A Glossary of Terms: Part One

The following terms do not enjoy wide circulation, but they should. I have included definitions and examples of proper usage in context:


Fulfordism:

* eponymous noun; derived from "Robert Fulford", Grub Street hack and relentlessly unctuous peddler of Canada-hating bromides; hence "Fulfordian", "Fulfordite", etc.

"Fulfordism" is the state of ethical and philosophical incoherence actuated whenever a patent mediocrity savagely denounces his nation for embodying the very vices that have afforded him the unmerited authority by which he makes his claims. Typically, the Fulfordite will complain that his countrymen "hate success" and are incapable of "excellence" while seemingly oblivious to how immeasurably far removed his own person and career remain from those lofty ideals.

"Amazing! Smith, who is chronically late and who takes two sick days off each week, was just heard whining about how inefficient our unit is. What a Fulfordian jackass!".



Banalysis:

* portmanteau noun; banal + analysis; hence "banalytic", etc.

"Banalysis" is the process by which the rote regurgitation of cliché and received opinion is passed of as the fruit of an authentic, critical engagement with the issues. It represents the fossilisation of thought. It is the counterfeit currency with which the media attempts to bribe the public into a resigned acquiescence before the status quo.


"Well, I guess I'll tune into "Mike Duffy Live" to hear all about the budget. He always provides decent banalysis".


Steynian:

* eponymous adjective; derived from "Mark Steyn", bumptious, laughably self-important neo-conservative hack.

"Steynian" is applied adjectivally to anyone who seeks to "defend" a civilisation while, in the process of doing so, displaying intellectual or ethical characteristics that are deeply inimical to it. Instances of this phenomenon can be calibrated using the "Steyn Factor" (SF) hierarchy:

1) Alpha Steyn Factor (ASF): this applies to a case where the Steynian actor, though ignoble, presents no significant threat to the civilisation he pretends to champion. The Steyn Factor is thus said to be in "latent effect". Mark Steyn is, himself, in this SF phase--unable to rise above mediocrity even in a self-defined endeavour.

2) Theta Steyn Factor (TSF): here, the actor is somewhat dangerous but in a way with which a healthy society can easily cope. The Steyn Factor is here said to be in "partial effect".

3) Omega Steyn Factor (OSF): at this stage, the actor has the power to bring utter catastrophe upon his society; the civilisation he has sought to save may need to be rebuilt from scratch. Here, the Steyn Factor is said to be in "full effect".


"When Joseph Goebbels maintained that only the National Socialist movement had the moral authority to destroy godless bolshevism and preserve Western Europe from Slavic rapine, he initiated a huge OSF".