This world needs more Pirates. and Browncoats.
(The following information is stuff that was told to me by a friend, and sourced to Kester Brewin, author of Mutiny: Why We Love Pirates and How They Can Save Us.)
Pirates came from the 1600s when sailors in the royal navy got sick of being treated unfairly. They were rarely compensated and often beaten. When a sailor would die, the roster on the ship would have a skull and crossed bones next to that person's name. This became the "jolly roger" we all know, love, and plaster on everything. Sailors became pirates because a sailor's life was a short one, so if they weren't going to live long, they may as well live merry. Pirates voted for officers on the ship. They were compensated if they were hurt. They shared everything equally.
Some people believe pirates were no more than thieves. Everyone was a thief. Countries stole from each other all the time (don't they still?). They were only hated because they didn't give the king a cut, sounds like the mob to me. "Pirates come to us in an act of radical self-determination. To move to piracy is an act of emancipation. Stepping out from under oppression." also, "Whenever the resourses of the many are enclosed for the benefits of the few, pirates will rise up, break that down, and put riches back in the hands of common people."
What some people don't know, and I just learned today, is in the 50's BBC controlled the radio air waves. They only played 1 hour of "pop" music a week. Then, PIRATES! Radio Caroline came along and gave the music back. They were broadcasting from a boat and played nothing but "pop" music for everyone. There was a "book pirate" in 1706 by the name of Henry Hills, who would print books so everyone could afford them, not just the rich. The government didn't like it. They would assault him and destroy his equipment. He wanted to open the world of knowledge to everyone. "for the benefit of the poor" was printed on every book. They called him a pirate for breaking open "elitist privilege" and giving everyone access to information. On the other side of the world, Benjamin Franklin took this on, ignoring British copyright law, and was later able to brag that, "easy access to books has made common American tradesman more intelligent than aristocrats from other countries." America became known as the original "Pirate Nation."
Pirates existence signifies that something that should be common, has become all about private personal gain.
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For my non-nerdy friends out there, of which there are few, a "Browncoat" is a term from the short lived TV Show, "Firefly" created by Joss Whedon. Anyone please, correct me if I'm wrong but a Browncoat is a term for the Independence, those who fought against the Alliance and interplanetary unification. The Alliance won the war but they are not the good guys. They are the government who control everything to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. (sound familiar?).
But I'm referring to the real life Browncoats. There are fans of the show, who were so inspired by Captain Mal and his crew that they formed their own charitable groups. There are Austin Browncoats, California Browncoats, and Southeastern Browncoats.
Can't Stop the Serenity is a global charitable event to benefit Equality Now and other causes that are chosen based on local need.Some cities include Kids Need to Read, a charity co-founded by our Captain, Nathan Fillion and author PJ Haarsma. The project began in 2006 and has raised a combined total of more than $600,000.
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This world needs more Pirates and Browncoats. We need to do something that upsets the system. Something that takes puts the needs of the many before the wants of the few. There needs to be a way to show the government, local and national, that they can not keep getting away with taking from the poor to make themselves richer.
Thankfully, I know a certain High Brow Pirate who is planning to do just that, and I intend to join him on his crusade to throw a spoke in the wheel.
http://youtu.be/escnWFDUYhI
^Link to the TEDxTalk with Kester Brewin.
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