Pirate Costumes for Boys Combine Historical Education with Awareness of Current Events
The word pirate would at first suggest times long past, and the romanticized image of the pirate with his eyepatch and “jolly roger” flag is indeed what most of us think of when we think of a pirate costume. Yet, when a boy wears a pirate costume, he is also becoming aware that the problem of piracy on the high seas has returned, with recent noteworthy occurrences in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. In addition, the issues of online and music piracy are of interest and importance to young people, who are often confronted with moral issues when they find themselves able to copy music or software from a friend without making payment to the creator of the original material.
So, a pirate costume need not be limited to the pirate outfit of old, or the traditional pirate costume can be updated with whimsical touches such as replacing the telltale eyepatch with a compact disc or DVD on which “copying discs is piracy” is written. Updated pirate costumes are a perfect way for boys to demonstrate their creative sides while creating and wearing costumes with a message that may well tie in not only to their study of the pirates of the Barbary Coast in history class, but also to a discussion they may have had with their scout or youth group leader about the moral issues of copying music and other media onto compact discs for their own use or for friends. In addition, appearing in a pirate costume when making a current events presentation in social studies class or at an assembly is a great way for a boy who loves attention to get noticed for promoting awareness of the continuing maritime piracy problem, which in turn may be tied into international terrorism, African civil wars and other pressing social and political issues that affect our world today.
A pirate costume for a boy of today is a matter of tradition and creativity. The typical pirate costume of old combined with some symbol of today’s maritime or online pirates can be created in any one of a number of original ways. These could include building a replica of a computer screen or mobile communication device and adding it to the pirate’s traditional shield, or replacing the Jolly Roger flag with a “no copying” logo consisting of the typical no smoking or no parking symbol drawn across a rendering of a popular music album that appeals to boys. The colors of the typical pirate costume of old can also be changed to neon colors to represent electronic piracy, or perhaps green which is often the flag used by the terrorist pirates of today’s dangerous waters.
Piracy is still very much present in our society, and a great way for boys to learn about current events, history and personal responsibility at the same time is by wearing an original version of the pirate costume of old that represents more current forms of international piracy.