Word of the Day: Ostracize

by Daniel Scocco

Ostracize means to exclude someone from society or from any group of people. It comes from the Greek ostrakízein, which was the practice of banishing citizens by popular vote.

Yet there is still a woeful reluctance in Africa to chastise, ostracise or help to oust villainous leaders, such as Mr Mugabe or Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted as a war criminal at The Hague; indeed, too many African leaders have rejected that court altogether. (The Economist)

Nicholas D. Kristof reports on rape survivors in eastern Congo struggling to recover from violence and trauma in the face of customs that blame and ostracize the victims. (NY Times)