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Bring Back Ostracism
A Case for a National Ostracizing Election
In ancient Athens, a city-wide vote was held once a year called an ostrakimos. Today we know the word as a fairly juvenile act of social snubbing, ‘Ostracism’, but the Greek Athenians took it pretty seriously. Citizens could scratch the name of any Athenian on a broken piece of pottery (called an ostraka) and if that name gathered enough votes, that man was forced, upon pain of death, to leave the city for ten years. Other than the whole ‘we’ll kill you if you don’t leave’ thing, there was no other punishment involved. Ostracized Athenians could keep their wealth and property (or at least sell it and take the profits), and after ten years they could return to Athens no harm, no foul.
It took 6,000 votes to be ostracized, which was fairly significant since voting citizens were limited to males born in Athens, over 20, with property (though not necessarily defined strictly by land. A house, a horse, a spear could suffice.) Statistics are vague, but at least a quarter of voting Athenians needed to scratch your name on a piece of pottery for you to be banished.
Contemporary ostracism is mostly reserved for the middle school girl groups, elite socialites, and the occasional Hollywood celebrity, so we’re not much accustomed to seeing value in it.
