Shame

A stigma is on a person outwardly visible sign of shame , which as a punishment for a crime or crimes is prescribed. In most countries of the world, such stigmatizing forms of punishment are no longer used.

After a conviction, disgrace can be either in a certain clothing label ( Latin nota infamiae ) or, if pronounced as part of corporal punishment , in the form of amputations , the addition of scars or branding (burn a disgrace; Latin notam infamiae inurere alicui) can be applied.

The purpose of a stigma is, on the one hand, the punishment itself, which can include social discrimination through being made public and, in the case of corporal punishment, is associated with the infliction of pain. On the other hand, a mark of shame can be used to warn roommates about a convict. Often there is a visible connection between an offense or crime committed and the type of disgrace. Example: amputation of the right hand of thieves in some Arab countries.

Historical examples

Yellow heresy cross sewn onto clothing as a mark of shame

In the Middle Ages and well into modern times , lawbreakers were often disgraced:

The Inquisition condemned in less serious cases of heresy faith dissenters for carrying usually blue or yellow heretics crosses . They were made of fabric and had to be worn clearly visible on the upper garment of the convict. This type of punishment was ordered very often by the Inquisition. The duration of this marking could either be temporary or lifelong. The heretic crosses imposed as punishment by the Spanish Inquisition were usually red St. Andrew's crosses , which were often worn on a special penitential garment, a so-called Sanbenito .

Medieval authorities of a city or county that a person with a spell occupied, could order their return to prevent long-term, these injuries inflict, to leave lasting traces with the target. Fingers, hands or other limbs were cut off, noses, ears or tongues were cut off, people were branded or blinded . Scarring skin injuries and slashed earlobes were still comparatively minor penalties that were also prescribed relatively frequently. Such a stigmatized person could hardly return and be accepted into any guild . Since rehabilitation was as good as impossible, those punished in this way were most likely to operate as mercenaries , seamen , petty traders or criminals.

Rascal

The word "rascal", which has been documented since the 19th century, literally describes a cunning, cunning person. This is said to go back to the punishment for petty thieves and fraudsters who have half their ears cropped or even just cut in order to draw them. The claim that the designation rascal is derived from the custom of punishing improper behavior by tearing off the earring is unfounded . The earring has only been occasionally detectable in craftsmen since the late 19th century.

What is known, however, is that lawbreakers and mafia deviants have their ears or noses cut off in order to stigmatize them.

Similarly, in the Japanese yakuza , amputation of a little finger is still carried out today as an “honor penalty” - also because this procedure is intended to make the use of a sword, such as a katana, more difficult or completely difficult, but also to serve as a social branding.

Stigmatization of Jews

A stigmatizing form of clothing labels - but not in the sense of criminal punishment - was the yellow ring , which Jews had to wear in Europe from the 13th to the 18th century. This measure was resumed during the National Socialist era with the Star of David .

Web links

Wiktionary: Schlitzohr  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

1. ↑ brand . In: The Dictionary of Idioms
2. ↑ Disgrace. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 14 : R - skewness - (VIII). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1893, Sp. 2159-2160 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).
3. ↑ A third of the judgments passed against heretics under Inquisitor Bernard Gui provided for the wearing of yellow heretic crosses. See the information and evidence in the article there.
4. ↑ See as an example the Inquisition of Petrus Zwicker
5. ↑ Gerd Schwerhoff: The Inquisition: Persecution of Heretics in the Middle Ages and Modern Times. Munich 2004, p. 89.
6. ^ Johann Matthias Firmenich (Ed.): Germaniens Völkerstimmen. Collection of German Dialects , Volume 2, Berlin 1846, p. 19, books.google
7. ^ Johann Braun (legal scholar) : Of rascals, cronies and hot iron. Legal relics in everyday language . In: Universitas , 48, 1993 issue 10, p. 966 ff., Without evidence.
8. ↑ This is how rascal judges . In: Digital dictionary of the German language . Retrieved February 25, 2020
9. ↑ Yakuza. In: FAZ. Retrieved January 1, 2018 .