Historical Punishments - Search And Destroy

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Should we bring back the cat? The birch? The stocks? Transportation? Ostracism?

― Tom, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

oh, I think everyone's getting along much better today really, thanks.

― fritz, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I wuv ostracism.

― Tom, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

but then the cat came back

― Alan Trewartha, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

palanuik in choke suggests the main purpose of the stocks was to allow anyone open ass access, that was the humiliation,no the fruit throwing...I'm up for it!

― Geoff, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Transportation has made for the best movie plots and continents.

― fritz, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the iron Maiden used to scare me slightly when I read about it, that counts double for the pile of shit band who named themselves after it.

― chris, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Surely Dave Q has some opinions here.

Decimation?

― Tom, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You'll be the only person they did scare, then Chris.

― Tom, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ducking should have a comeback. It really doesn't sound like much of a punishment to me* (except on a cold day, maybe).

*unless you're a witch, where it became more of a consideration

― Mark C, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I read that "stoning" in the bible really involved pushing someone off a high place and if they survived after hitting the ground, only THEN were they stoned.

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"DUCK THE WITCH!!" doesn't have quite the same ring, though.

― Tom, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Thumbscrews. Thumbscrews followed by a healthy bit of branding.

Oh, alright then. I think a system should be set up in which the wrongdoer is randomly sentenced (via a flashing wheel of fortune device) to ostracism or incarceration. The costs of the latter would be offset by the profits from the gambling which could take place on the outcome.

― Tim, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The main problem with globalisation is that there is nowhere to ostracise people too. This is why moonbase research is U & K.

Actually the great thing about ostracism as I recall was that two names went forward for the ostracism-vote, the nominated and the nominator. So if you tried to get your enemy ostracised you could end up getting the boot yourself.

― Tom, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom, wasn't decimation where one tenth of a legion were killed for performing poorly in battle? hmmm, this gives me ideas for improving Chesterfield's performance.

I wasn't scared/frightened by Iron Maiden, I was scared that my ears would melt at the badness of it.

― chris, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Scarlet letters. Although today, they'd probably be like phone-box cards.

― dave q, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They never exile despots anymore. I miss that.

― David Raposa, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Punishment through fear. Send a fan of mafia movies a dead animal - any one will do, you can always make up some ancient folk tale explaining how receiving a vole means violent death is just around the corner.

― Mark C, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Exile
Drawing & quartering
Hemlock

― turner, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the black spot!

― mark s, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think decimation is probably one of the most evil things about. And all that stuff about being hung drawn and quartered. Nasty!

― james, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The pillory has long overstayed its sabbatical, in my opinion.

― Brian MacDonald, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Decimation = Ten legionnaires line up, one is choosen, and then the other nine have to kill him. Well, at least that's the explanation from some history show or another.

― james, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the idea of branks.

― Melissa W, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

They never exile despots anymore.

Sure they do! Europe is littered with guys who used to be monarchs or president-generals of some place or other, just hanging out in their Mediterranean deck chairs and pining for the good old days. I suppose you could call it self-exile, but if you've exiled yourself because folks back home will kill you, the difference isn't that substantial.

House arrest has serious gained in popularity since the mid-20th century. I like that one.

― Nitsuh, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Those old punishments were horrible. But there's something thrilling about a "town" making the decision to tar and feather their municipal leader and run him out of town. I like the drama of that stuff. And the informal decision-making. But I realize this essential mechanism was the same used to keep a grip on slavery etc. Hrm.

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

House arrest has serious gained in popularity since the mid-20th century. I like that one.

Bizarrely enough, a patron just asked me to confirm he was here at the library because he is in fact under house arrest. God knows what was behind that!

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 1 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

this thread has made me horny.

― Geoff, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I R not believing we are getting this far without anyone mentioning tar and feathers!

I R also mentioning "retributional" punishments. EG if a man on a ship murders another man, he R being tied to the body and the body is being thrown into ocean.

― I R medieval Fatnick, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

I was about to start another thread on ostracism but I remembered I already had started this one.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Wasn't there a punishment under Roman Criminal Law of putting the crim in a sack with a cat (poss. something other than a cat) and a venomous snake? Take THAT!

― dwh (dwh), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Keel-hauling! Impractical without a boat though.

― robster (robster), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Which is an even nastier punishment when you think about the barnicles.
(I've been told that the barnicles were the *real* point of keelhauling.)

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo (cindigo), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

cutting off noses was popular with the Byzantines. I think this was something to do with the religious idea that only people with Gnosis could be saved.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 16:32 (twenty-two years ago)

You are going to hell vic.

― tigerclawskank, Wednesday, 27 November 2002 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Aren't there interesting punishments involving molten metal. I'd recommend pulling them out for the holiday season.

― tigerclawskank, Wednesday, 27 November 2002 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

what about that Roman thing having people pulled apart by trees?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 18:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I've heard of lynch mobs that would take their man, tie each arm or leg to a different horse, and then whip the horses to set them galloping in different directions.

― j.lu (j.lu), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

in England they used to cut off the ears of people who annoyed the King.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 27 November 2002 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.