Men can be animals, and moreso Pirates.
Captain Bartholomew Roberts became famous for his Code in 1671, which must be signed before boarding:
I. Every man has a vote in affairs of moment; has equal title to the fresh provisions, or strong liquors, at any time seized, and may use them at pleasure, unless a scarcity makes necessary, for the good of all, to vote a retrenchment.
II. Every man to be called fairly in turn, by list, on board of prizes because, they were on these occasions allowed a shift of clothes: but if they defrauded the company to the value of a dollar in plate, jewels, or money, marooning was their punishment. If the robbery was only betwixt one another, they contented themselves with slitting the ears and nose of him that was guilty, and set him on shore, not in an uninhabited place, but somewhere, where he was sure to encounter hardships.
III. No person to game at cards or dice for money.
IV. The lights and candles to be put out at eight o’clock at night: if any of the crew, after that hour still remained inclined for drinking, they were to do it on the open deck.
V. To keep their peace, pistols, and cutlass clean and fit for service.
VI. No boy or woman to be allowed amongst them. If any man were to be found seducing any of the latter sex, and carried her to sea, disguised, he was to suffer death.
VII. To desert their ship or quarters in battle, was punished with death or marooning.
VIII. No striking one another on board, but every man’s quarrels to be ended on shore, at sword and pistol.
IX. No man to talk of breaking up their way of living, till each had shared £1,000. If in order to this, any man should lose a limb, or become a cripple in their service, he was to have 800 dollars, out of the public stock, and for lesser hurts, proportionately.
X. The captain and quartermaster to receive two shares of prize: the master, boatswain, and gunner, one share and a half, and other officers one and a quarter.
XI. The musicians to have rest on the Sabbath Day, only by night, but the other six days and nights, not without special favour.
XII (3. Add optional article(s) here)
Fast forward a half a century.
Is Mankind any less capable of exhibiting its' animalistic tendencies than in 1671? Is he (or she) any less needed to be reminded that certain behaviours aboard ship are unacceptable and will be punished if engaged in?
Maybe.
That could be the reason for less rules and less specificity. Yet the need still exists.
We need to be able to see the flags of others from a safe distance - that's why they are there.
Communication devices. We need to see what that person believes in, and to which 'like minded' groups do they belong, and why?
Do I trust them? Is it safe for me to get closer to them? Can I trust them to trade fairly?
When you see The Jolly Roger you can put full faith and trust in it on face value.
No superficiality here,
Eduardo Blomar 1679
