Comments on: The ninja tradition is an invented tradition

By: Harry Jones

Harry Jones — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 16:10:05 +0000

In Beijing, every day is Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Their detractors have an epithet for them which can be translated as “commie bandits.”

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 12:56:45 +0000

When it comes to the speech of pirates, we're hugely indebted to English actor Robert Newton, who played Long John Silver in the 1950 Disney film based on Robert Louis Stevenson's novel:

Newton was born in Dorset and educated in Cornwall, and it was his native West Country dialect, which he used in his portrayal of Long John Silver and Blackbeard, that some contend is the origin of the standard "pirate accent". This was parodied in the 1950s and 1960s by British comedian Tony Hancock. The archetypal pirate word "Arrr!" (alternatively "Rrrr!" or "Yarrr!"), which in West Country parlance means "yes", first appeared in fiction as early as 1934 in the film Treasure Island starring Lionel Barrymore, and was used by a character in the 1940 novel Adam Penfeather, Buccaneer by Jeffery Farnol. However, it was Robert Newton's use of it in the classic 1950 Disney film Treasure Island that popularized the interjection and made it widely remembered. It has been speculated that the rolling "rrr", a distinctive element of the speech of the West Country of England, has been associated with pirates because of the West Country's strong maritime heritage, where for many centuries fishing was the main industry (and smuggling a major unofficial one), and where there were several major ports. As a result, West Country speech in general, and Cornish speech in particular, may have been a major influence on a generalized British nautical speech.

By: Kirk

Kirk — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 22:46:14 +0000

It’s almost as if the narrative and the storyteller both have more power over it all than mere reality does. For other similar things, look at the Cossacks, the cowboy, and a host of other things that never really existed as remembered. Like, King Arthur and the whole host of medieval knight BS. The reality is always sad, ugly, and entirely not the “golden age” everyone remembers in popular culture. I’d be hard pressed to think of a single example where things were better than we remember and/or even remotely close to the fairytale rememberances.

By: Sam Vara

Sam Vara — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 20:34:05 +0000

Interesting point about the illustrator Pyle having such an impact on the way we picture pirates. With regard to their customs, psychology, speech, and avian companions, we are hugely indebted to Robert Louis Stephenson.

By: Space Nookie

Space Nookie — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 15:56:26 +0000

Bushido: Way of Total Bullshit
Everything Tom Cruise taught you about samurai is wrong:

https://www.tofugu.com/japan/bushido/

By: Lu An Li

Lu An Li — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 12:39:30 +0000

A couple throwing stars in the head by an unknown assassin and any naysayer is shown the truth.