[@cloudshifter]

It's kind of sad they didn't say argh or matey though :(

[@DarkSyster]

You might hear a sailor in the 18th Century say "Shivering timbers" but not in the same way as we think of. If the timbers are "shivering", it means the ship is literally falling apart and about to sink. It was a warning to abandon ship. The only historical reference I could find of it, and it's a third-hand reference, the ship had hit a reef and as it was coming off the reef, the deck hand had yelled "The timbers be shivering!" as a warning the hull was breached.

[@MrChickennugget360]

ya the "shivering of timbers is the shockwave running though the ship and causing the timbers to vibrate. That does not mean the ship would sink of course, HMS Terror had her "timbers shivered" when seeking the Northwest passage on George Back's expedition and managed to stay afloat long enough to beach herself in Ireland. (only to be lost years later on another attempt)

[@vario6492]

Doctor Who over here who really witnessed someone say it😂

[@mistersharpe4375]

One thing you could have mentioned (but ties into the last point) is media's portrayal of piracy as an alluring and idyllic lifestyle. A lot of keyboard historians like to take the default stance that the pirate's life was brutally harsh and driven only by sheer desperation. Of course, as you mentioned, piracy likely exploded in the Caribbean exactly because it was a much more comfortable lifestyle than being a merchant sailor being stuck out at sea for months at a time.

[@101jir]

My understanding was that depended strongly on whether it was deep in the golden age of piracy, or whether it was early or late.I would imagine early piracy didn't quite have the ship traffic yet, and late probably would have been pretty brutish as anti-piracy tactics caught on.

[@mistersharpe4375]

@@101jir Early piracy (the Buccaneer era) probably had greater risks, because of the need to attack Spanish towns and engaging in land battles. But then the wealth of the Spanish colonies was still extravagant, and the pirates were heroes of their respective nations. So greater risk but likely greater rewards in the early decades. For late piracy, I'd expect that, so long as no navy ships or pirate hunters were involved, most pirate attacks would have ended with a quick surrender and been relatively bloodless. Until the final crackdown of piracy, they could spend most of their time quite safely in friendly ports. Of course pirates were definitely more likely to die violently. But had the lifestyle been more dangerous and more harsh than the average sailor's, its likely piracy wouldn't have existed at all.

[@jollygrapefruit786]

It's actually way more interesting to learn about what media gets right about certain groups than what they get wrong. I always just assume everything is bullshit when watching movies, but there's certain things that surprise me to be accurate.

[@syndrome5372]

Back in the old days, pirates used to board ships and copy all their vhs and casette tapes.

[@AVI-lh6rm]

They would download a car too.

[@danielsurvivor1372]

5:48 My guy legit just said "Any hole's a goal" 😂

[@Night_from_GT_asia_2]

“My dear any port in a storm” Combined with the calm music really got me good 😂

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

The thing I will say about Assassins Creed IV Black Flag, is its clear the writers actually bothered to read General History of the Pyrates. Like the full thing, there's many many direct passages quoted in the game. Obviously the book is famously unreliable so it doesn't really get much praise from me for doing this, but its at least unique. Even some weird game lines, such as Blackbeard saying in another world we could have been heroes before dying, is a paraphrase of a quote Captain Charles Johnson writes about he could have had the soul of a hero but for another time.

[@redsgrave2003]

My favorite entry in the Codex in that game is the one about the Cathedral in Havana, which was started several decades after the game takes place. In it, one writer mentions that it's anachronistic for the period and doesn't fit before being countered by their superior because they're building a game with climbable buildings. Even though the codex is written in universe, I can imagine that justification is what the actual design team used to have it in the game. It's still a good game in my opinion but it like the rest of the franchise are basically selling you fantasies, not realities

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

@@redsgrave2003 There's a similar one for the Victoria Steps in Nassau. It's a very self aware game.

[@redsgrave2003]

@@LadyTylerBioRodriguez Oh yeah you're right on that. I'm in the middle of replaying it for the anniversary and enjoy seeing what they got wrong and got right given I'm older and more knowledgeable. Even noting how the geography of some places like Ocracoke Island during Blackbeard's death is completely wrong (not even going into the rest of it). The game does mention several times that Kenway's situation is peculiar. I believe there is more than one character that is in disbelief at the sheer size of the Jackdaw compared to smaller Pirate vessels (which to the games credit, are more often than not smaller outside of ones like the Queen Anne's Revenge.) Stuff like the cannon's on the top deck would be a terrible idea but it is a nice way to track your progression for the Jackdaw. This war between game design and reality that permeates a lot of historical video games.

[@emperormajorian112]

Would love to see you rate pirate toys, or the pirates LEGO sets, hearing your criticisms of those would be awesome

[@Autisticguywithacamera]

A series about Lego pirate sets would be great! Especially the classic sets with Redbeard and Ironhook.

[@internetkurator9256]

And the TI in Las Vegas

[@vibechecktsundere4912]

The historian who suggested that the climate pirates operated in is David Cordingly. His book got me into pirate history

[@keenanfarago6882]

Will definitely be waiting for this one. On a side note, why hasn’t Hollywood just hired you

[@m0nookiE]

Personal belief that it wouldnt be entertaining enough to bring large crowds

[@fireemblemistrash75]

Because hollywood and the general populace are stupid

[@keenanfarago6882]

@@m0nookiE potentially but I’ll never not want something accurate

[@TaRAAASHBAGS]

For the last century, the consoomer masses didn't care about historical accuracy in historical media... go figure. Nowadays, they don't care about anything that doesn't wear a cap and spout reddit quips.

[@mistersharpe4375]

Hollywood hires "historical consultants" all the time. They just ignore them. It is a shame. Master and Commander is an amazing film for accuracy. Most every other historical film like Braveheart and Kingdom of Heaven would've been much better if they were just honest about being fantasy flicks and added wizards, lol.

[@buckplug2423]

Glad to hear "any hole's a goal" has such a long history

[@JohnDoeWasntTaken]

I think we need to bring that one back, any port in a storm lmao

[@matthewwyman1581]

​@@JohnDoeWasntTakenAin't gay if it's underway, as the sailors said.

[@AVI-lh6rm]

@@matthewwyman1581"Ye not a homo if ye cannons do not touch."

[@Tebagaltaccount]

Animals?, children?, corpses?, elderly people?,

[@thesteelsquid863]

Nah not the femboy pirate concubines 💀

[@PsychicIsaacs]

Captain Bartholomew Roberts was well known for sacking ports, firing cannons at them before going ashore with his men, burning and looting the town. Ports that he sacked included Principe and Newfoundland.

[@GoldandGunpowder]

he got beat out of Principe and Trepassey was an undefended fishing harbor

[@yourmomsass3365]

I should be working right now, but how else would I know what the media has gotten right about pirates?

[@PersonalCoach]

Absolutely love your content and I always immediately start watching your videos the moment they are published. Excellent job as always!

[@internetkurator9256]

Your essays are both amusing, exciting and highly professionally researched!

[@doitformazi2347]

Brah really put Dean Norris in the thumbnail I'm dead 😭

[@Dronerivers]

Love your videos and there is a “new” pirate game out there. With the new Empire 2 mod for Empire total war you can play as the pirate faction with lots of cool units and they did their best including historical pirate ships. You start out being at war with every nation so it’s fun attacking any ships you see.

[@dareethan4159]

Something i love about this channel is the thumbnails, theyre so entertaining

[@unknowntrooper_2791]

Always great have discussion also without our negativity bias (ie. our mental habit to focus on what is wrong or negative and dismiss positive). I have been looking into pirate history ever since I was a kid, about 20 years, and still I am sometimes surprised when a real thing appears that actually lines up with fiction and media, it happens from time to time. It is clear people like Sabatini and Stevenson did real old accounts, and parts of these accurate details do appear in media still from time to time. Anyway, pirate media could use more accuracy of course, overall. Anyways, cheers! 🏴‍☠

[@GrumpyIan]

And weren't the carpenters the highest paid on the pirate ships compared to everyone else? I remember reading a book when I was a kid and it mentioned the high archery with the crew and pay.

[@101jir]

There's a few skilled professions I'd imagine were heavily sought after, such as medical professionals. Carpenters of course included.

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

They got that old 17th century song in every pirate movie ever right: Ohhhhhhhh the pirate man the pirate man, half time boot in a tiny can, get to the larder, go get the daughter, get your boot in tin caaaaaaaan. Summer is stuff and nonsense, see here! I say! Bottle in a brushket bottle in the bum rum rum rum Hey! Must do as I saying slaying in saying! Got it all tooodaaaaaaaaaay!

[@reeceemms1643]

I do have to say this I have no idea where it came from, but during these times I always pictured Pirates having Galleons, however I believe I might have confused the actual Galleon for a Man O' War or a Ship of the Line. and I always pictured them going around the ocean raiding merchants and stuff and getting into ship to ship combat. That was until I watched Pirates of the Caribbean, though at the Time I still thought that a Galleon was the same as a Ship of the line or Man O' War. But that was until I saw on the wiki that the Man O' War, Ship of the line and the Galleon were different. And I didn't actually know about a lot of these pirate ships like the Schooners, Man O' Wars, and Brigs until playing Black Flag for the first time.

[@joevenespineli6389]

Yep, I had the same conception of pirates when I was a kid as these elite sailors who sport massive vessels full of cannon who terrorized the seas battling large empires, but in reality, most pirates use fast maneuvreable small ships, who mostly extorted and stole from civillian merchant ships with no cannon to speak of.

[@reeceemms1643]

@@joevenespineli6389 to be fair apart from small merchant ships with I thought had a few cannons, I thought that Galleon’s were the only other ship. Heck I don’t think I was picturing a Gallon it was probably a Man O’ War. There was also the fact when it came to Black beard. I thought he did fighting however I say a video once that said he might have not actually done any fighting and was more focused on intimidating those he came across

[@CosplayZine]

The only writing we have on blackboard says how his ship shot at other ships etc. Then people want to act as if he never harmed a fly for some reason.

[@CosplayZine]

Well some of the ships you've named are currently still around today. The la concord was reportedly a frigate that was smaller compared to the larger vessels you'd think of but still much larger than the ones you named. You can find out more about it by searching Queen Anne's revenge for his video on the subject. He also has a video on weither pirates ever had gallons or not. But really a galleon is a Spanish term for a full rigged "ship of the line" or man o war.

[@reeceemms1643]

@@CosplayZine oh I thought Galleon was the main term for the large ships of time time that I thought pirates used. But then again where would a pirate get the crew to man a ship of that size like we are talking a 120 gun three-four decked war ship. Basically ships that you would only really see in war time like during the seven year war and that. But that isn’t the only thing I wonder about Pirates. For instance if a pirate had a child (most likely would be with a prostitue in a Brothal). What happened to them? This might come from the fact that we have William Turner in pop culture, who is the child of a pirate. But in history what exactly happened if someone had a pirate parent?

[@kimruchel3538]

This man deserves so many more subscribers

[@Nova_Ash]

Black sails, was such a good series

[@dEnNiS_0175]

5:40 "Any Hole Is The Goal"

[@101jir]

Unless you are looking down a sight or some similar activity, yeah binocular vision will definitely be easier than one eye. Didn't know people were claiming otherwise

[@sukmykrok3388]

It breaks me heart that the black spot was merely a plot point. Oh well, at least I got my answer. Thank ye for that.

[@pierrebegley2746]

It's supposedly based on historical pirates showing an ace of spades to traitors as a sign that they were on the spot (condemned to death).

[@sukmykrok3388]

@pierrebegley2746 that's cold. Imagine someone walking up and handing you an Ace of spades...the second you turn BOOM! Knife to the back, lol!

[@elskaalfhollr4743]

Not a pirate but the Spanish admiral Blas de Lezo, was missing an eye, a hand and a leg, gaining him the moniker “half man” reportedly he still fought in the frontline

[@patron8597]

Sea shanties (and music in general), that's one more thing media gets right. I know you hate them being called this, since the term wasn't invented until later, but from all the information I don't have a single doubt that they have been around. Basically just raunchy folk or tavern songs, but related to their nautical life. And, be it celebrating, just passing the time or making music in order to scare an enemy crew, there'd be more than enough opportunities to sing them. I'd even say that the majority of them have been lost, because which cultured person would write down the lyrics of some raunchy song about whores and liqueur?

[@GoldandGunpowder]

sea shanties are called sea shanties because they have a very specific structure and fulfill a very specific purpose. they are NOT the same as ordinary songs, which were sung by seamen, and no one has disputed this. additionally we have plenty of lyrics from period music preserved because they were written down in the form of broadsheets distributed to public houses and other establishments, most or many of these being raunchy, because people weren't as prude in this era as they were in the Victorian or later periods

[@danielsurvivor1372]

9:55 Not a nightvision but I heard that people who compete in archer or regular shooting events actually DO close one of their eyes and apperently it helps make the one open eye to have slightly better vision(I assume at the expense of other eye having poorer vision) However armies don't actually train their soldiers to do that since It's not just about shooting well and they need both eyes in top shape to see well

[@m.h.549]

Most people have a "dominant eye" which helps them focus their vision on specific points. I know nothing about archery, but anyone who's handled a gun will know that you should aim off whatever side your dominant eye is on, if you want to be more accurate, and if you're shooting with ironsights, closing one eye will help you get a better sight picture and properly line up the front and rear sights. Trying to get a good sight picture on ironsights with both eyes open is much harder, that's why people often close one eye when shooting. But yeah, like you say, has nothing to do with eyepatches or night vision.

[@Howz_it_goin_Dood]

Do a video on Black Jack Anderson. An Australian pirate.

[@Defenestration_]

babe wake up gold and gunpowder uploaded

[@paigesharpe9677]

I wonder what your view is of the Disney film Treasure Planet. I know it's set in space but I wonder if they get anything accurate.

[@jaysonspann8042]

Tremendous video!!! I love people pointing out the postive things that media get right. Lots of people are attracted to history through movies etc. and seeing something the enjoy being highlighted rather than shredded is a great way to create new history fans!!! Keep up the great work!!!

[@Mortablunt]

I laughed out loud for a half a minute at that passage from the romance novel!

[@AVI-lh6rm]

Finding out that "Any hole's a goal" has been said for hundreds of years was the absolute LAST thing i was expecting to hear today lmao.

[@arcadecaptainYT]

Can’t think of any better way to start off the weekend

[@TheRiverPirate13]

I have visited the West Indies a dozen times (even as a Pirate 🏴‍☠), and I can attest it must have been very enticing for pirates to do business there due to the warm climate vs the cold damp of the English isles. The Australian pines are not native to the Caribbean that seem to be everywhere on most Caribbean Islands. Neither are Coconut trees or Sugar Cane. Those were all brought from the Pacific & Indian Ocean areas. I love the series "Black Sails" however the show was shot in South Africa, not the Bahamas. The Bahamas topography and waters look nothing like what is depicted on the show which is annoying. Lol! The clothing I see worn on the Black Sails would have been brutally hot to wear in West Indies climate too.

[@mysterycrumble]

great video as always

[@WritingFighter]

I love your videos, but, are you able to edit in headers between your points? It was a bit jarring to have you seamlessly flow one discussion into another. Even if it were 2 second transition and a firm statement of the category, it would be very nice to give a breather between topics.

[@Falkriim]

Very interesting video, thanks for sharing

[@NothingSubversive]

Nice, premiere is on my birthday

[@grease.mv7993]

Happy bday bro 🤙

[@setituptoblowitup]

🎂🎉✌️

[@junglerajah7838]

Same for me! 🎉

[@fabiosplendido9536]

04:52 "Henry Avery was born in Devonshire..." No. No he wasn't. He was born in Devon. There is no such place as Devonshire. It was never referred to as a shire....although it may well have had a Shire Rif. There is no real logic behind why some English counties have the suffix "-shire", it is simply convention....the convention has it that the county is simply "Devon".

[@MaskedHeroLucky]

I’m kind of surprised to learn that pet parrots and monkeys weren’t only real, but common. I thought for sure that was a romanticized thing.

[@CaptainJess]

7:18 Oh I like this film.

[@StaroomSta]

It's a bit rough but i feel like that makes it endearing, I love it so much! I never see it mentioned I'm happy it was here

[@Drifto_]

Crazyburger

[@khagnnorran7745]

always down for some wholesome stuff

[@Tadicuslegion78]

I listened to Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates as an audiobook this year, and while the writing is very...dated in a good way if that makes sense, it was very easy to see how Pyle, Stevenson, and Barrie all using Charles Johnson's History of Pyrates made the modern image of pirates as we think of them

[@Genocideforbeginners]

We need a book like Blood Meridian but witg pirates intead of head hunters.

[@genghisdingus]

Imagine not drinking rum while watching this.

[@jonathangodin4775]

10:28 what an dumb thing to say! Pirates mainly pop up in massive shipping lanes where tons of valuable goods flow through far away from the protection of a large, organized navy

[@thecrabmaestro564]

As someone from Devon, I don't think "Arr" is used for yes around here, at least not recently. That is the similar but different "aye"

[@KB8Killa]

11:12 😂😂😂

[@paulsteele8614]

Doing my part for the algorithm

[@setituptoblowitup]

Poyekhali!!

[@cheshirecat882]

A few plot points of Treasure Island are conveniently left out or outright forgotten. For example despite being the leader of the pirates John Silver was kicked out via vote. Another bit was that Captain Flint sailed his ship to the island and with the help of six of his men he buried the treasure, then killed them all to keep the secret. Even so it did not take long for pirates to come back. In the book they were only away for three years. Realistically speaking this would happen any treasure that was buried would not stay that way for long. Mostly due to the size of the pirate crews.

[@activelyrandom7652]

I liked robert newton's pirate movies

[@jonsponser]

I clicked for the thumbnail

[@elshebactm6769]

🗿👍🏿

[@robnewman6101]

Tragedy!

[@satansjihad6353]

History is always more interesting that fiction.

[@ViliousTorch]

v

[@patrickrichards2577]

✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿✨🥰✨👍✨♥️✨🤗✨.

[@Tubbylunchkins]

Have any videos regarding jewish pirates such as Sinan Reis?

[@sashakhan1262]

I don’t think he does ottoman/Barbary pirates.

[@AVI-lh6rm]

Arr, "Any port in a storm" be words to live by.

[@GSP6]

still gonna pirate media

[@kamilhernandez2543]

The spanish never hunted any natives with dogs, that was made up in the same english book that made those stupid drawings that even depict natives as whites (the dude never saw a native).

[@Reaperoe]

how in the world does this dude know everything about pirates. my only guess is that he must be a time traveler and he used to be a swashbuckler himself

[@t.b.cont.]

“And they were a common trade item bought by slave traders” 💀

[@ADayintheLifeoftheTw]

Why? Slavers head into the jungles, monkeys are also in the jungles. When the slave ships come into port, they'll purchase whatever is available that they think they can make money off of. As the man had said, a parrot could be of decent price in the area it came from, but take it back to the European capitols and you can fetch a high price.

[@barnettmcgowan8978]

I just ordered Fanny Hill on Amazon. For "research."

[@patrickrichards2577]

✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿✨🤔✨☠️✨😳✨💀✨😱✨🏴‍☠️✨.

[@judahcreighton1544]

"monkeys were commonly purchased by slave traders" damn dude, didnt know you were racist! 😂

[@enotsnavdier6867]

What a funny joke

[@judahcreighton1544]

@enotsnavdier6867 thank you, I know I'm the best damn comedian on the internet

[@JagoShogun]

Rememeber, Fanny means something else in England than it does in the Americas. Don't look it up, pervs.

[@GG-pk8ux]

Pirates were soo gay

[@lornbaker1083]

.I can't understand how they could have gotten anything, right. It is a modern era In a particular sense, that was passed down only through.oral tradition and tales of the champions. Much like the outlaw cowboys of the west of the same time. The only official records that we have happened to be. The execution records of those who were captured. So the idea that any part of modern Retelling even If slightly resemble the way that it was truly back then. It's impossible. It's the same problem that I have with any other historical thing. We have no If any true records beyond government papers of simple numbers and names. There is no true way that we can know exactly what happened. Or in any way accurately be Recreated for a cinematic experience. Unfortunately, I think the only thing that can ever be accurately recreated with our age and to precise exactitude Is the events of world war two. Because we still have the records and schematics for the production of. Devices and tools and weaponry and uniforms used by both sides to an accurate degree.

[@GoldandGunpowder]

not true, there are diaries, letters, newspaper articles and especially journals which give a deep insight into the period, all of which can be corraborated by illustrations, paintings, and archaeology

[@nidohime6233]

​@@GoldandGunpowderHell, even just the stuff theu used to have already tells how they lived. Many trash pits are precious for archeologists because it tells a lot about how people lived back then, like the food they ate and the clothes they wore.

[@nickdickem]

"Any port in a storm" 😂😂😂

[@jonathangodin4775]

10:28 what an dumb thing to say! Pirates mainly pop up in massive shipping lanes where tons of valuable goods flow through far away from the protection of a large, organized navy