Articles
Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a term that keeps popping up in public discourse. Thus it would behoove us to understand its meaning to avoid either being victimized by it or doing it to someone else. I expect we have all experienced it, but perhaps we didn’t recognize it or know what to call it. So, what is gaslighting?
“Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse where a person or group makes someone question their sanity, perception of reality, or memories. People experiencing gaslighting often feel confused, anxious, and unable to trust themselves. The term gaslighting derives from the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a husband manipulates his wife into thinking she has a mental illness by dimming their gas-fueled lights and telling her she is hallucinating” (Jennifer Huizen, Medical News Today, 7/14/2020).
An ancient example of gaslighting: “And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, ‘Look people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!’ But Zebul said to him, ‘You see the shadows of the mountains as if they were men’” (Jud 9:36). Zebul denied what Gaal plainly saw with his own eyes, and the deception may have cost Gaal the ensuing battle.
A contemporary example of gaslighting is the transgender craze (the term “craze” applies in both its primary senses: 1) to make insane or as if insane; 2) an exaggerated and often transient enthusiasm (Webster’s Online). Psychiatrists, medical doctors, legislators, teachers, counselors, journalists – virtually the entirety of public policy shapers – insist that a biological male can simply declare himself female and – voila! – he is now female. This is patently unscientific; in fact, the science which many politicians tout in reference to Covid runs completely contrary to such pretensions.
Transgender advocates tell us that small children can legitimately question their gender identification, and they must be believed. In various states minors can without their parents’ consent be counseled and given medical treatments that produce permanent physiological damage. Radical surgeries are being performed to align the physiology of young people (particularly teenage girls) with their psychological identity.
This is madness, and we are being “gaslit” by godless “authorities” to believe we are the crazy ones while their barbarous, speculative, intrusive theories are sane. They are not. They are the epitome of child abuse, parental and medical malpractice, and a complete abdication of adult common sense and responsibility toward the helpless and hurting among us.
Gaslighting is more than lying; it is a bold, sinister attempt to weaken and gain leverage over others . It is a manipulative bid for supremacy by a charade of bald-faced lies and an elaborate supporting cast of “experts.”
Gaslighting is more common than you think. It exists within families wherein one member creates so much discord through the subtle twisting of truth that everyone else is nearly driven crazy by the constant drama. Co-workers do it to avoid responsibility or cast aspersions on others. Don’t let others gaslight you. Trust your instincts for truth and rationality. If you find that someone else constantly makes you question normalcy, carefully analyze what they are saying. If they are spinning situations to keep you off balance and confused, you may need to confront them in order to stop their manipulations and wreaking havoc on others.
