GASLIGHTING
We would do well to be clear about five or six things which means seeing them as they are and as they are documented by reliable, honest, and smart people. It may not be what you would like to believe. It may not be what you think you hear or what you see written by those who twist the outcome to suit their prejudices. Think about that for a moment.
There are those who would like to alter a school’s curriculum to exclude what makes them uncomfortable, namely the study of slavery and our treatment of Native Americans, as examples. See that for what it is, the continuing oppression of people who are different. The same is true with regard to a woman’s right to choose how to treat her own body. Those who would remove that freedom of choice need to be seen for who they are, authoritarian control freaks who want to live in a world that they create and dominate. That is not the real world.
Then we have the climate deniers who say it’s just another cycle in the history of the evolving world landscapes and seascapes with temperatures and storms no greater than they have ever been. That is perhaps partly true if we go back to the ice age when humans grew longer legs and bigger brains and began to emigrate north from southern Africa. That was about 10,000 years ago and we’re still in that Ice Age but in a warming trend with the planet heating up. Have a clear look at how the oceans, the weather and the forests are being affected and then decide whether or not we have a climate crisis or not. A crisis by the way is a crossroads where you have to decide which road you take to go ahead.
With a nod to the political miasma that takes up so much space and air time, when you cut through the diatribe in the conversations and ads, you can see people for who they are and then you, as a reasonable, intelligent and thoughtful person can decide whom you wish to support and why. That is your free choice, at least thus far.
Gaslighting has an interesting history and with your eyes and ears open, you can see and hear how it’s being implemented today. Call it for what it is. The following was written by Stephanie Sarkis and published in “Psychology Today” on January 22, 2017! See the complete article here. that explains the tactics and of gaslighting behaviors:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201701/11-red-flags-of-gaslighting-in-a-relationship
Gaslighting is a tactic in which a person or entity, in order to gain more power, makes a victim question their reality. It works much better than you may think. Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting, and it is a common technique of abusers, dictators, narcissists, and cult leaders. It is done slowly, so the victim doesn’t realize how much they’ve been brainwashed. For example, in the movie Gaslight (1944), a man manipulates his wife to the point where she thinks she is losing her mind.
Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa have a terrific series called “Gaslit Nation” and you can see some of their good work here:
https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts
Comments (2)
This is a very timely post, Gary. Maybe nit isn’t a coincidence that I just read a Twitter thread by a professor (who teaches ‘sustainability’) who asked his students to write about why they deserve a better grade in his class – by using ‘techniques of disinformation like cherry picking, false experts and ad hominem.’ The students’ responses are quite eye-opening. Yes, we increasingly live in a post-truth where our attention spans and critical thinking skills are under constant attack. Perhaps part of the education of current and future generations, and our own education needs to be to recognize gaslighting and such for what it is and all it out loudly and clearly. Thank you for the reminder, because we humans are in a battle for our freedom to think and discern, are we not?
I read that same article this morning and it may have well prompted this post. Years ago, Hugh Downs, a noted and highly respected newsman, and his daughter Dierdre, developed a High School curriculum in media literacy. It was a popular course in a number of schools but as budgets were trimmed and decisions were made about what to keep and what to jettison, I fear that course went by the wayside. How so many people openly dismiss factual evidence is beyond my understanding, EXCEPT when I realize they don’t want to know the truth. Nor do they wish to engage in an exercise of thinking about more than one possibility. It might upset their “world-view” which from my perspective seems more than a little warped at times. Each to his/her own and yes, we are engaged in a struggle for freedom, for justice and for peace.