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The Athenian practice historians call "ostracism" was a specific system used to exile individual political rivals. It was rare, codified, targeted, and usually
by glasshug 4y ago
The Athenian practice historians call "ostracism" was a specific system used to exile individual political rivals. It was rare, codified, targeted, and usually used against the powerful or ascendent.
It shares a word with a modern broad concept of shunning, but shouldn't be confused with it. It certainly doesn't relate to broad discrimination or "woke cancellation."
- cld8483 4y agoI don't say this to defend the practice, but shunning is not modern. Shunning was advocated by Paul the Apostle (or whoever wrote those letters to the Corinthians) about two thousand years ago. Banishment and social exclusion has also been observed in many social animals besides humans.
- wickedsickeune 4y agoIt wasn't even social shunning, just a political defence against extreme popularity to prevent tyranny. After the expiration of ostracism you could rejoin Athens exactly as you were before.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]