'Pirate' Guitarist Tom Mason Returns to Islands

I thought that these days, impersonating a pirate in VI is considered to be a bad taste at best, and offensive at worst. After all, pirates dem were murderers, thiefs, and slave owners.

Quite s few pirates were ex slaves, because pirating afforded them more freedom and options. Read:

http://www.amazon.com/Villains-All-Nations-Atlantic-Pirates/dp/0807050253

Some people consider pirates rebels, and wish to celebrate and identify with that rebellious spirit.

I thought that these days, impersonating a pirate in VI is considered to be a bad taste at best, and offensive at worst. After all, pirates dem were murderers, thiefs, and slave owners.

From whence did you garner this? But someone believed it ...

Oh lord...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqkL1AsCHQk

From whence did you garner this?

I got it from the testimony of Gerard M. Emanuel, Delegate to the Fifth Constitutional Convention of the United States Virgin Islands:

"Over the years, the increased presence of persons from the U.S. mainland has brought with them an infusion of questionable cultural practices that are at variance and sometimes disrespectful to the local culture. The pirate festival and contest, is one such practice, which is threatening to become an institution. Pirates were criminals who used these islands to store their booty. There is nothing positive about them that we should be celebrating or commemorating."

Reference:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-111hhrg55534/html/CHRG-111hhrg55534.htm

You can't judge the entire U.S. Virgin Islands on the statement of any one individual. There are some who are opposed to pirates, and some who embrace them.

The pirate festivals didn't go over well, so they did not become institutions. It could have been that there were already other pirate festivals, and the pirate promoter here was too late to attract enough of an audience.

Blackbeard's Castle is/was (closing later this year) a very popular tourist attraction, and has/had the world's largest collection of pirate statues (supposedly).

Another book to read is Black Jacks.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Jacks-African-American-Seamen/dp/0674076273

You'd have to understand the make-up of many of the participants in the "Constitutional Convention" to know that this faction does not represent the mindset of the majority of Virgin Islanders. Mr Emanuel was expressing his own unique opinion, shared by a mere handful who have little else to occupy them.

Come on OT. You know you want to call him an old stick in the mud.

You'd have to understand the make-up of many of the participants in the "Constitutional Convention" to know that this faction does not represent the mindset of the majority of Virgin Islanders. Mr Emanuel was expressing his own unique opinion, shared by a mere handful who have little else to occupy them.

Ain't that the truth!

And we wonder why we've paid these people for the 5th time to create a non divisive constitution. Another wasteful 6th will probably come around again. And, the same people will be selected to waste our time and money, again.

Come on OT. You know you want to call him an old stick in the mud.

He's probably a very nice chap but I find his perspective very off kilter in several areas. In writing about the (ever-boring and done to death) issue of what the true definition of a Virgin Islander is, he says:

" ... we are not all “merely” or “equally” American. Even if we were to accept this claim, the U.S. Government always does something to illustrate that such is not the case. For example, according to reliable reports, the U.S. military, after hurricane Hugo ravaged the V.I. in 1989, indicated that it was sent here with the express purpose of “securing and saving U.S. Citizens or Americans”? What occurred however, was that the military primarily looked for Caucasians living in the Virgin Islands. If we are all equally American, why were the majority of “U.S. Citizens” living here, who are of African and Hispanic descent, who also lost their homes and required assistance, not sought and treated equally favorably? Apparently in this instance, “U.S. citizens” or “Americans” were simply euphemisms for Caucasians living in the Virgin Islands."

That to me is a bunch of inflammatory poppycock and nowhere in his treatise does he offer any citation(s) for the alleged, "reliable reports" he mentions.

Pirates must be popular with the locals...they keep electing them!

Do you realize the phenomenon of the decrease in the number of pirates and the increase of global warming? Aaaaarrr!

Where's the 'like' button? I love that shirt.

Here's a "Pirate" violinist that I'd love to see live in concert!
https://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Kge3xBeuArI