I don't blame Pirate, I blame the Exchanges.
The constant hacks, and outrageous fee hikes (This means you CAVirtex!) have done way more damage to the Bitcoin economy.
I'm not a speculator, I'm an avid user of Bitcoin for trade. Unfortunately I no longer have a way of acquiring coins without paying credit card style fees.
There is no longer any incentive to buy stuff with Bitcoin, only investments in ponzi schemes like BTCST.