Prediction

[unbibium]

ronebofh pointed out that Internet culture glorifies pirates, ninjas, and pimps, even though they're thieves, assassins, and slavers. And I posit that pimps aren't the only ones that still exist. Maritime piracy has moved along with the main manufacturing routes to the far East, while private stealth Black Ops is most often associated with the West, and the massive leftover Cold War spy infrastructure.

In 500 years, we'll be having "Talk Like a Terrorist Day", and the WTC attacks will have a whole new connotation by then. Why not? It's not even 100 years later after the Titanic disaster, and there's a Vegas stage show about it.

Comments

[sunburn.livejournal.com]

The internet mainly celebrates the Pirates such as one found in the West Indies in the 18th and early 19th century. Less directly, the pirates one found in the 17th century, and not at all the Barbary Pirates of the late 18 century, who ran a kind of protection racket on shipping, and were mostly paid off, until an upstart of a country decided to build a kick-ass navy and fight the bastards. As a result, modern pirates go where kick-ass navies don't maintain a major presense, i.e. the horn of Africa and much of Africa's west coast, much of the waters around Malaysia and Indonesia.

I think it was SWT who first linked me to the ICC's Weekly Piracy Report (http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php) (annual info and geographic threat distro are also available).

And you do note correctly that the vast majority of piracy is theft with occasional murder, but some of it is highly-organized massive-theft, such as stealing the entire ship and cargo. Terrorism is next. And I leave out the piratical acts by environmentalist and whale-protection groups, which have attacked civilian and military ships at sea and in port, sometimes boarding them, and often endangering themselves in the process.

[surferelf.livejournal.com]

Back in the 80's, I remember reading articles in martial arts magazines about people who claimed to be ninjas. So, all three may still be around.

[kirkjerk.livejournal.com]

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/09/19/john-stanmeyers-natg.html - it almost glorifies the modern pirates. Or, maybe just normalizes them.

[kirkjerk.livejournal.com]

"Talk like a ninja day" would be very quiet.

[sunburn.livejournal.com]

And I think "Talk like a pimp day" would completely obliterate anyone's love of pimpitude.

[kirkjerk.livejournal.com]

don't make me slap a bitch