Every year, September 19 passes by unnoticed by almost everyone. What they don’t realize is that the day is actually a holiday. It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day, when, as the name suggests, people around the world are encouraged to talk like a pirate for the day.
The holiday began in 1995 when two friends, John Bauer and Mark Summers, were playing racquetball and found the game more fun when they talked with pirate accents. Talk Like a Pirate Day then became an inside joke between the two until they sent a letter to a widely read comedy columnist, Dave Barry, who liked the idea and decided to promote it.
While the holiday has been used in the past to spread political messages, like raising awareness for the impact of climate change on coastal communities, the main purpose of the holiday has remained as a way for people to let loose and have a little fun.
That being said, Talk Like a Pirate Day is still relatively unknown, and for the people who have heard of it, shrouded in mystery. David Pierce ’27 and Lucas Crozier ’27 have never heard of it. Pierce doesn’t see the value in the holiday. “Every day is Talk Like a Pirate Day if you try hard enough… it sounds very entertaining to four people, and then everyone else is watching those four people.”
Crozier instead thinks that Talk Like a Pirate Day is worthwhile. “I think it’s fun… [The holiday is] something to change up the day [and give] you something to do.”
Mr. Andrew Ambron, a teacher at Heritage, has heard about the holiday, but he doesn’t know much about its significance. Based on what he has heard, Ambron fully supports the message behind the holiday. “The spirit behind it is well intentioned and would help a lot of people out… [it gives] people an outlet to do something kind of kooky, and I think that’s always a good thing.”