Politically extinct

A: When an individual or group ceases all political activity and never becomes politically active again
B: A situation where a particular political ideology or party has so little support that it is seldom mentioned or discussed in political interactions; regardless of whether those interactions are held in public or in private

An example of a political party that is politically extinct is the Whig Party. It began going extinct in the early 1850s while trying to recover from the presidency of Franklin Pierce. It was trying to form platform to run on in future elections, but they were unable to form an effective platform and over time they began losing large amounts of support to the point at which the party eventually collapsed.

by Vanguard 1998 July 2, 2021

Political extinction event

An event that causes, or has the potential to cause, numerous people, organizations, political parties, and, in some cases, politically ideologies to become less common to the point where they are no longer are discussed and or are active in politics

The presidential election of 2020 was a political extinction event for certain political parties. Some parties that were affected may include Independent Party of Connecticut, American Delta Party, Reform Party of Florida, and Independence Party of New York.

by Vanguard 1998 July 3, 2021

Selective political pressure

A tactic employed by certain politicians and groups that want to push their political agendas where that group or politician will say and or do certain things related to supporting or opposing specific issues in order to get certain types of reactions from particular populations, interest groups, and or, in some cases, other politicians. They usually do this to get more votes from different populations in society, or to get more financial and or political support from particular interest groups.

Natasha: I heard Senator Murkowski recently gave a speech on how they supported efforts of oil companies to begin drilling in certain parts of Alaska. I’m not sure why she would give a speech like that when she supports moving the country towards using renewable energy sources to prevent climate change, which negatively impacts many populations in her state. I could cost her their support down the line.
Ronald: She maybe employing selective political pressure in order to get more support from certain oil companies and specific Native American communities by appearing to support an issue they care about.

by Vanguard 1998 July 9, 2021

politically Chinese

Term used by Hongkonger/Taiwanese/whomever finds it applicable, to answer the question "Are you Chinese?" or its variants asked by Westerners in hope of preventing unnecessary misunderstandings and ultimately the heat death of the universe.

American : "Hey man nice to meet ya, you Japanese Korean or Chinese?"

Hongkonger : "I am politically Chinese."

American : "Bruh what?"

HongKonger : "Basically I can read, write, and speak Chinese, like Chinese food, enjoy most types of Chinese art, but detest the bullshit dished out by the CCP nowadays to the point I generally don't want to call myself Chinese even though doing so would be politically correct hence the name. However I am pretty certain if I answered that I am a Hongkonger you are going to ask "So are you Chinese or not?" "Can you speak Chinese or not?" anyways, and create a paradox that is going to rip through time and space, accelerating particles to beyond the speed of light and resulting in immediate heat death of the universe."

American : "Bruh what"

by Little pink July 10, 2021

Hard Problem of Politics

The problem of collective decision-making under irreconcilable pluralism. Politics aims to organize societies where people have fundamentally different values, beliefs, and desires. The hard problem is that no system can fairly aggregate these preferences without violating some core principle (like majority rule trampling minority rights, or consensus leading to paralysis). Every political theory—democracy, liberalism, socialism—has a fatal flaw when implemented in a world of real, diverse humans. The search for a perfectly just and stable system may be logically impossible, condemning us to a perpetual, messy negotiation between order and freedom, equality and excellence.

Example: A community must decide: Build a hospital or a school? The sick and elderly prefer the hospital; families with kids prefer the school. A vote creates a winner and a resentful loser. Compromise (a smaller version of each) may satisfy no one fully. The hard problem: There is no "correct" answer discoverable by reason or science. Any decision will impose someone's values on someone else. Politics is the arena where this irreducible conflict plays out, not to be solved, but to be managed. The ideal system is a mirage; the best we can do is avoid civil war while bickering endlessly. Hard Problem of Politics.

by Enkigal January 24, 2026

Political Trauma

The psychological injury inflicted by exposure to, or direct victimization by, oppressive political systems, violent ideological conflict, state-sponsored violence, or the chronic terror of living under unstable or authoritarian regimes. This includes the trauma of refugees, persecuted minorities, political prisoners, and citizens subjected to gaslighting propaganda, the collapse of social contracts, and the betrayal by trusted institutions. It is the damage done when the political sphere, which should provide security and order, becomes a source of pervasive threat and moral injury.

Example: A journalist in an authoritarian country is kidnapped, tortured, and released, but lives in constant fear of re-abduction. A family in a war zone hears bombs every night for years. A minority community sees their rights legislated away and faces increasing state-sanctioned violence. Even in stable democracies, a person may develop political trauma from chronic exposure to threats of civil war, the erosion of democratic norms, and the feeling of helplessness as institutions fail. The trauma is the shattering of the fundamental trust that the political world will provide a safe container for life.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026

Political Psychosis

A break from shared reality centered on political ideology, where conspiracy theories and partisan narratives form a completely self-referential, airtight delusional system. It is characterized by the belief that one is a central actor in a grand historical struggle, that political opponents are literal demons or subhuman agents of evil, and that all contradictory information is proof of the conspiracy's depth. This psychosis often manifests as messianic or persecutory delusions woven from news fragments, online propaganda, and the mythos of a political movement, severing the individual from any common epistemic ground.

Example: A person becomes convinced they are a "digital soldier" for a political leader. They believe mainstream news anchors send them coded signals through eye blinks, that their neighbor's lawn sign is a threat against their family, and that they must stockpile weapons for an impending "Storm." They lose their job for ranting about these beliefs at work. This is political psychosis: their grasp on reality has been hijacked by an ideological narrative, transforming the world into a personalized, paranoid political thriller where they are the protagonist.

by Dumu The Void January 27, 2026