Pirate museum on horizon, sez AJC
October 16, 2009 at 3:31 pm by Scott Henry in News
OK, I like pirates as much as the next guy. Who among us hasn’t been tempted to silence some blowhard by snarling, “Avast ye, scurvy dog!”
But a pirate museum in downtown Atlanta? That makes about as much sense as us getting a cowboy heritage center or a monument to Arctic exploration.
Unless, of course, your goal is make a quick buck by turning Centennial Park into a theme park with cheesy attractions geared toward unrelated cultural fads. Hmm, now that’s an idea. What about opening the Buffalo Wing Museum? Or the Center for Cell Phone App Research? Or a meercat habitat? (Oops, I forgot Zoo Atlanta recently did that already.)
UPDATE: I was just reminded by a doctor of cultural anthropology I know that pirates were the major force behind the North African slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Maybe the museum could offer a two-for-one admission deal with the planned Center for Civil and Human Rights.
(Image stolen from Snorg Tees)
October 16th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Sweet. Suck it, Gatlinburg.
October 16th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
So, basically across the street from the civil rights museum — honoring the legacies of true heroes such as Dr. King and Ghandi — there’s going to be a museum dedicated to people who murdered and thieved for a living and tortured and raped as a sideline hobby.
You stay classy, Atlanta.
October 16th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Amen, Darin. Amen.
October 16th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I like to think of it as diversity.
October 16th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
The pirate theme done right, for all the right reasons:
http://www.826valencia.org/store/index.html
If Atlanta started an 826 chapter that would potentially be a very good thing.
http://www.826national.org/about/
October 16th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Seriously, we don’t need a cheesy pirate museum, but…
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dave_eggers_makes_his_ted_prize_wish_once_upon_a_school.html
October 16th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Get a life. A pirate museum would be so much fun. And it would breathe life into downtown. Plus, there could be wax figures of famous pirates who raped and pillaged, such as Captain Bill Campbell and Bosun Shirley “Peg Leg” Franklin.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Pirates were a significant force in the slave trade. Google away, mateys, to see how significant…! The marketing possibilities are endless for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau: “Take a photo with your temporary Master, Pirate Jack, at the new Pirate Museum, then win your freedom from Martin et al at the Center for Civil and Human Rights.”
October 16th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
“Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag and begin slitting throats.”
-H. L. Mencken
October 16th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Darin:
To quote a David Cassidy/Partidge Family song: “I think I (heart) you.”
Inky Stinky
October 21st, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Dash,
I haven’t been able to respond, but your idea: great. I say put that location near Five Points. Kids will have transit access from all directions. And there are surely some storefront vacancies. Provide a solid police presence in the area so people are safe and it could work.
October 21st, 2009 at 9:27 pm
I know, right? We have so many crazy brilliant people in this city who would feel truly blessed by the opportunity to volunteer. I’ve known about 826 Valencia and other 826 projects for years. Richard Lea seems like a good egg who truly means well. I can’t help but think that the 826 concept would capture his imagination if he were introduced to it. It would be both his original idea and a treasured community asset, too. How cool is that?