:: Joe, Incorporated - Pirate vs. Buccaneer :: |
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Pirates Vs. Buccaneers: The Age Old QuestionPART I: The Differences Who are pirates? Who are bucaneers? Are they one and same? Or do they maintain different identities and cultures that set them apart? This is an age old question that has haunted me since my childhood days. My initial research took me to the local dictionary. These folks named Merriam and Webster seemed to have a nice little collection of various words and what not. Interestingly enough, people were able to type in words and get a definition! The wonders of the internet. I looked up the word pirate first: Pirate: one who commits or practices piracy. One who practices piracy? Goddamn Merriam and Webster! I could have told you that! But I would not be thwarted. I looked up piracy: 1 : an act of robbery on the high seas; also : an act resembling such robbery, 2 : robbery on the high seas, 3 : the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright. Pirate comes from the Latin pirata, which in turn comes from the Greek peiran to attempt -- more at fear. So, pirates rob unarmed merchant vessels on the high seas, and strike fear into the hearts of sailors. Alas, there was no mention of raping, pillaging, and/or carousing. That must be a Disney stereotype. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, the word buccaneer offers a different definition: 1 : any of the freebooters preying on Spanish ships and settlements especially in the West Indies in the 17th century; broadly : pirate, 2 : an unscrupulous adventurer especially in politics or business. My initial results seem to show that a buccaneer is a particular kind of pirate. Yet, perhaps buccaneers were a bit more refined, considering that these adventurers ended up acting unscrupulously in politics and/or business. To be sure, buccaneers did seem to engage in some alleged ::air quotes:: piracy ::air quotes:: but they only preyed on Spanish ships and settlements in the West Indies during the 17th Century. It appears as if these buccaneers had it in for these so-called "Spanish" and unleashed a fury of "piracy" (or should I say, buccaneer-ing?) upon them. Pirates, on the other hand, seem to prey upon anyone who happens upon the high-seas unattended. However, they seem to stay clear of the settlements. My initial results seem to say that buccaneers and pirates are two different cultures, two different people. It could prove to be a cultural faux pas if one were to address a buccaneer as a "pirate" and vice versa. I dare not make that mistake ever again. PART II: Booty - A Common Goal Between Pirates and Buccaneers? Next Time: Will pirates and buccaneers be able to overcome a daunting collective action problem? Can they put aside their differences and reach towards their one true goal? |
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