{"version": "1.0", "type": "rich", "title": "researching 17th century piracy tonight. came across this:\n One popular pastime amongst pirates was the mock trial. \u00a0Each man...", "author_name": "kontextmaschine", "author_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "provider_name": "kontextmaschine", "provider_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "url": "https://kontextmaschine.com/post/127206999758/", "html": "

nightpool42:

\n\n

roachpatrol:

\n

idiopathicsmile:

\n
\n

idiopathicsmile:

\n
\n

researching 17th century piracy tonight. came across this:

\n

One popular pastime amongst pirates was the mock trial. \u00a0Each man played a part be it jailer, lawyer, judge, juror, or hangman. \u00a0This sham court arrested, tried, convicted, and \u201ccarried out\u201d the sentence to the amusement of all. (x)

\n

how widespread could this have really been? how would it have gotten passed from ship to ship? can you imagine a pirate crew at a tavern, bragging to another pirate crew about how good they are at playing pretend? why was their go-to game\u00a0\u201clegal system\u201d? were they performing incisive satire? is this some sort of pirates-only inside joke that\u2019s been lost to the ages?

\n
\n

update: the mock-charge in the mock-trial was piracy

\n

they used to pretend to try each other for piracy

\n

as a stress relief

\n
\n\n

ok but it\u2019s got to have been a lot of fun to be the pirate defense lawyer, for the pirate accused of piracy, to attempt to argue to the pirate judge, in front of a jury of pirate peers, that your client could not possibly\u00a0be a pirate

\n

this is the group bonding activity i never knew i needed

"}