It turns out piracy is in.  The hit summer movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” is only a tiny part of it. There are pirate bars, social circles, bands, festivals, magazines and apparel. According to our story, devotees are attracted by “pirate fashions, the spirit of rowdiness and the opportunity to engage in anti-establishment behavior.”  That sort of describes suicide bombers, too, but I guess they lack that swashbuckling cachet.

“Pirates are like the new cowboys,”  says one pirate performer quoted in our story, and another says he turned to piracy because the Civil War re-enactment business got expensive and “too political.”  

The notion of growing numbers of adults paying tribute to a former scourge of the known world is kind of comical.  If you’re interested, buy a puffy shirt, poke out an eye, stop bathing, and join the fun. 

Model and actress Rebecca Romijn Stamos playfully poses with pirate characters as she arrives as a guest for the premiere of the film “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl” in Anaheim, California, June 28, 2003.  REUTERS/Fred Prouser