George was a pirate, but he wasn’t a very good pirate.
His captain asked him how the crew felt, and George conducted a poll.
“Your approval ratings are down,” said George.
“Maybe if we had a battle,” said the captain. “That always boosts approval ratings for politicians.”
So, the captain set course for the nearest ship and they fought it.
They won, but took heavy casualties.
George polled the crew again. And the numbers were even lower.
“But we won a battle!” said the captain.
“Yes,” said George. “But unlike the politicians, I polled the people who did the fighting.”