Welcome, Jazz Pickles and pastry pirates.
Pirates are among the most enduring figures in pop culture history. Untold billions have been made from movies about pirates, and there is no shortage of pirate costumes and accessories for those who want to cosplay as one.
But have you ever thought about how this affectionate fascination contrasts with the fact that these were among the most ruthless, godawful thieves, enslavers, murderers, and all-around barbarians our species has ever concocted? The fact that they rarely bathed was just rancid icing on the cake.
I wrote about our odd fascination with pirates, Vikings, and other despots in one of my bi-weekly Naked Cartoonist articles not long ago. It’s titled, “What’s so Funny about Ruthless Murderers?” and it includes my theory on why so many cartoonists have done so many cartoons about such horrible people. I’m no exception. A few years ago, I filled a book with such cartoons of my own from Bizarro.
English (US) · 