Gaslighting

I picked this up in another forum and thought it might be appreciated here.

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 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 not just with your heart but with your mind.

Sadly, 95% of people don’t even know that they are being gaslighted. At least now you do.

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@MikeBKY posted that quite a while ago.

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That stat mentioned about the COVID-19 cases is true, NYC has the most cases and deaths. I recently was reading the CDC site on COVID-19 and came across that exact information. I was quite surprised as the media implies that we are all in danger and all dying. Another interesting fact on the CDC site is that only 6% of the 530,000 COVID-19 related deaths are singularly COVID-19 related. Over 240,000 have Influenza as a comorbidity factor, yet only 8,800 deaths in 2020, according to the CDC are Influenza-related deaths, and so far in 2021 only about 90 are Influenza-related.

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Then I must beg forgiveness of @MikeBKY. I hadn’t seen his post of this material before I (unintentionally) plagiarized him. :lying_face:

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Go my son and sin no more!

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Ominus dominus @David38! You’re good!

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Didn’t mean anything by it. Certainly won’t hurt for anyone to read it again. Just figured you might be interested in the conversation on that string. Maybe the @moderators can merge the two of them.

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Very good read. Indeed, we are all being gaslighted. It’s insane just like denying there are two genders.

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I took no offense, @Fish , and did not feel offense was intended. Just having a little fun.

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If this stays a respectful conversation, it can stay open. It is off-topic and rather political/philosophical. Keep it on the rails and as a productive discussion.

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Dawn? I’m not sure you’re reading the same discussion as me. It is on topic from what I’ve read, even though it is political.

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Outstanding…thanks for sharing.

This is a great discussion and dovetails cleanly into the topic of “Gun Violence”, “assault weapon” etc. There are those who look the other way while inner city youth shoot each other by the dozens each week but are quick to point out the random violence by a lone shooter as Gun violence or hate crime. Agenda driven. Period.

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Democrat solution against gun violence.
It’s for your own good.

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@KillJoy it is very political and people will see the situations different even when presented with the same facts.

Just encouraging caution and open communication when it comes to a variety of viewpoints expressed. This topic could be very inflammatory and turn negative, we’re trying to make sure it stay productive.

Hope that all makes sense, I’m only on my first cup of coffee. :smiley: :coffee:

Hey, Dawn, my post is supposed to I’ll use to the statement “I’m here with the government and I’m here to help.” Government intrusion. Overstepping it’s intended boundaries. I’m fine if someone disagrees with me. It’s their right. But I’m not apologetic for my position. Respect goes both ways. This was supposed to be funny.

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Coronavirus: why experts disagree so strongly over how to tackle the disease (theconversation.com)

Sometimes we wonder why the experts (Scientists, Doctors) have different views with each other about something that is so important.

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At this point it is all a SWAG Scientific Wild A$$ Guess!

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