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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013
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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.