A stock essay for an eternal debate.
This has been made a public post by popular demand.
On the morning of May 2, 2006, UGA students woke up and found propaganda on their sidewalks near Myers Hall, the Tate Center and the SLC. These chalk messages were not for a political party, an event, or a club, but rather, a source of great debate. The messages portrayed pirates as inferior to ninjas. Outlined on the concrete were sayings such as, “And God said, ‘Let there be ninjas,’” “Ninjas killed bin Laden. What have pirates done for your country?” and “Would you want a rat in your pies? piRATes.” This may seem to be a little over the top for one who is not part of the debate, but there is a widespread argument about the superiority of one group over the other. Ninjas, warriors trained in the perfect art of Kung-Fu mastery, are strong and stealthy in their manner. Pirates, on the other hand, are outspoken and raucous, but still manage to achieve their ends. In the end, the main argument boils down to the debate over who would win in a fight, is superior, and is an overall better type of being: Pirates or ninjas.
Pirates and ninjas need to be introduced as two separate entities. A ninja is a hired warrior trained in the art of ninjutsu. Ninjas specialize in espionage and assassination, and are considered the first Special Forces. Even though ninjas have such a heartless attitude about their work, their practice is very structured. There are differing accounts about ninjas, mainly because their existence is private and rarely recorded. This also explains as to why there is little history about ninjas, but much fiction concerning them in their Japanese culture. Ninjas originated in the late Heian period of Japan (794-1185 AD). Ninjas pledge allegiance to their daimyo, powerful feudal rulers from the 12th to late 19th century in Japan. There is a system of a daimyo hiring high ninjas, shounen and ronin, who would have their genins, lower ninjas, work for them unconditionally. The genin would then carry out the task using as much secrecy and stealth as possible. The ninjas respect authority and do what they can to serve their daimyo.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no record of ninjas wearing all-black uniforms. This is because if they were to be caught during a mission, they would be easily pinned as an enemy and punished accordingly. So ninjas were known to dress as priests, samurai, or plain commoners so as to blend in with their surroundings.
Most ninja missions were not confrontational, but rather to gather information. For that reason, they tried to blend in with their surroundings. Women also played a role in ninjutsu. There are many accounts of women being prostitutes in order to find the enemy’s strengths by using their feminine wiles. Although this is one way for female ninjas to achieve their ends, they usually took a non-direct way of posing as servants in order to overhear vital conversations.
In order to surprise enemies, the weapons of a ninja were fairly unconventional. Any weapon of a ninja is one that can either be concealed or be disguised as an everyday tool. These include predominantly the bo, shuriken, and handclaws (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja). A bo was a staff that one could carry as an everyday item and use as a blunt weapon. A shuriken is also known as a ninja star and is thrown in order to cut an enemy. The shuriken doubled as a gardening tool. Handclaws doubled as shoes for walking in the snow, and let a ninja scratch messages in wood for accomplices. Ninjas were not limited to these weapons, as they were highly resourceful in their surroundings.
In fiction, ninjas were known to be much more able than they are in actuality. Ninjas had been said to be able to walk on water, hide their shadows, become invisible, and do other nonsensical acts. This is partly because the ninjas promoted the creation of rumors about themselves in order to make people believe that ninjas had magical powers. There have been accounts of a ninja faking his own death so that the public would believe that he was immortal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja).
Pirates are more callous and are more prone to go into a fight mainly using an all-out attack on a given target. Pirates commit all types of crimes including, but not limited to, stealing, murder and pillaging. The pirates that people are familiar with today are the erstwhile ones from the Caribbean in the mid seventeenth century that based their crimes on the colonies’ trade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate). These pirates lived by the sea, and had their boats as their only partners. Cannons, revolvers and swords were their weapons of choice. The current definition of piracy includes people that commit robbery by an agent without receiving anything from any nation. Nowadays seaborne piracy is still a problem (worldwide losses range from 13 to 16 billion dollars a year to piracy) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy). Even though pirates are known for their robbery, a misconception is the abundance of treasure chests that pirates had.
Pirates are known for their breaking of promises, recalling of truces, and many other accounts that demonstrate their lack of ethics. Their “ethics,” if one could call them that, stem from the pirate code of the Brethren, created by Henry Morgan and Bartholomew Roberts. This was a code that worked for a loose confederation, at best, and any supreme version of the law never truly existed. The bulk of the code was parley, a word derived from the French word ‘parler,’ to speak, which could be said in order to organize a conference between two enemies to discuss a truce or deal.
The debate between pirates and ninjas spawns from a comedic website, www.realultimatepower.net. In this website, a 13-year-old boy is depicted as a lover of ninjas, and he talks about how pirates would be destroyed by ninjas. Many people in the realm of computers disagreed in his claim, and then the website became popular. As it became popular, people began to form opinions as to which side they believe is better equipped to fight against the other. The arguments made by each party are more impromptu than well-founded in a usual debate between ninjas and pirates, as the entire issue is not to be taken too seriously. An interesting part of the debate is that someone will lean towards one side or another, and possibly not know why. Each type appeals to certain types of people; and for that, there is an argument about what kind of people like which group and, if there are any very convincing, logical arguments leaning one way.
The people who chalked the streets are correct. Ninjas would win in a fight. They bring a good basis of weapons to any battle and have a great sense of timing, stealth and trained ability. A pirate brings luck, guns, and a merciless attitude to any fight, but that is not sufficient to kill a ninja. A ninja is always very aware of his surroundings, so there is no chance for him to be caught off guard by the pirate; however, if the ninja catches the pirate off guard then the fight will be over. In this case, the ninja will merely use a shuriken, aimed for the jugular, to defeat the pirate. A shuriken would normally be used first as a diversionary tactic in order to make the opponent have some type of handicap in the beginning of a fight. The shuriken has four to eight points radially pointing outward from the center of the shuriken, with each blade being very sharply tipped. A ninja would spin the shuriken in order to cut the opponent due to its sharpness and angular velocity. When ninjutsu evolved, rust or some type of poison would be applied on the tips of these stars in order to secure the death of any man who opposed the ninja. So, if the ninja can sneak up on the pirate, and successfully hit the pirate with a shuriken, then the pirate has an overwhelmingly large disadvantage and will thus ultimately find his demise at the ninja’s other weapons.
An argument for the pirate is that the pirate does not have the cowardice to sneak up on any ninja, but of course this ill-founded belief can be dispelled. A pirate will take any means necessary in order to win a battle, and that includes swallowing any pride necessary in order to sneak up on someone or shoot them in the back. This is shown in how pirates could never create a set of laws because they would always be changing their rules for personal betterment. Pirates had a Machiavellian approach to life, so they gained as much money as possible in order to survive.
Ninjas, on the other hand, show their deep loyalty in their relationship to their daimyo. They do not bat an eye, whatever their task is or however gruesome it may be, but rarely will it be one besides espionage. They can be as ruthless as any mercenary, but ninjas are much more skilled in their actions. Even though ninjas have such a heartless attitude with their work, their organization is regarded as very structured. Also, the female ninjas do not always resort to using prostitution as the main medium for getting sources via espionage. Female ninjas also try alternate methods, which demonstrate respect for their own body, as well as personal morals. So, ninjas feel obligated to serve a higher power through their use espionage and stealth.
This can be connected to the claim that “ninjas killed bin Laden.” The army serves a higher authority and is using tactics in order not to be seen when they are trying to kill bin Laden. The strategy used is the same as hiring ninjas to assassinate someone. The US military is using covert operations to keep from being detected, and has spies to investigate and recover information. Pirates would not be as mature as to be patient and attack when appropriate. So, in fact, the effective US military strategy in Afghanistan used a ninja-type approach.
In Iraq, however, a pirate style of “shock and awe” was presented. With cannons and guns firing, the US took over the nation without much difficulty, but there is no strategy as to how to end occupation. So, in the end, the uncalculated attack on Iraq has been a complicated matter and has become a taxing ordeal, while the covert operations in Afghanistan have not been of as great of magnitude. This obviously supports the characteristics of ninjas.
Another argument to show superiority of ninjas is selectivity. Anyone who has enough money to shell out the cash to buy a ship, firepower and rations can be a pirate. Along with them, anyone who is friends with such a person can also be a pirate. It takes no skill or aptitude to become a pirate. Ninjas, on the other hand, need to master the art of ninjutsu before they are deemed an actual ninja, thus the field of ninjas is weeded out a lot more than the field of pirates. If there is such a weeding out, then only the best people can be ninjas. Pirates, however, dwell in mediocrity. This obviously makes an argument for the superiority of ninjas, considering there are more lenient criteria to become a pirate, while a ninja requires dedication, skill, and ability.
In modern culture, the ninja and the pirate have new meaning. The pirate is symbolized by icons made by the film industry, mainly Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook. Ninjas have a bit less publicity, but are represented by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Beatrice Kiddo. There are new stereotypes about each one, but those still point to the overall supremacy of the ninjas. Captain Jack Sparrow revived pirates and made everyone enjoy the fun of swashbuckling. He had an epic quest in which he succeeded, but not without much fun. But one must realize, Sparrow had to depend on many people who were not pirates. He ended up with help from the governor’s daughter, and that seems almost contradictory to the philosophy of a pirate. He was not self-sufficient. Beatrice Kiddo, the protagonist from “Kill Bill,” was not only self-sufficient, but she did it started her revenge rampage from a coma. She had only one person’s help, Hattori Honzo, and that is due his skill in craftsmanship. She gets his help because he has the obligation to fulfill her wishes due to her being the student of Bill.
The one valid argument for pirates is their personality, which can be dispelled quickly. Pirates always have had a great fun-seeking attitude, while ninjas have seemingly no personality whatsoever. Captain Jack Sparrow demonstrates great charisma that is typical of a pirate, and he is exemplary in his charm and wit. When people think about the personality of a ninja, they do not think about the times when they are not killing. During these times, as shown through the Three Ninjas and Beatrice Kiddo, they are people just striving to have ordinary lives with their skills. They are people just like every one of us, but superior in the art of fighting and assassinating. So there is little comparison to have between the two personalities, considering that people rarely see the personality of the ninja in order to compare it to the personality of the pirate. It has been seen that the loyalty of the ninja is strong and the loyalty of the pirate is weak. So the question that can be portrayed is which one would you enjoy having as a friend: a pirate or a ninja? The truth is that a friend needs loyalty, which the ninja gives. The selection is obvious.
Even though there is this evidence against the pirates, one can still choose the pirates and enjoy their side of the debate. This is because each side appeals to different types of people. Just how different personalities are filtered between Democrats and Republicans; they are filtered via pirates and ninjas. Pirate supporters enjoy the idea of an adventure and having a quest. They also love the wit and charm that a pirate has while he looks for his golden treasure at the end of his adventure. Ninjas enjoy some adventure, but are more prone to being conniving and sneaky in their manner. A ninja supporter is the type of person who would know all the secrets of their group of friends and never tell anyone else. He also is there for his friends, and keeps loyal to all his contemporaries to triumph over a common foe. Ninjas are also very secretive, so someone with an inquisitive mind regales oneself with the mystery of ninjas, as not much is really known about them factually. Thus there are two different personalities that filter people into two groups: a ninja and a pirate.
In the end, the physical ability of the ninja has been proven superior to the pirate. The ninja has more effective fighting ability, and could defeat a pirate. The pirates cannot have a strong battle plan because they do not have the patience in planning, while the ninja takes pride in an intelligent approach. Also, the personalities of both have been clearly analyzed. While the pirates have charisma and wit, they lack the loyalty and friendship that ninjas have. So, it comes down to what one prioritizes as strengths and weaknesses, but there is a strong inclination towards ninjas over pirates, especially in me.
(EDIT: I got a 94 on this paper, and an A in my English II Honors class because of it.)
On the morning of May 2, 2006, UGA students woke up and found propaganda on their sidewalks near Myers Hall, the Tate Center and the SLC. These chalk messages were not for a political party, an event, or a club, but rather, a source of great debate. The messages portrayed pirates as inferior to ninjas. Outlined on the concrete were sayings such as, “And God said, ‘Let there be ninjas,’” “Ninjas killed bin Laden. What have pirates done for your country?” and “Would you want a rat in your pies? piRATes.” This may seem to be a little over the top for one who is not part of the debate, but there is a widespread argument about the superiority of one group over the other. Ninjas, warriors trained in the perfect art of Kung-Fu mastery, are strong and stealthy in their manner. Pirates, on the other hand, are outspoken and raucous, but still manage to achieve their ends. In the end, the main argument boils down to the debate over who would win in a fight, is superior, and is an overall better type of being: Pirates or ninjas.
Pirates and ninjas need to be introduced as two separate entities. A ninja is a hired warrior trained in the art of ninjutsu. Ninjas specialize in espionage and assassination, and are considered the first Special Forces. Even though ninjas have such a heartless attitude about their work, their practice is very structured. There are differing accounts about ninjas, mainly because their existence is private and rarely recorded. This also explains as to why there is little history about ninjas, but much fiction concerning them in their Japanese culture. Ninjas originated in the late Heian period of Japan (794-1185 AD). Ninjas pledge allegiance to their daimyo, powerful feudal rulers from the 12th to late 19th century in Japan. There is a system of a daimyo hiring high ninjas, shounen and ronin, who would have their genins, lower ninjas, work for them unconditionally. The genin would then carry out the task using as much secrecy and stealth as possible. The ninjas respect authority and do what they can to serve their daimyo.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no record of ninjas wearing all-black uniforms. This is because if they were to be caught during a mission, they would be easily pinned as an enemy and punished accordingly. So ninjas were known to dress as priests, samurai, or plain commoners so as to blend in with their surroundings.
Most ninja missions were not confrontational, but rather to gather information. For that reason, they tried to blend in with their surroundings. Women also played a role in ninjutsu. There are many accounts of women being prostitutes in order to find the enemy’s strengths by using their feminine wiles. Although this is one way for female ninjas to achieve their ends, they usually took a non-direct way of posing as servants in order to overhear vital conversations.
In order to surprise enemies, the weapons of a ninja were fairly unconventional. Any weapon of a ninja is one that can either be concealed or be disguised as an everyday tool. These include predominantly the bo, shuriken, and handclaws (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja). A bo was a staff that one could carry as an everyday item and use as a blunt weapon. A shuriken is also known as a ninja star and is thrown in order to cut an enemy. The shuriken doubled as a gardening tool. Handclaws doubled as shoes for walking in the snow, and let a ninja scratch messages in wood for accomplices. Ninjas were not limited to these weapons, as they were highly resourceful in their surroundings.
In fiction, ninjas were known to be much more able than they are in actuality. Ninjas had been said to be able to walk on water, hide their shadows, become invisible, and do other nonsensical acts. This is partly because the ninjas promoted the creation of rumors about themselves in order to make people believe that ninjas had magical powers. There have been accounts of a ninja faking his own death so that the public would believe that he was immortal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja).
Pirates are more callous and are more prone to go into a fight mainly using an all-out attack on a given target. Pirates commit all types of crimes including, but not limited to, stealing, murder and pillaging. The pirates that people are familiar with today are the erstwhile ones from the Caribbean in the mid seventeenth century that based their crimes on the colonies’ trade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate). These pirates lived by the sea, and had their boats as their only partners. Cannons, revolvers and swords were their weapons of choice. The current definition of piracy includes people that commit robbery by an agent without receiving anything from any nation. Nowadays seaborne piracy is still a problem (worldwide losses range from 13 to 16 billion dollars a year to piracy) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy). Even though pirates are known for their robbery, a misconception is the abundance of treasure chests that pirates had.
Pirates are known for their breaking of promises, recalling of truces, and many other accounts that demonstrate their lack of ethics. Their “ethics,” if one could call them that, stem from the pirate code of the Brethren, created by Henry Morgan and Bartholomew Roberts. This was a code that worked for a loose confederation, at best, and any supreme version of the law never truly existed. The bulk of the code was parley, a word derived from the French word ‘parler,’ to speak, which could be said in order to organize a conference between two enemies to discuss a truce or deal.
The debate between pirates and ninjas spawns from a comedic website, www.realultimatepower.net. In this website, a 13-year-old boy is depicted as a lover of ninjas, and he talks about how pirates would be destroyed by ninjas. Many people in the realm of computers disagreed in his claim, and then the website became popular. As it became popular, people began to form opinions as to which side they believe is better equipped to fight against the other. The arguments made by each party are more impromptu than well-founded in a usual debate between ninjas and pirates, as the entire issue is not to be taken too seriously. An interesting part of the debate is that someone will lean towards one side or another, and possibly not know why. Each type appeals to certain types of people; and for that, there is an argument about what kind of people like which group and, if there are any very convincing, logical arguments leaning one way.
The people who chalked the streets are correct. Ninjas would win in a fight. They bring a good basis of weapons to any battle and have a great sense of timing, stealth and trained ability. A pirate brings luck, guns, and a merciless attitude to any fight, but that is not sufficient to kill a ninja. A ninja is always very aware of his surroundings, so there is no chance for him to be caught off guard by the pirate; however, if the ninja catches the pirate off guard then the fight will be over. In this case, the ninja will merely use a shuriken, aimed for the jugular, to defeat the pirate. A shuriken would normally be used first as a diversionary tactic in order to make the opponent have some type of handicap in the beginning of a fight. The shuriken has four to eight points radially pointing outward from the center of the shuriken, with each blade being very sharply tipped. A ninja would spin the shuriken in order to cut the opponent due to its sharpness and angular velocity. When ninjutsu evolved, rust or some type of poison would be applied on the tips of these stars in order to secure the death of any man who opposed the ninja. So, if the ninja can sneak up on the pirate, and successfully hit the pirate with a shuriken, then the pirate has an overwhelmingly large disadvantage and will thus ultimately find his demise at the ninja’s other weapons.
An argument for the pirate is that the pirate does not have the cowardice to sneak up on any ninja, but of course this ill-founded belief can be dispelled. A pirate will take any means necessary in order to win a battle, and that includes swallowing any pride necessary in order to sneak up on someone or shoot them in the back. This is shown in how pirates could never create a set of laws because they would always be changing their rules for personal betterment. Pirates had a Machiavellian approach to life, so they gained as much money as possible in order to survive.
Ninjas, on the other hand, show their deep loyalty in their relationship to their daimyo. They do not bat an eye, whatever their task is or however gruesome it may be, but rarely will it be one besides espionage. They can be as ruthless as any mercenary, but ninjas are much more skilled in their actions. Even though ninjas have such a heartless attitude with their work, their organization is regarded as very structured. Also, the female ninjas do not always resort to using prostitution as the main medium for getting sources via espionage. Female ninjas also try alternate methods, which demonstrate respect for their own body, as well as personal morals. So, ninjas feel obligated to serve a higher power through their use espionage and stealth.
This can be connected to the claim that “ninjas killed bin Laden.” The army serves a higher authority and is using tactics in order not to be seen when they are trying to kill bin Laden. The strategy used is the same as hiring ninjas to assassinate someone. The US military is using covert operations to keep from being detected, and has spies to investigate and recover information. Pirates would not be as mature as to be patient and attack when appropriate. So, in fact, the effective US military strategy in Afghanistan used a ninja-type approach.
In Iraq, however, a pirate style of “shock and awe” was presented. With cannons and guns firing, the US took over the nation without much difficulty, but there is no strategy as to how to end occupation. So, in the end, the uncalculated attack on Iraq has been a complicated matter and has become a taxing ordeal, while the covert operations in Afghanistan have not been of as great of magnitude. This obviously supports the characteristics of ninjas.
Another argument to show superiority of ninjas is selectivity. Anyone who has enough money to shell out the cash to buy a ship, firepower and rations can be a pirate. Along with them, anyone who is friends with such a person can also be a pirate. It takes no skill or aptitude to become a pirate. Ninjas, on the other hand, need to master the art of ninjutsu before they are deemed an actual ninja, thus the field of ninjas is weeded out a lot more than the field of pirates. If there is such a weeding out, then only the best people can be ninjas. Pirates, however, dwell in mediocrity. This obviously makes an argument for the superiority of ninjas, considering there are more lenient criteria to become a pirate, while a ninja requires dedication, skill, and ability.
In modern culture, the ninja and the pirate have new meaning. The pirate is symbolized by icons made by the film industry, mainly Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook. Ninjas have a bit less publicity, but are represented by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Beatrice Kiddo. There are new stereotypes about each one, but those still point to the overall supremacy of the ninjas. Captain Jack Sparrow revived pirates and made everyone enjoy the fun of swashbuckling. He had an epic quest in which he succeeded, but not without much fun. But one must realize, Sparrow had to depend on many people who were not pirates. He ended up with help from the governor’s daughter, and that seems almost contradictory to the philosophy of a pirate. He was not self-sufficient. Beatrice Kiddo, the protagonist from “Kill Bill,” was not only self-sufficient, but she did it started her revenge rampage from a coma. She had only one person’s help, Hattori Honzo, and that is due his skill in craftsmanship. She gets his help because he has the obligation to fulfill her wishes due to her being the student of Bill.
The one valid argument for pirates is their personality, which can be dispelled quickly. Pirates always have had a great fun-seeking attitude, while ninjas have seemingly no personality whatsoever. Captain Jack Sparrow demonstrates great charisma that is typical of a pirate, and he is exemplary in his charm and wit. When people think about the personality of a ninja, they do not think about the times when they are not killing. During these times, as shown through the Three Ninjas and Beatrice Kiddo, they are people just striving to have ordinary lives with their skills. They are people just like every one of us, but superior in the art of fighting and assassinating. So there is little comparison to have between the two personalities, considering that people rarely see the personality of the ninja in order to compare it to the personality of the pirate. It has been seen that the loyalty of the ninja is strong and the loyalty of the pirate is weak. So the question that can be portrayed is which one would you enjoy having as a friend: a pirate or a ninja? The truth is that a friend needs loyalty, which the ninja gives. The selection is obvious.
Even though there is this evidence against the pirates, one can still choose the pirates and enjoy their side of the debate. This is because each side appeals to different types of people. Just how different personalities are filtered between Democrats and Republicans; they are filtered via pirates and ninjas. Pirate supporters enjoy the idea of an adventure and having a quest. They also love the wit and charm that a pirate has while he looks for his golden treasure at the end of his adventure. Ninjas enjoy some adventure, but are more prone to being conniving and sneaky in their manner. A ninja supporter is the type of person who would know all the secrets of their group of friends and never tell anyone else. He also is there for his friends, and keeps loyal to all his contemporaries to triumph over a common foe. Ninjas are also very secretive, so someone with an inquisitive mind regales oneself with the mystery of ninjas, as not much is really known about them factually. Thus there are two different personalities that filter people into two groups: a ninja and a pirate.
In the end, the physical ability of the ninja has been proven superior to the pirate. The ninja has more effective fighting ability, and could defeat a pirate. The pirates cannot have a strong battle plan because they do not have the patience in planning, while the ninja takes pride in an intelligent approach. Also, the personalities of both have been clearly analyzed. While the pirates have charisma and wit, they lack the loyalty and friendship that ninjas have. So, it comes down to what one prioritizes as strengths and weaknesses, but there is a strong inclination towards ninjas over pirates, especially in me.
(EDIT: I got a 94 on this paper, and an A in my English II Honors class because of it.)