Wednesday, 10 August 2005 03:36 pm
Requested Rant 1: Pirate Toys
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deckardcanineMy repeated apologies to _fairest for initially scoffing at her proposed subject.
I admit to having been a pirate fan (not the Pittsburgh kind). When I played with Legos regularly, the pirate systems were my overall favorite, and I later regretted their near-disappearance from the market. In one elementary school grade, I went all out for Halloween as a pirate. The much-ridiculed Hook was quality entertainment to me. The pirate-themed Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is one of my all-time favorite video games, and I loved the stories in Redguard: The Elder Scrolls Adventures and Skies of Arcadia: Legends. To this day, I read a pirate-themed comic saga called "The Legend of Anne Bunny."
But all this love has dwindled. Much like with vampires, the increase in popularity of the theme has started to make it annoying to me. The cartoony Pirates of the Caribbean might have been the start, but it was nothing compared to my first awareness of International Talk Like A Pirate Day, which I hope is not all that international. I couldn't take another "arr" or unplaceable British Isles accent. Curse you, Dave Barry!
Oh, and the famous pirates-versus-ninjas debate must get lost in the mists of time. To me, there's no contest. Pirates' only advantage is guns, and ninjas don't typically suffer scurvy, missing body parts, or drunkenness.
The worst part is the moral ambivalence manifested in the entertainment industry, in ways not so apparent with other villainous types. Never mind the likes of Grand Theft Auto, which is blatant enough in corruption. Sources from Skies of Arcadia to Pirates of the Caribbean to Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky give the impression that pirates can be not just cool but possibly good. It connects to the broader theme of the virtuous thief that comes up a lot in games due to their unique dynamic -- doesn't Locke in Final Fantasy VI seem like such an altruist? And they're not exactly Robin Hoods: they want the treasure mostly for themselves. It's a pretty sneaky erosion of values, values that even moral relativists should agree are a good idea. So you guys attack only merchant vessels and not women or children? You may be better than those rival pirates, but don't you dare think of yourselves as role models. Remember, The Pirates of Penzance is a big fat comedy.
I know the feeling. I had my Lego pirates be borderline good guys, too, because they were just too interesting for the bad side. It looks silly in retrospect.
Today, I like my entertainment in spite of pirates, not because of them. The pirate theme is not quite what the western was in decades past; let's hope it dissipates before then.
I admit to having been a pirate fan (not the Pittsburgh kind). When I played with Legos regularly, the pirate systems were my overall favorite, and I later regretted their near-disappearance from the market. In one elementary school grade, I went all out for Halloween as a pirate. The much-ridiculed Hook was quality entertainment to me. The pirate-themed Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is one of my all-time favorite video games, and I loved the stories in Redguard: The Elder Scrolls Adventures and Skies of Arcadia: Legends. To this day, I read a pirate-themed comic saga called "The Legend of Anne Bunny."
But all this love has dwindled. Much like with vampires, the increase in popularity of the theme has started to make it annoying to me. The cartoony Pirates of the Caribbean might have been the start, but it was nothing compared to my first awareness of International Talk Like A Pirate Day, which I hope is not all that international. I couldn't take another "arr" or unplaceable British Isles accent. Curse you, Dave Barry!
Oh, and the famous pirates-versus-ninjas debate must get lost in the mists of time. To me, there's no contest. Pirates' only advantage is guns, and ninjas don't typically suffer scurvy, missing body parts, or drunkenness.
The worst part is the moral ambivalence manifested in the entertainment industry, in ways not so apparent with other villainous types. Never mind the likes of Grand Theft Auto, which is blatant enough in corruption. Sources from Skies of Arcadia to Pirates of the Caribbean to Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky give the impression that pirates can be not just cool but possibly good. It connects to the broader theme of the virtuous thief that comes up a lot in games due to their unique dynamic -- doesn't Locke in Final Fantasy VI seem like such an altruist? And they're not exactly Robin Hoods: they want the treasure mostly for themselves. It's a pretty sneaky erosion of values, values that even moral relativists should agree are a good idea. So you guys attack only merchant vessels and not women or children? You may be better than those rival pirates, but don't you dare think of yourselves as role models. Remember, The Pirates of Penzance is a big fat comedy.
I know the feeling. I had my Lego pirates be borderline good guys, too, because they were just too interesting for the bad side. It looks silly in retrospect.
Today, I like my entertainment in spite of pirates, not because of them. The pirate theme is not quite what the western was in decades past; let's hope it dissipates before then.
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Applause
So, on my end of things, I just settled into a love of all things tropical (except, of course, diseases and bugs ;)
I love that you said "sneaky erosion of values". Oh, isn't so much of life like that? Romans 1:32.
Re: Applause
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"Accursed canine beast! I will hunt you to the last of your days for this insult!!"
Ahem. Yes. ^^ Anyway, good point with the ninjas. Ninjas-versus-the-Mob might be a more appropriate contest. (Don't ask me why I think about stuff like that.)
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