Should Pirates Walk the Pop Culture Plank?

Should pirates walk the pop culture plank?

So, like zombies, cowboys, devils, sexy nurses, sexy ups guys, etc... pirates are here to stay, but like every cultural zeitgeist, people get tired, and some people definitely care more about it than others.

Hardcore pirate re-enactors, however, aren't too pleased with the recent influx of new mateys. John Macek, who has been a member of a historical pirate re-enactment group since the 90's, complained to the Times “Why do some of them feel like they can wear blank spandex pants and a puffy shirt and be allowed to call themselves pirates?” I'm sure Blackbeard, if he came back today and attended one of these festivals, would ask the same thing. And then, of course, he would steal everyone's wallets and the festival trophy and sail off into the sunset.

I know I would rather see someone build a pirate ship treehouse, or really take time to create a fantastic costume, but I'm not going to lie, I don't always have time, I clearly don't have time to even post to my blog. So I'm hardly one to fault someone for enjoying pirates casually, but lets just all thank our lucky stars that we'll have a couple years before Pirates 4 comes out. I somehow doubt there would be as many people blindingly excited about dressing like a storm trooper if The Phantom Menace had come out the year after Return of the Jedi.