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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013 CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM ® Volume 159, No. 200 It’s time to bring back ostracism From entertainment to politics, plenty of people deserve Athenians’ 10-year bans from society he year was 480. The odds were slim. The stakes couldn’t have been higher. Indeed, what was about to take place would be one of the most important battles in human history. On offense was the Persian King Xerxes. He was a celebrated ruler, a man who dripped with jewels and pomp and circumstance. He was determined to quickly defeat the Athenians, having just witnessed a trashing of his enormous army by a mere 300 Spartans at a narrow pass at a place called Thermopylae. On defense were the Athenians, led by an intrepid general named Themistocles. He was an officer who had come up through the ranks from anonymity. Though Themistocles’s countrymen advocated cutting and running that day, he convinced them to face the overwhelming Persian navy at the island of Salamis, a place not far from Athens. Then, he outsmarted Xerxes, who was forced to watch from a bluff as the utter and complete destruction of his naval force took place. The Athenian victory at Salamis, which is marked every Sept. 25, saved the Athenian democracy — and thus its heirs, including the Roman Republic and, ultimately, the United States of America. Themistocles instantly became a hero that would forever be revered. So why was it that only a few years later, this military genius was leaving Athens for good, never to return? The answer is that he had no choice — T Themistocles had been ostracized. Ostracism was a procedure that Athens employed which allowed it to vote for the 10-year exile of one of its citizens. Ostracism was simple enough: If the Athenians voted to hold an ostracism, they would then write the name of an individual who they would like to see exiled on a shard of pottery. If enough people voted to ostracize a particular person — Plutarch gave an estimate of at least 6,000 — then that person was forced to pack his bags and leave the city-state for 10 years. Why had Themistocles been ostracized? The reason is nothing new — he had gotten too big for his britches, too sure of himself, too opinionated. Thus, he posed too high a risk of doing harm to Athens. And so he simply had to go. Ostracism is an idea with great upside. If the Athenians ostracized the man who had once saved it, imagine what use we could make of it today in, say, the arts, media and politics. Here are some thoughts on where to begin. Entertainment: Though many so-called “artists” need to go, society would benefit greatly from taking a decade off from at least one particular phenomena — the child star who, in an effort to remain in the spotlight after the cuteness has faded, undertakes to push the envelope so far as to disgrace themselves and their families. Examples here include singer Britney Spears, actress Lindsay Lohan and the like. A striking recent instance is Miley Cyrus, whose August PETER S. STAMATIS Peter S. Stamatis is the principal of the Law Offices of Peter S. Stamatis, a firm that handles complex litigation and appeals. He can be reached at [email protected]. “performance” at an inane music award program has put countless parents in the position of having to explain her bawdy dance positions to children of all ages. A 10-year break would most certainly do Ms. Cyrus as much good, if not more, than those of us left behind. Media: “Often in error, but never in doubt” is a phrase that the late trial lawyer Mike Coffield used to describe a certain irritating personality. But such people have found a living in the endless number of job openings for cable television talkshow hosts. Particularly annoying about this breed is that there is so little, if any, nuance to their thinking. Instead, they only seek the perpetuation of whatever ideology with which they align themselves. Such people offer little to human growth and maturity. And so they need some time to reflect — say, a solid decade. Philanthropy: Persons who block sidewalks and accost pedestrians to ask if they “got a minute for” their cause — be it animal rights, children’s rights, gay rights, banker’s rights or whatever — are particularly annoying. Little more needs to be said here. Politics: Here is, of course, the most fertile ground. Gone first should be any politician who avoids responding to a direct question by simply downshifting to the ad hominem. Here’s an example: Question: “From where will the money come to pay for that program?” Answer: “Why do you hate children?” Second, any politician who resigns amid a sex scandal needs some time away. Of recent note are two New York politicians, Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer. Each, it seems, might have been well-served by taking a decade in the wilderness to not only give New Yorkers a breather from their ribald dramas, but to spare their spouses and to take the time to work through their own issues, personal, marital and the like. Finally are the career politicians — individuals who for whatever reason cannot stay away from the spotlight. Such are people who see politics not as a time away from their lives to serve the public good (e.g. Cincinnatus), but as their own career path. The Clintons come to mind. One gets the feeling from them of a life lived in the pursuit of office and power, as opposed to one devoted to humble self-sacrifice. They are precisely the type of persons the ancient Athenians would have told to take a 10-year powder. And so what is old, perhaps can be new again. We should very carefully consider ostracism, the ancient remedy to the annoying, self-interested and power-hungry. Like in any relationship, sometimes what is needed is a break. And if it happened to Themistocles, the man who saved democracy, then why shouldn’t it happen to some of these people too? Copyright © 2013 Law Bulletin Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company.