Short for “(P)rogressive, (
M)odernist, and (S)ecular-Humanist”. Used to describe the prevailing worldview or sociopolitical culture in many academic and corporate subspaces in 2020s America and Western
Europe. Some would consider them to be
today’s establishment in the same way that WASPs were the establishment in early 20th century America.
The PMS mindset could be considered the result of an informal alliance between “Social Justice Warriors” (intersectionalists) and “Scientific Justice Warriors” (modern skeptics), within a capitalistic environment.
1. Professor
Nelson disliked the word “globalist” because it sounded too conspiratorial, and he would
never say “Cultural Marxist” because of its bigoted and antisemitic connotations. But he still believed there was an unspoken social creed that most of his colleagues forcefully professed, which he privately held doubts about. Since he couldn’t think of a better term, he called it PMS.
2. As an aging,
liberal-leaning Methodist who grew up during the Cold War, Linda knew she didn’t support Donald Trump or his Republican Party at all. But she still felt disaffected by the political statements made by the younger
women that she knew. There was something about the younger
women that Linda just didn’t share: their PMS.
3. Rashid, as a Muslim from an immigrant family, said that he feels politically homeless in the
United States. The Right won’t accept him because he is Muslim, but the establishment Left
will never understand what his family cares about because they themselves are too blinded by their own PMS.
4. Lexi knew that she wanted to
study philosophy, but it bothered her that so many of her peers thought that we didn’t need philosophy anymore because we had science now. And the ones who _had_ read any philosophy never ventured outside the Analytic tradition. It was such a PMS attitude on their part.