So you want to talk like a pirate?

teal-deer:

Caribbean pirates:

– voted for their captains
– offered life insurance, health insurance, and accident insurance to crew members (admittedly this was just “we’ll give you a lot of money if you lose a body part while working on this boat” but still)
– had a (male only, sadly) form of gay marriage called mateloge where two male partners would legally share property
– hired regardless of race & payed all races equally; pirate ships were often safe havens for escaped slaves

(Sources: “Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age” by Marcus Rediker, “The Invisible Hook: the Hidden Economics of Pirates” by Peter T Leeson)

So if you wanna talk like a pirate, talk about worker’s rights, racial equality, gay marriage, universal health care, and direct democracy.