What was Captain Phillips trying to say?

Whilst Piracy can hardly be considered a legally justified activity, there is certain amount of sympathy that exists for 'Somali Pirates'.

It is relatively well accepted that the recent spate of Piracy around the Horn of Africa has been motivated by the events of the Second Phase of the Somali Civil war.

Many of these Pirates claim they are simply defending the natural resources of their country against the imperialistic tendencies of both international shipping companies and elements of their own countries interests vying for power and control.

Counter-cultural Publications such as Adbusters, and the Time Article linked earlier, are often found explaining (if not defending) the actions of Somali 'Pirates' as simple fishermen driven to the act of violence as their only means of nihilistic expression against forces beyond their control.

The 'Fishermen' in Captain Philips definitely do not fall into this category. They are part of a network of organised crime which ransoms cargo against insurance payouts as industrial practice.

Muse and his men had been playing the 'just fishermen' card to play off against these muddy waters, this international sympathy about a conflict whose details are grey at best.

This was the point that Captain Philips realized they were manipulating this sympathy to work in their favor, and responded in anger:

"You're not fishermen, you're not just simple fishermen!"