Posted on 01/25/2021 2:39:33 AM PST by sodpoodle
WHAT IS GASLIGHTING?
The term originates in the systematic psychological manipulation of a victim by her husband in Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 stage play Gas Light, and the film adaptations released in 1940 and 1944.
In the story, the husband attempts to convince his wife and others that she is insane by manipulating small elements of their environment and insisting that she is mistaken, remembering things incorrectly, or delusional when she points out these changes. The play's title alludes to how the abusive husband slowly dims the gas lights in their home, while pretending nothing has changed, in an effort to make his wife doubt her own perceptions. The wife repeatedly asks her husband to confirm her perceptions about the dimming lights, but in defiance of reality, he keeps insisting that the lights are the same and instead it is she who is going insane.
Today, we are living in a perpetual state of gaslighting. The reality that what we are being told by the media is at complete odds with what we are seeing with our own two eyes. And when we question the false reality that we are being presented, or we claim that what we see is that actual reality, we are vilified as racist or bigots or just plain crazy. You’re not racist. You’re not crazy. You’re being gaslighted.
New York State has twice as many deaths from Covid-19 than any other state, and New York has accounted for one fifth of all Covid-19 deaths, but we are told that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has handled the pandemic better than any other governor. But if we support policies of Governors whose states had only a fraction of the infections and deaths as New York, we’re called anti-science and want people to die. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted.
We see mobs of people looting stores, smashing windows, setting cars on fire and burning down buildings, but we are told that these demonstrations are peaceful protests, and when we call this destruction of our cities, riots, we are called racists. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted.
We see the major problem destroying many inner-cities is crime; murder, gang violence, drug dealing, drive-by shootings, armed robbery, but we are told that it is not crime, but the police that are the problem in the inner-cities. We are told we must defund the police and remove law enforcement from crime-riddled cities to make them safer But if we advocate for more policing in cities overrun by crime, we are accused of being white supremacists and racists. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted.
The United States of America accepts more immigrants than any other country in the world. The vast majority of the immigrants are “people of color”, and these immigrants are enjoying freedom and economic opportunity not available to them in their country of origin, but we are told that the United States is the most racist and oppressive country on the planet, and if we disagree, we are called racist and xenophobic So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted.
Capitalist countries are the most prosperous countries in the world. The standard of living is the highest in capitalist countries. We see more poor people move up the economic ladder to the middle and even the wealthy class through their effort and ability in capitalist countries than any other economic system in the world, but we are told capitalism is an oppressive system designed to keep people down. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted.
Communist countries killed over 100 million people in the 20th century. Communist countries strip their citizens of basic human rights, dictate every aspect of their lives, treat their citizens as slaves, and drive their economies into the ground, but we are told that Communism is the fairest, most equitable, freest, and most prosperous economic system in the world. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted.
The most egregious example of gaslighting is the concept of “white fragility”. You spend your life trying to be a good person, trying to treat people fairly and with respect. You disavow racism and bigotry in all its forms. You judge people solely on the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. You don’t discriminate based on race or ethnicity. But you are told you are a racist, not because of something you did or said, but solely because of the color of your skin. You know instinctively that charging someone with racism because of their skin color is itself racist. You know that you are not racist, so you defend yourself and your character, but you are told that your defense of yourself is proof of your racism. So, we ask ourselves, am I crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted.
Gaslighting has become one of the most pervasive and destructive tactics in American politics. It is the exact opposite of what our political system was meant to be. It deals in lies and psychological coercion, and not the truth and intellectual discourse. If you ever ask yourself if you’re crazy, you are not. Crazy people aren’t sane enough to ask themselves if they’re crazy. So, trust yourself, believe what’s in your heart. Trust your eyes over what you are told. Never listen to the people who tell you that you are crazy, because you are not, you’re being gaslighted.
Sophocles said: "What people believe prevails over the truth." And that's what the media are trying to exploit.
I've heard the term gaslighting before but didn't know what it meant..Now I know.
If you have read this far let me say one thing. I did not write the above and I am not sure who the author is.
I sent this to you because you are hopefully smart enough to understand what is being done to you on a daily basis from many directions. I do not care about your political party affiliation. Just think through what you are being told. Don't listen with a deaf ear, or see with a blind eye. Question everything -- even things from people who you think you can trust. Question why you are being told whatever, by whomever. Question their motives. Question who benefits. Question if there is a hidden agenda behind the propaganda. Question, Question, Question. Then do your own research, and use some of your own critical thinking skills to get to the truth. Listen with your heart and with your mind.
Sadly, 95% of the masses don't even know that they are being gaslighted. At least now you do.
If this makes sense to you, then forward to your friends who you think might "get it.”
Great info.
It was about one party covering up their pursuit of ill gotten gains.
Bttt
I thank you for this. Enjoyed the article.
In preparing this transcript, I think that you may have accidentally omitted a word.
Regards,
“The dimming was caused by the husband going into the attic to search the belongings of his wife’s deceased aunt for lost jewels, and when he turns up the gas light in the attic it dims the lights in the rest of the house. When she mentions the dimming lights when he’s unexplainably away, he concocts the rest to convince her that she’s going mad.”
Quite right. I’ve seen the movie several times.
Bump
No apology needed. A great explanation of what is happening to us.
Gaslighting is the deliberate denial of the truth by a person or party who knows the truth, in order to cause psychological discomfort, confusion, or harm to another person or party by causing them to doubt their senses or sanity.
Gaslighting is distinctly different from lying. People lie to others for many reasons, lying isn’t gaslighting.
Gaslighting requires that the person being lied to has proof of the truth (proof via their own senses or an established, trusted, and reliable source) but are lied to with the sole purpose of causing them psychological pain by making them deny the veracity of their own senses or trusted sources.
It is a particularly sadistic thing when done to a trusting person susceptible to it.
As we have seen, in people susceptible to gaslighting (pliable, trusting, or otherwise easily manipulated people) it can cause severe mental pain, even to the point of insanity.
In people who are aware they are being gaslighted, it justifiably causes anger, since it is a sadistic assault, meant to cause pain, and is rightly perceived by the subject as such.
As another poster said, just watching the movie “Gaslighting” explains it pretty well.
The term “Gaslighting” is recognized by the shrink community as a tactic used by abusers.
The “another poster” is me.
And the movie explains it perfectly. In fact, I believe the term, “gaslighting”, came about because of that movie, and never existed before that time.
(The movie is SO good!)
.
Gaslighting is the perfect term.
It means the MSM thinks you are a dumb animal.
I am pretty sure you are correct there, that is the origination of the term.
To people such as conservatives who value truth, we have a particular distaste for gaslighting even apart from the sadism inherent in the usage of the tactic.
To leftists, it is just another implement in their toolbox, but one that they enjoy greatly due largely to its inherent sadism.
While we take great enjoyment in the deployment of truth to cause pain and discomfort in the Left, it is interesting to directly contrast that with the Left, which deploys lies in order to cause pain and discomfort in Conservatives.
Somehow, I think it relates to that saying:
“If you wish to make a Conservative angry, tell them a Lie. If you wish to make a Leftist angry, tell them the Truth.”
“conservatives ... have a particular distaste for gaslighting even apart from the sadism inherent in the usage of the tactic.”
That is so true. I’m an “I.D. Addict”, and watch that channel quite often. I’m interested in the psyches of the criminals, how cases are solved, etc. When it comes to murder, rape, etc., it’s interesting and informative, but when I know a case is going to involve gaslighting, or someone being wrongly accused, I absolutely cannot watch it.
Have you ever been gaslit by someone close to you?
Good one.
Share viral!
DJT IDs sewn onto your clothing anyone? Marxist CCP Biden et al. have a new motto: “Hitler here we come?” If you think Hitler’s Germany was okay, you’ll love the new Nazi plans for all of us including “cleansing” of DJT supporters.
Apparently, the Marxist Left believe their voter fraud numbers & mistakenly think they actually got the votes they rigged.
Democrats Move to Ban Trump Supporters From Joining the Military and Holding Federal JobsThey’re not stopping with the private sector.
Bookmark
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.