In every era and across every society, there are those who strike out or obliterate individuals or forces who remove, erase, or destroy something in pursuit of a goal, belief, or necessity. Sometimes they act out of righteousness, sometimes out of fear, and at times from the desire to reshape the world around them. Whether in the context of history, literature, warfare, law, or digital culture, these agents of erasure leave marks not just through what they build, but by what they remove. Understanding their motives and methods helps us comprehend larger patterns of control, resistance, transformation, and even redemption.
The Role of Erasure in History
Political and Cultural Destruction
Throughout history, one of the clearest examples of obliteration has been in the realm of political power. When regimes fall or rise, it is not uncommon for them to strike out the legacies of their predecessors. Statues are torn down, books are banned or burned, names are changed, and monuments are defaced or demolished. These acts are not just about destruction; they are symbolic acts of rewriting history to suit the narrative of those in power.
Examples abound: the Roman practice of damnatio memoriae, in which a disgraced individual’s name and image would be removed from records and public monuments; the toppling of colonial statues in post-colonial countries; or more recently, the debates around removing Confederate symbols in the United States. In each case, those who obliterate aim to shape identity, memory, and the public conscience.
Religious Cleansing and Iconoclasm
In religious contexts, obliteration has often taken the form of iconoclasm the destruction of religious images, texts, or temples. This happens when one belief system deems another heretical or when reformers aim to purge corruption. In the Protestant Reformation, many churches were stripped of ornate artwork, stained glass, and relics. In other parts of the world, such as during the rise of radical factions, ancient temples and scriptures have been destroyed to signal a break with the past.
Erasure in Law and Language
Striking Out in Legal Documents
In legal and bureaucratic systems, to strike out often refers to the literal act of removing text. When changes are made to contracts, agreements, or official records, lines may be crossed out, sections redacted, or statements declared void. Though this form of obliteration lacks violence, it still carries power. What is omitted or censored can shape the outcome of justice, the clarity of communication, or the protection of privacy.
Control of Narrative and Language
Language, too, can be a battlefield of obliteration. Governments, corporations, and institutions sometimes manipulate vocabulary to reshape public perception. Words fall out of favor, are redefined, or are completely banned. In dystopian fiction like George Orwell’s1984, the concept of newspeak reflects how language can be minimized or controlled to prevent rebellious thoughts. In real life, oppressive regimes may outlaw certain terms or silence speech that challenges their authority.
Erasure in Literature and Art
Writers Who Reimagine and Eliminate
Writers and artists also engage in forms of obliteration. Some authors deliberately erase or strike out text to create visual poetry or to reflect fragmentation. This technique, known as blackout poetry or erasure poetry, transforms found texts into something new by removing the original meaning. Others may revisit classic works and obliterate outdated ideologies through modern retellings or critical responses.
In fiction, characters may be erased from memory, stories may revolve around forgotten histories, and authors often grapple with themes of loss and censorship. These creative forms of obliteration can serve to highlight what is missing, confront painful truths, or offer new interpretations.
Visual Art and Destruction as Expression
Some visual artists use destruction as part of their creative process. Artists may burn, cut, or cover parts of their work to make a statement about impermanence, memory, or transformation. For instance, German artist Anselm Kiefer is known for using scorched materials and ruin-like imagery to evoke the weight of history. These acts are not senseless destruction; they are deliberate gestures filled with meaning.
Modern-Day Digital Erasure
The Power to Delete
In the digital age, erasure takes on new dimensions. People can delete emails, erase messages, and remove posts from social media sometimes to protect privacy, other times to hide mistakes or crimes. Entire digital footprints can be scrubbed clean, and misinformation can be spread and then deleted before accountability sets in.
Governments and corporations also participate in digital erasure. Data can be hidden, archives can be altered, and online history can be manipulated. As more of our lives are recorded online, the act of striking out takes on a deeper level of concern for justice, transparency, and truth.
Cancel Culture and Memory Politics
The concept of ‘cancel culture’ also ties into this theme. When someone is canceled, they are often publicly rejected or boycotted due to controversial actions or statements. In some cases, this results in their past works being removed, their social media accounts deactivated, and their influence obliterated. Supporters view it as accountability; critics see it as erasure. This dynamic highlights the tension between justice and censorship in modern discourse.
Motivations Behind Obliteration
Control, Fear, and Power
Those who strike out or obliterate often act from a place of control to assert dominance over memory, narrative, or perception. Whether it’s a government redacting a report, a regime destroying monuments, or an individual deleting a tweet, the underlying desire is often to shape the present by altering the past.
Protection, Healing, and Renewal
On the other hand, obliteration isn’t always negative. Sometimes, it is a form of healing. Survivors of trauma may choose to remove reminders of their past. Communities may strike out symbols of oppression to reclaim their dignity. In these cases, erasure becomes a way to protect identity and allow space for renewal.
- Erasing harmful laws to ensure justice
- Removing abusive content to protect mental health
- Deleting outdated beliefs to grow culturally
The Double-Edged Nature of Erasure
To strike out or obliterate is to act decisively. These actions carry weight socially, emotionally, and historically. Whether in the form of redacted lines, toppled statues, burned books, or deleted files, obliteration changes the course of narratives. Sometimes it silences, sometimes it liberates. It is a tool that can be used to dominate or to defend, to hurt or to heal.
Recognizing those who strike out or obliterate allows us to question what is being removed and why. It encourages us to ask: what stories are no longer told, what voices have been silenced, and what truths remain buried? In a world filled with constant information and rapid transformation, the ability to erase is as powerful as the ability to create. The challenge is learning when, and why, to use that power and what is left behind when we do.