Definition: A political order that continues to function
administratively and legally but has lost its legitimacy, vitality, and
capacity for meaningful renewal, persisting primarily through institutional
inertia rather than public consent or shared purpose.
Example Sentence: “The nation was not collapsing, but many
citizens sensed they were living under a moribund state, where governance
had become an exercise in maintenance rather than vision.”
Origin: From moribund (Latin moribundus,
“about to die”) and state (Latin status, “condition”),
describing a polity that endures in form while declining in substance.
Katakana Transliteration Pronunciation: プラウジコレラティブ・スキーム Part of speech: noun
Definition
A rhetorical arrangement in which information is positioned to create a plausible but unstated correlation, allowing the writer or speaker to imply a connection while preserving deniability.
Nothing explicit is asserted. Instead, the structure of the statement invites the audience to draw the intended inference on their own.
Etymology
plausi- from “plausible” meaning believable
correlative meaning bearing a mutual relationship
scheme meaning a structured arrangement
Literal meaning: a designed arrangement that produces a believable correlation.
How It Works
A plausicorrelative scheme relies on:
Juxtaposition
Sequencing
Framing
Audience inference
Author deniability
The rhetoric functions through implication rather than claim.
Primary Example (from the Reddit screenshot)
“A new rebirth of Christian values is sweeping the nation and KKK membership is sky rocketing.”
The commenter never explicitly states that the Christian revival caused the rise in KKK membership. However, the phrasing positions the two events immediately next to each other, which encourages readers to assume a relationship.
1. Juxtaposition implies a link
Placing “Christian values” and “KKK membership” in the same sentence makes them feel connected, even though no link is stated.
2. No explicit causation is claimed
The writer does not use words like “caused” or “led to,” which preserves plausible deniability.
3. The audience fills in the inference
The side-by-side placement encourages readers to assume a relationship on their own.
4. A shadow thesis is created
Readers walk away thinking the two trends are related, while the author can insist they only listed facts.
5. Emotional contrast strengthens the effect
A positive concept (Christian revival) paired with a negative one (KKK surge) amplifies the implied connection.
Restatement of the Example as a Dictionary Usage Sentence
The historian relied on a plausicorrelative scheme when he mentioned the rise of Christian values and the spike in KKK membership in the same breath, prompting readers to infer a connection he never explicitly claimed.
Example from YouTube Drama
In the reaction video covering of the “Japan’s Biggest Liar” critique, the reactor argues that Chris Abroad used a plausicorrelative scheme by cutting together unrelated footage of Alyssa’s uncomfortable laughter during a harassment incident with separate clips about homelessness. The edit never states she mocked homeless people, but the sequence encourages viewers to assume it.
Definition:
A doctrine asserting that the state’s compulsory revenue should be drawn solely from taxes levied on the foreign-born, with native-born citizens contributing only voluntarily.
Expanded Definition:
A political-economic philosophy in which all mandatory public revenue is sourced exclusively from non-native individuals, commonly through carefully limited external or foreigner-applied taxes, while native-born citizens remain exempt from compulsory fiscal obligations. The doctrine treats citizenship as a basis for fiscal immunity and maintains that the native population should fund the state only through voluntary donations, with outsiders bearing the burden of any required taxation. It emphasizes a moral and civic distinction between taxing insiders and taxing those who enter, reside in, or benefit from the polity from outside origins.
Etymology:
From exo (Greek: “outside, external”) and national, forming a term that denotes fiscal principles oriented toward those outside the native citizenry.
Example Sentence:
Under the Exonational Fiscal Doctrine, natives contribute only by choice, while foreigners are expected to supply the state’s mandatory revenue through limited, externally focused taxes.
Definition: The belief that one factor overwhelmingly outweighs all others in determining an outcome. A leading-magnitude assumption treats a single cause, variable, or influence as the primary driver in a complex system, even when other factors may matter more, either individually or collectively, or when the primary driver could change or has already changed over time.
Example Sentence: Debates about elections often fall into a leading-magnitude assumption, with people insisting that demographics, or the economy, or media bias is the one decisive cause, ignoring how multiple forces interact.
Pro-Massie Example Sentence -
Supporters of Thomas Massie argue that critics fall into a leading-magnitude assumption when they claim his opposition to AIPAC is rooted in antisemitism, noting that such accusations ignore his consistent philosophy of reducing foreign influence, limiting federal overreach, and keeping U.S. policy decisions accountable to American voters rather than outside interests.
Pro-Trump Example Sentence -
Supporters of Donald Trump argue that critics often rely on a leading-magnitude assumption when they claim his pro-Israel policies are dictated by donor support or by his family’s connections through Jared Kushner. They point out that Trump’s record shows independent decision-making, including policies he pursued because he believed they strengthened America’s position abroad, not because he was beholden to any outside group. From this perspective, Trump’s alignment with AIPAC reflects deliberate strategic choices on national security and diplomacy, while Massie’s criticisms of AIPAC come from his philosophical preference for minimizing foreign involvement in American policymaking.
A gradual shift in attitudes, loyalties, or sympathies toward groups outside one’s own faction, caused by conflict within that faction.
Expanded Definitions:
Politics:
A subtle realignment toward opposing or adjacent ideological camps triggered by infighting among members of one’s own political faction.
Online Communities:
The drift of users toward rival forums, platforms, or subcultures due to interpersonal drama or factional splits within their original community.
Etymology:
para- (Greek παρά): beside, beyond, outside
factional (Latin factio): a political/ideological sub-group
drift (Old Norse drift): gradual movement
Literal sense: “movement beyond one’s faction.”
Example Sentence:
“After months of purity tests and internal squabbling, parts of the community experienced parafactional drift, warming to rival groups more out of spite than shared ideology.”
A system of taxes imposed within a country or jurisdiction on goods, services, income, or property, as opposed to taxes on imports, exports, or cross-border transactions.
Example Sentence:
“The government relies heavily on internal taxation to finance education and healthcare.”
Definition:
A specially designated urban area that operates under a distinct legal and governance framework (a charter) jointly established and administered by two or more sovereign governments. An intergovernmental charter city typically involves shared jurisdiction, agreed-upon regulations, and collaborative decision-making, with the goal of fostering economic development, experimentation in governance, or international cooperation.
Example sentence:
“The proposed intergovernmental charter city would be jointly managed by neighboring countries to promote trade and regional stability.”
Related terms:
charter city — a city with a unique legal status separate from standard national or regional laws
condominium — a territory jointly governed by two or more sovereign powers
special economic zone (SEZ) — a region with economic laws that differ from the rest of the country
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