Main Page

Postmodern Dictionary Front page: The Politically Incorrect Postmodern Dictionary

The politically incorrect Postmodern Dictionary is an attempt to satirize the postmodern use of language. It is currently being maintained by only one person. As the current author and sysop, I take full responsibility for the comments I make here. For more information, and commentary, see the Postmodern_Dictionary:About Page. For a list of definitions collected so far, see All Pages.

Obviously, I do not offer all of these definitions in seriousness. My aim is first to amuse, and, if possible, to educate. (To be quite blunt about it, I'm not sure that's possible. Cf. Isaiah 6:9-10.)  It is quite possible, however, that a progressive could find one or more of the definitions to be appealing for serious reasons, to be endowed with (in Stephen Colbert's memorable term) "truthiness." The page logo/mascot is intended to be a gentle reminder of this circumstance.

The logo/mascot is also, if I may say so, suggestive of what has happened with the truth in our post-modern era. Namely, it has been excised from its natural substrate, and a "root canal" has been attempted (and is being attempted) to remove any remaining roots, thus bringing relief (albeit of a transitory nature) to anyone whose prior connection with the truth was a cause of some pain.

Nor do I offer these definitions in hopes of enlightening post-modern progressives. Even Jesus recognized the futility of trying to educate the invincibly ignorant, so many of whom were the "elites" of his day.

If I succeed in helping yet one more classical libertarian or paleo-conservative to better understand this brave new world, then all the effort in assembling these definitions and posting them online will have been worth it.

Let he who has eyes to see, see.

Meanwhile, consider this video segment from "The Princess Bride"...

As it turns out, there has been an evolution of thinking on the "progressive" left...

'''You think, I dare say, that our chief job is inventing new words. But not a bit of it! We’re destroying words — scores of them, hundreds of them, every day. We’re cutting the language down to the bone. ... Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.'''

The Postmodern Progressive movement has taken the opposite approach. Instead of deleting words, they either change the definitions (as in the redefinitions of marriage, gender, racism, democracy and recession) and pretend that the new definitions are the way these words have always been defined, invent pretentious substitute terms (intended to soften or obscure the reality of their referents), or overwhelm with competing words (as in the multiplication of gender pronouns).

Prager University's Michael Knowles has an interesting take on this

By contrast, check out a dose of reality.