We REALLY need to reintroduce the Roman custom of Damnatio Memoriae—"damnation of memory", excision of a name and person from the written record: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damnatio_memoriae

[meznor@mstdn.social]

@cstross as long as Americans don't forget the many lessons they need to learn from this utter fuckup they've unleashed onto the world and widespread harm caused by it.

[emanuelecariati@varese.social]

@cstross I got the joke. But Damnatio Memoriae is very dangerous. In Italy we still have fascist architecture and symbols. The reason we don’t reap them apart and we still talk about Mussolini is to remind ourselves about the mistakes we’ve made in the past and how to avoid making them again.

If you don’t remember your mistakes you will inevitably repeat them again

[akamran@indieweb.social]

@cstross @hypostase
A) we already do this to people on the regular (see for example https://aus.social/@oscarjiminy/116310770078870754) and
B) we need to remember so we don't repeat this

[weekend_editor@mathstodon.xyz]

@cstross

Didn't work for Herostartus (burned the Artemision) or Akhenaten (tried monotheism in Egypt), or... well, lots of examples.

@davidbrin has periodically suggested, instead of suppressing their names, we legally force a name change to an embarrassing obscenity & require its use in public. (Real name can be in a footnote, but only one time per publication, with limits on type size.)

Just *imagine* the contest to propose a new name for Trump.

[passwordsarehard4@mastodon.social]

@Nonya_Bidniss @drewtowler @cstross strike his name and replace it with The Mistake. Let that be his legacy

[sloanlance@mastodon.social]

@cstross
Sounds like a common practice of fascist rulers.

[sloanlance@mastodon.social]

@rootwyrm @cstross
LLMs are banning "1984"‽ Tell us more! This is the first I've heard of it.

[trurl@mastodon.sdf.org]

@cstross this plus corruption of blood. Under the current constitution, you'll need an amendment to institute that. I think it would send the right message.

[numodular@c.im]

@cstross One of the saddest parts of cyclic behavior is, something worse arising 'next time around'.

[javierg@mstdn.social]

@cstross
I think this case falls squarely in the "never forget, never repeat" of last-century Germany

[octows@mastodon.social]

@cstross @pluralistic @Remittancegirl I look forward to a future in which the only mention of Trump's name in the media comes in the form of headlines that say "Donald Trump still dead”.

[xs4me2@mastodon.social]

@cstross

This is what actually should happen indeed, was only yesterday discussing this when the example of Akhenaton in ancient Egypt came to my mind…
Erased from all official records…

@Remittancegirl

[whatzaname@mstdn.social]

@cstross one day, the first 600 years of turtle island's history after colonization will be known rightly as the warring period. Individual leader names will forgotten, as spans of time are grouped instead by man-made disasters and the aftermath- until the first stable period when the people no longer cede control of their day to day lives to the Moocher class. the warring period will be a short, violent chapter, in relation to the long story of Humanity.

[ralph@hear-me.social]

@cstross

“You have to bring him down with ridicule … It’s been one of my lifelong jobs – to make the world laugh at Adolf Hitler.”
Mel Brooks

[pizzademon@mastodon.online]

@cstross https://youtu.be/XeI2xCdWKJ0

[temptoetiam@eldritch.cafe]

@cstross in the Biden presidency some started to call him TFG / the former guy / that fucking guy, but it's hard to keep it up with his return in power.

[allpoints@mstdn.social]

@cstross agreed, but could we start with the French custom of guillotine?

[npars01@mstdn.social]

@xs4me2 @cstross @Remittancegirl

Imperial China's version of this was "Nine Generations".

Nine familial exterminations - Wikipedia

(en.wikipedia.org)

The six dynasties bankrolling Project 2025 should keep this in mind.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/28/project-2025-heritage-foundation-hack

Project 2025 Offers Dystopian View of America

The ACLU is fighting back against this extremist proposal by the Heritage Foundation.

American Civil Liberties Union (www.aclu.org)

Bradley, Koch, Coors, Scaife Mellon, Seid, Uihlein

6 Billionaire Fortunes Bankrolling Project 2025

More than $120 million from a few ultra-wealthy families who have spent years working to promote climate change denial has powered the Heritage Foundation and other groups that created the plan to remake American government.

DeSmog (www.desmog.com)

Mapped: How 6 Billionaire Family Fortunes Fund Project 2025

Unraveling a $130 million web of climate denial, political extremism, and Trump campaign ties.

DeSmog (www.desmog.com)

[oddhack@mstdn.social]

@cstross Per Wikipedia on the formal Degradation of members of the Order of the Garter - they read aloud the order, removed the former Knight's banner, crest, helm, and sword, and kicked the former member out of the chapel and into the castle ditch. The last such formal degradation was in 1716, but recent the Andrew formerly known as Prince as struck off the rolls.

Order of the Garter - Wikipedia

(en.wikipedia.org)

[dhmspector@mastodon.social]

@cstross @Remittancegirl

Santayana has entered the chat…

​“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana, The Life of Reason, 1905