Vanguard 1998's definitions

Political climate

The various political opinions and ideologies, as well as people’s overall opinion of the government and the numerous political parties that are active at the time, held by the numerous populations and subpopulations in a specific society in a specific geographical location, which can vary in terms of scale. Political climate can be observed on the local level, county level, state level, regional level, national level, and international level. Political climate can be impacted by various demographic factors such as the amount of ethnic diversity the population has, which religions are the most commonly practiced in that area, how densely populated the area is, the atmospheric climate the area they are in has, particularly what types of natural hazards are they most prone to have, the socioeconomic conditions like in that area, how well educated the people in that area are, etc.

The national political climate is moving to support more liberal policies, including police reform, increasing restrictions on guns, loosen restrictions on immigration, promote gender equality, and so on.

by Vanguard 1998 April 25, 2021

social justice two-way expectation rule

An ethical rule that states that before an individual can start calling out other people for making discriminatory comments or performing biased actions against minorities, the individual must first acknowledge and deal with their own implicit and explicit biases, as well as effectively manage their emotions, so they can lead by example. This includes recognizing biases that are not typically viewed as being part of social justice. (That means you must confront biases like Privilege of the Living and Political Identity Privilege.) It is recommended that when calling someone out over biased comments or behavior that you try to so in a calm and polite manner, so they are less likely to feel attacked, and to avoid supporting the stereotypes about social justice supporters spread by some far-right wing political commentators. Basically, if you expect other people to listen to you and change their behavior in order to be less biased, then you have to be willing to deal with your own biases and privilege and control your emotions.

The social justice two-way expectation rule is an important ethical responsibility for any person considering standing up to discrimination, because if you don’t deal with your own biases first, then a lot of people will ignore you due to the fact you don’t practice what you preach. Failing to deal with your biases prior to calling someone out can also negatively impact the views of social justice in other people as they may see the movement as being just being all talk, without producing any real results.

by Vanguard 1998 March 12, 2021

Romantic lens flare

A situation that arises when one or both partners in a romantic relationship are infatuated and distracted by each other that they become oblivious to what is happening in the world around them. It could be they just were not paying attention to their surroundings or they just don’t care. It is not usually done on purpose or to be intentionally mean as they are just distracted.

Luna: Hey Ivan. How are you doing today?
Ivan does not respond to her at all.

Luna: Ivan. How are you doing?
Ivan continues not to respond. Luna turns to Sergio.
Luna: Why is Ivan not responding to me?

Sergio: He is with his girlfriend right now, whom he is easily distracted by. He is probably suffering from a romantic lens flare. I think she will be leaving in a few minutes though, which hopefully he will listen once she leaves.

by Vanguard 1998 June 13, 2021

Child irrelevant sexual preference

Aka. C.I.S.P.; When an individual is sexually attracted to people regardless of whether or not they have and or want children

Martin is sexually attracted to other people regardless of whether or not they want to have kids. They have a child irrelevant sexual preference.

by Vanguard 1998 April 11, 2021

the Black Dog of the Hanging Hills

A legendary ghost that is said to have lived in the Hanging Hills in Connecticut. (Please be aware the area is named after the terrain found in the area, as far as I'm aware of no hangings have happened there.) According to the legend, if you see it once, it is a sign of joy and good luck. If you see it a second time, it is a warning. If an individual sees the dog a third time, it considered to be a death omen. It is thought by some to be responsible for the deaths of six people, including two U.S. geological surveyors in the late 1,800s who didn't respect its previous warnings because they assumed the legend was a myth even though both supposedly had seen the black dog prior to meeting their demises. In a way it could be argued that the Black dog of the Hanging Hills is a symbol of power for the dead and individuals who are trying to stand to the U.S. government because of their inconsiderate actions against various populations.

The story about the Black Dog of the Hanging Hills was originally published the Connecticut Quarterly in 1898. It was originally thought to be piece of fiction, but that has been debated for a number of years now due to the author's background, the story's original title, the number of people died in the Hanging Hills, and various other things related to the story.

by Vanguard 1998 February 15, 2021

Religiously aligned romantic preference

Aka. R.A.R.P.; When an individual is only romantically attracted to people who practice same religion as them

Chelsea is an active parishioner of the Falun Gong faith and she is only interested in dating people who practice Falun Gong. She has a religiously aligned romantic preference.

by Vanguard 1998 April 10, 2021

illusionist’s game

An approach where an individual makes up and or exaggerates stories to try to conceal what really happened at specific events and or to try to glorify themselves, in order to portray the situation in a way that works in their favor. People often do this to improve their reputation, attack their enemies, and push people to support their goals. This approach is often unethical as it falsely portrays what happened at certain events and who you really are. It is also quite risky to the individual using this approach, because if people find out what really happened, they will stop believing the stories told by the individual, which reduces their credibility and trustworthiness.

Ventis: I heard that Donny supposed got attacked by five guys, but defeated them all without suffering a scratch.
Henry: Yeah right. A guy with no self defense training and a boat load of arrogance at all defeated five guys without suffering any injuries. He is lying through his teeth.

Emma: Based on what I know about him there is no way in ninety years he could pull that off. He is playing an illusionist’s game, in order to improve his reputation.

Henry: I agree with you there.
Ventis: I agree with both of you. He can't be trusted to tell the truth about what really happened.

by Vanguard 1998 February 25, 2021