We romanticize pirates.

The question is why. Historically they did very bad things, not only stealing but performing incredible acts of brutality. François l’Olonnais, a French pirate active in the Caribbean in the 1660s, was known to cut open the chests of his victims and take a bite out of their hearts.

And modern pirates are no better. There have been 189 piracy attacks this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Somali pirates, who themselves are killers, may have earned $160 million last year.

So why, then, do we romanticize pirates? Why do we dress up like them and play pirates? Why do we name baseball and football teams after them?

It’s a question Thomas Oertling, a lecturer in maritime studies at Texas A&M University at Galveston, has given some thought to. He teaches a very popular course on piracy at the university. The class covers everything from ancient piracy to the Golden age from 1680 to 1720 when Black Bart, Captain Kidd and other pirates were active.

The course also delves into popular culture and piracy, Oertling says.

“I like to get them to start asking about our image of pirates, and why our image of piracy from stories and books is a very different one from reality. Why is that? We have a lot of recreational piracy in modern life, each Renaissance Faire has a pirate weekend, we have national talk like a pirate day. Who is buying this, and why? Why is there this fascination with pirates?”

So what’s the answer?

“My guess is because we need to. Pirates did have a reputation for living outside the box, they made their own rules up, and in late 17th or early 18th century they had freedom and they did what they want. A lot of people can identify with freedom to do what they want. It’s inviting, gaining gold and wealth and doubloons. What’s diminished is the price someone has to pay for that. What we forget about is the violence, violation of people and their property. It’s glossed over and maybe it’s the Robin Hood effect.”

But the realities then, and today, are pretty ugly.

“Many of these pirates were pathological, and I don’t think the violence or brutality has changed at all. About the only thing that’s changed is modern technology, with fast motor boats, rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s. “