5 ms·

There is an idea I've been playing with for years that I think would be useful in this sort of situation, though sadly I think its a bit too clever to get tract

There is an idea I've been playing with for years that I think would be useful in this sort of situation, though sadly I think its a bit too clever to get traction amongst not-nerds. In the webcomic Digger[1], one of the main characters is an exiled hyena. I'm a bit lazy right now to go digging through the archive for the exact panels that explain the situation[2], but there's a twist on just plain exile. The character's name was "eaten". This is expanded on a bit more in the comic if you're in the mood for an archive binge, but the key phrases are, "Name eaten, gone. It an it now, not a real person," "Of course it remembers [its name]. It remembers the rabbit it ate yesterday too, but rabbit still gone. Memory not life. Name eaten, dead, gone". Someone who goes and massacres a church, school, theater, grocery store, in doing so has renounced their humanity. AFAICT, across all cultures in history, there's a fairly consistent group of things that are Shit What You Just Don't Fucking Do, and massacring a defenseless group of your fellows seems to fall under that heading. So you want to go shoot up a bunch of people? Okay, your name is eaten. May you die an unknown forgotten unperson, instead of the immortality the news grants to such killers now. Like i said. I think it's a bit too clever to really catch on. But I do wish the news would stop granting a sort of immortality to people who commit such horrific acts. 1. Start here at the beginning of the archive, the front pages shows the last panel -- http://diggercomic.com/blog/2007/02/01/wombat1-gnorf/ http://diggercomic.com/blog/2007/02/01/wombat1-gnorf/ 2. Okay, fine, I found it: https://diggercomic.com/blog/2007/02/28/digger-26/ https://diggercomic.com/blog/2007/02/28/digger-26/

vmception 6y ago
its not too clever to catch on, many people suggest the idea of not naming the assailant and some news organizations and law enforcement do too other people just don't want to for every municipality that plays along, there are threads online that name the assailant
- korethr 6y ago
  It's more than just refusing to name the assailant. It's the notion that in renouncing their humanity with such a horrific act, they are now bereft of a name. The assailant has already declared to the world that they aren't a real person anymore, but an it. So consider its name to be gone and stop using said name.
  - vmception 6y ago
    I see, that is a bit more obtuse. Any thoughts on how that ought to affect trial and sentencing?
    - korethr 6y ago
      Now that you say that, that points out why it probably shouldn't catch on. That attitude being taken seriously widespread could have some bad effects on the right to a fair trial. Fundamental rights should not be toyed with lightly. Even people who commit such a horrible act still have that fundamental right, because if they don't, that sets the precedent for myself or any other person to not have the right to a fair trial because of an accusation of a crime-too-horrible. I still hate the immortality CNN bestows to mass shooters.
seneca 6y ago
This has been done since at least ancient history, and is referred to as Damnatio Memoriae[1] > Damnatio memoriae is a modern Latin phrase meaning "condemnation of memory", indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts. There are and have been many routes to damnatio memoriae, including the destruction of depictions, the removal of names from inscriptions and documents, and even large-scale rewritings of history. The term can be applied to other instances of official scrubbing; the practice is seen as long ago as the aftermath of the reign of the Egyptian Pharaohs Akhenaten in the 13th century BC, and Hatshepsut in the 14th century BC. I can't say I particularly agree with the practice though. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damnatio_memoriae https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damnatio_memoriae
- korethr 6y ago
  Interesting. I can't say I'm terribly surprised there's an official word for it or that it was a historical practice. Reading Digger, it is quickly clear the author drew on a wide variety of sources and inspiration. I'd not be surprised if Damnatio Memoriae was a conscious inspiration.

vmception 6y ago

its not too clever to catch on, many people suggest the idea of not naming the assailant and some news organizations and law enforcement do too other people just don't want to for every municipality that plays along, there are threads online that name the assailant

korethr 6y ago
It's more than just refusing to name the assailant. It's the notion that in renouncing their humanity with such a horrific act, they are now bereft of a name. The assailant has already declared to the world that they aren't a real person anymore, but an it. So consider its name to be gone and stop using said name.
- vmception 6y ago
  I see, that is a bit more obtuse. Any thoughts on how that ought to affect trial and sentencing?
  - korethr 6y ago
    Now that you say that, that points out why it probably shouldn't catch on. That attitude being taken seriously widespread could have some bad effects on the right to a fair trial. Fundamental rights should not be toyed with lightly. Even people who commit such a horrible act still have that fundamental right, because if they don't, that sets the precedent for myself or any other person to not have the right to a fair trial because of an accusation of a crime-too-horrible. I still hate the immortality CNN bestows to mass shooters.

seneca 6y ago

This has been done since at least ancient history, and is referred to as Damnatio Memoriae[1] > Damnatio memoriae is a modern Latin phrase meaning "condemnation of memory", indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts. There are and have been many routes to damnatio memoriae, including the destruction of depictions, the removal of names from inscriptions and documents, and even large-scale rewritings of history. The term can be applied to other instances of official scrubbing; the practice is seen as long ago as the aftermath of the reign of the Egyptian Pharaohs Akhenaten in the 13th century BC, and Hatshepsut in the 14th century BC. I can't say I particularly agree with the practice though. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damnatio_memoriae https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damnatio_memoriae

korethr 6y ago
Interesting. I can't say I'm terribly surprised there's an official word for it or that it was a historical practice. Reading Digger, it is quickly clear the author drew on a wide variety of sources and inspiration. I'd not be surprised if Damnatio Memoriae was a conscious inspiration.