#peter fitzsimons

This is really a story about class, rank, and power. The captain, Bligh, was a tyrant and a monster, ready to punish and even execute his crew for the smallest perceived slight. The crewmen rightfully mutinied against him, risking their lives in the doing, but began to fall apart themselves once they returned to Tahiti. See, many of the men had taken Tahitian women either as wives or concubines, and insisted on taking them to Pitcairn Island, where they eventually hid out. Along with them were a few Tahitian men. Now, you might think that the mostly-white English crewmen, remembering how poorly they were treated by Bligh, might have considered the Tahitians their equals and not essentially enslaved them and given them far fewer rights and belongings on the island. But the mutineers were just as racist as their fellow white men! Which led to a lot of them being killed by the Tahitians when they were pushed too far, and the Tahitian men were killed in turn. Also, the English men treated the Tahitians like they were idiots even before this incident. They were patronising and assumed ignorance and mocked the Tahitians' culture, despite theirs not exactly being the best either.

Meanwhile, back in England, many of the crew who were loyal to the Captain but wound up still on the Bounty with the mutineers were accused of being mutineers themselves. One, a midshipman, managed to escape the death penalty by leveraging his family's money and connections. Another also was pardoned. Three, including a teenager, were not so lucky, and were hanged for mutiny against their tyrannical Captain after being imprisoned in awful conditions. After Bligh returned to England, he was treated as a hero, but by the time the midshipman and others were returned, people were beginning to realise what a bastard this man was. And yet, he continued to be a Captain. Because damn it, he was a Navy man, and as the Captain of the ship was not in line to be summarily executed for treating his crew like dogs. Whereas mutiny? That was a hanging offence, and one laid on the heads of the mutineers. Mutineers must only have mutinied because they were evil, you see. Never mind that their Captain was abusing them, punishing them for next to nothing, and was so awful that this wasn't even the last time he would be mutinied against. Class in 19th century society sure was something.