He emerges from the thick blowing weeds of the field on a great white stallion. Determined with a feeling of purpose and a goal in mind. A regal scarf tied around his head to convey he thought to himself to be treated as a king. That's when the ships appear, flying through the sky, ready to go on their next great mission. You may think that all of this sounds completely insane, but this is what is conveyed in a Clorox commercial aired back in 2008 or so. Why does this matter? Because it is possibly one of the most creative and beautifully made commercials I have ever seen, along with its partner mermaid commercial for the same product, coining the slogan: "Because a bathroom can be more than just a bathroom, Clorox helps keep it clean, even the imaginary parts."
For as long as I can remember, the thought of being a pirate has always been something looked upon as great, noble, daring, exciting, "Yo ho and a bottle of rum", carefree lifestyle. Children dress up like them on Halloween. Stories, novels, and poems were written about them. Disney World created the Pirates of the Caribbean ride; taking any rider into a dark world full of very much unwashed pirates. Mates either jailed for stealing their booty, or plotting their next raid. A world full of exciting ship-to-ship battles, chasing after women, and of course, Davy Jones. This then escalated to the wildly popular, Pirates of the Caribbean series of movies. Thus further stylizing the lifestyle of a pirate. Every kid wanted to be Jack Sparrow. Every girl wanted to be Elizabeth Swan. A life of swabbin' the deck and sailing the seven seas looked to be a life of excitement and adventure.
However much I do love all of the pirate propaganda, there are two very different connotations to the meaning of the expression: "pirate". There's the life we see in the TV shows, movies, theme-park rides, "yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me" pirates. Then there's the reality of what a pirate really is. The men who sail the seas, taking anyone unguarded in abandoned waters hostage. Pillaging and killing innocent people for no other reason than greed and hatred. Men behind bars trying to lure the dog with the keys in its mouth with a clean bone, versus men our world is trying to fight against in order to keep our waters safe.
It's a fine line. What we see in all of the heightened life of a seaman, with a love of the water and just desiring the spray of the ocean with a bottle of rum at his side. Is that fantasy, or was that what pirate life really was in the past? Could those stories be true of past pirates, and today's pirates are just ruining the connotation? Who knows? Maybe the hero Captain Jack Sparrow really does reflect the history of pirates. I can only hope so. Because the life of a pirate in what we see, that's what kids are dressing up as. That's what we all want to read and fantasize about. The Clorox commercial pirates. The bravery and freeness of a life at sea. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is coming out Friday. When I see it, I will be thinking only of the pirates children have grown up fantasizing about. I will reminisce about the Disney World ride. And the whole time, I will be singing to myself: "yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me".
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