A social ratchet effect within a community. A process of moral outbidding, unchecked, which corrodes the group from within, rewarding those who put themselves at the extremes, and punishing nuance relentlessly.
Not to be confused with 'virtue signalling', 'woke culture', or 'online mobs'.
A purity spiral can contain all of these things, but it is defined by the fact that it takes place in a defined community or society, where being purer-than-thou is always being rewarded, and holding a divergent, 'less pure' opinion is normally punished, a dynamic which leads to an inevitable escalation as only the most extreme can 'win'.
Could be anything, from Mao's Red Guard, to Neo-Nazis, to The Crucible, to Instagram knitting.
After Louise denounced Nike as bourgeois, the village fell into a purity spiral where first Nikes, then all sneakers, then all shoes, and later, socks, were burnt on a pyre by the villagers.
A (almost always) young person on the internet who thinks that the internet has to conform to being entirely sfw, and puts all of their time and energy into attempting to police art and media for any remote depiction of sexuality they personally disagree with. They are often seen screaming in comments sections and making personal attacks against nsfw artists over a drawing, when their anger would be better directed towards real people who genuinely advocate for harmful behavior.
Keep in mind, immature adults can also have the mentality of a child and fit this definition.
Puriteen: "OMG THIS DRAWING IS SO PROBLEMATIC DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT RIGHT NOW. EVERYONE ATTACK THIS PERSON!"
Rational adult: "My account says it's 18+. You're not even supposed to be here, you weird puriteen."
a creepy, covertly incestuous ritual in which a girl "gives" her virginity to her father who will "give" it to her husband on her wedding day. inherently misogynist, since no one seems to care about what boys do with their dingalings. usually put on by evangelical fundie Christian dads who "date" their daughters, exhibit lots of family love, and have an unhealthy interest in their daughters' sexuality.
Did you see the Glamour article on incest-fest... er, I mean, purity balls?
Purity is a unique, down-to-earth, sweet, bubbly, and beautiful girl with a lot of depth to her personality. She is drawn to nature and loves doing outdoor activities. Guys who truly get to know this girlwill fall in love with her; and hard.