Did pirates have Asperger's?

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Consider this, they were recorded in history as swashbucklers with no regard for social norms. Could it be possible that they simply weren't aware of any such rules?
Further, pirates were also very loyal within the crew but hostile towards higher authority, both of which are aspie traits.
Do you think their intelligence could have helped them in their quest to earn money without having to rely on social work?

It's difficult to generalize. Some pirates were cold blooded pyschopaths. Some were outlaws who were rebelling against the system. They were (usually) quite democratic among themselves. Everyone in the crew had an equal vote as to things like whether to attack another ship. This was quite remarkable as African crewmen were not treated as slaves. But we tend to over romanticize them. Their job was to kill and steal.

Democratic? I've never studied pirate lore. Where did you get that?
Loyal among themselves? I haven't heard of that being an Aspie trait.

I would imagine that their leader would be a sociopath/Aspie, but the rest would be sheep who somehow figured out that the authority figure back home was not their friend, and that the sociopath's rules were more profitable. Come to think of it, that's pretty much what I think of most groups.

Argh!

You have to understand that the standard punishment for piracy was hanging, after a short trial. The pirates were loyal among themselves due to their dire circumstances. The Captain wasn't always a commanding figure, he could be thrown overboard if the crew thought that was their best. Now that I think about it though, they were social misfits, loners, prolly a bit daft. The Navies of that day were cruel, and the Captain's word was law. It was also a political thing, most Captains got that position due to their families wealth. So there were some pirates that had been sailors, but became discouraged, or went outside the law, and turned to piracy.

Nah. I mean, I bet there's been at least one Aspie pirate, but generally I think they were just NTs who hated general society and liked looting and raping people.
It's really fun to respond to this wearing an eye-patch...

I agree with the prof.

Pirates have been very romanticized, but they actually were criminals bent on acquiring wealth by taking it from someone else. Their crashing of the social dress code is more similar to the appeal of sagging jeans in today's world than any Aspie ideal.

Just because this is somewhat related here~~~has anyone seen "FLAPJACK"? on Cartoon Network? It is so funny, and my 6 yr.old enjoys watching it. It deals w/pirates, an orphan boy raised by a whale, and of course, Mr.K'Nuckles, the laziest pirate ever sailing the seas. It is now of my favorites, too...

Of course there could have been a pirate who had AS. But You can't say that all pirates had AS just because they were somewhat different.

I'm having fun imagining the wrongplanet pirate crew.

sounds like modernday coorprate exacutives.

The Articles of The Brotherhood of the Coast.

I prefer thier version of corporate structure.

Everyone was equal.

Leaders were elected by merit.

Leaders served at the pleasure of the electorate.

While everyone had an equal share in the venture, extra shares were voted for the upkeep of the ship, for those who took extra risks, Captain, mates who lead boarding parties, and those injured in battle.

The top pay was two shares for the Captain.

They ate well.

Merchant ships were owned by merchants, with a hired capitain and the crew was often kidnapped while drunk, Shanghied. The crews were starved, beaten, and working them to death left no witnesses, or demands for payment.

The view of The Brotherhood of the Coast was they were liberating their fellow seamen.

Only the officers were armed, against their own crew, the crew was too weak to fight anyway, so a shipload of well fed well armed men and some women, could easily overpower the few guards, and they were killed.

Survivors were given the choice, join us or walk the plank. Most joined.

They did live in a world of their own, it was by choice, and based on equality and economic independence.

They often became very wealthy, and as age and injury take their toll, set up as merchants and shop keepers to sell the goods the younger were bringing in, getting retail for the spoils.

Trade was a Royal Monopoly, farmed out to the Aristocrats, who hired the meanest officers, and went cheap on a crew. Going near a port was asking to be kidnapped.

The Brotherhood of the Coast just rearranged the employment situation.

Many had been in the Navy, and being hung was not much of a worry. Once when the British Navy was over staffed, they declared a mutiny, the whole Navy, and hung 13,000 seamen. Deserters were hung if found, any who complained were hung.

They were the lucky ones, many more were flogged before the gathered crew, the cat o nine would strip skin and flesh from their backs, and they would live for a few days after.

Merchant Officers were promoted from the Navy, and had the same rights of life and death over the crew.

Crews for Navy and Merchant fleets were gathered by Press Gangs, kidnapped. Those who managed to escape were to be hung, could not go anywhere safely, except to join the Brotherhood of the Coast, who would get them away.

The Articles of the Brotherhood of the Coast were copied in The Constitution of the United States.

"That all men are created equal." Is directly from the Articles. So is claiming Life, Liberty, and the persuit of happiness.

Subject of the Crown was a slave, who had a place, chosen by their betters. Any who wished to control their own lives were called "Willful", "Insubordinate", meaning has a will of their own, and is not subservent. It was a hanging offence.

Few now understand how radical the U. S. Constitution is. It does contain a clause that if the people become dissatisfied with the form of government, they have a right to change it, by a simple majority vote, and a right to keep and bear arms to back that up.

That too is from the Articles of the Brotherhood of the Coast.

Join us or die.