Posted on 11/28/2020 7:13:39 AM PST by EyesOfTX
Gaslighting Explained – Author Unkown [NOTE: I received the explainer below in an email from a friend this week. It has been making the rounds in email and social media for awhile now, and is the best tutorial on the concept of “Gaslighting” I have seen. Thus, I want to share it with the audience of DBDailyUpdate. Unfortunately, I have no idea who the author is – If I did I would give him or her proper credit.]
“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 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.
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 whoever. 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”.
[End]
That is all.
Has it, really? I hadn’t noticed. That’s what drew me to the thread. What a curious term! What’s it all about? :-o
You seem to be very excited by the term. Perhaps (being as well-read as you are) obsessive about it? Just my own observation. A _second opinion_ might serve you better. :-/
As for the rest... A nick is just a nick, FRiend! :-)
ALL IN JEST, mind you! :-D
Perception Manipulation is the ability to manipulate one's very perception, allowing them to see, hear or even feel objects that aren't present or may not even exist. Likewise, the ability can be used to amplify one's own perception to greater levels. In many ways, the ability is analogous to Mind Manipulation and both powers can overlap ...
I agree that it is a useful word that should be used to wake people up. I never knew the term until studying Narcissism and it is one of the tools a narcissist will use to prey on their victims for control. I have seen it first hand being used on me from the narcissists that I come into contact daily.
Excellent comparison of terms. Words matter!!
Peace!
That, and "we're in this together".
Whoever the author is, he/she is absolutely correct. We are definitely being gaslighted. Wake up and see the world as it is, not how social media wants us to believe.
It's just part of the new normal.
The author is incorrect about this aspect. In the play and film, the lights are dimming because the husband is using the gas lamps elsewhere in the home, which causes the dimming.
A minor but relevant detail. The husband is looking for expensive jewelry in the locked attic, while allegedly not at home. The activities/noises/dimming are part of the psy-op to disguise the real activity.
This is what the democRATS are doing.... a psy-op to have you question your sanity, while they destroy the country.
The first phrase in the paragraph at the end of your blog hyping Whatfinger makes no sense:
Gas lighting is the PERFECT term. To be the victim of gas lighting you have to be pretty stupid.
Because it is a perfect description of what is going on.
I looked up this film on Netflix, thinking I’d add it to my queue.
There are two versions: the original in 1940 and a remake in 1944. The 1944 version stars Ingrid Bergman and I guess it’s the most popular.
But I chose the 1940 version because of the reviews written about it. I’ll see I guess.
Narcissists, control freaks, liars - all sorts of bad people use “gaslighting“ - but I think it is important to realize that to some degree we all use it on each other, instinctively.
It is an evolutionary survival trait to press for advantage in life - even with those we love.
My wife and I find ourselves in a quarrel occasionally - and at some point each is accusing the other of “overreacting“, being “too sensitive”, being “inconsiderate”. We both want to think the other one “started it”...
I think “gaslighting“ comes from the same instinct to press for advantage, to be in the right, to claim moral high ground.
The difference is that with normal decent people, there comes a period of reflection and remorse - we can accept the possibility we were in the wrong.
What is shocking to me about the current state of the world is that we have an entire ideology - “progressivism“, “Marxism“, “collectivism“ - whatever you want to call it - that has monopolized the media and academia - gaslighting those of us who believe in protecting individual liberty.
Excellent.
Your post is not persuasive. Try again?
Read later.
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