Several readers have invited me to weigh in on the phenomenon of “gaslighting.” So here goes.
The term “gaslighting” suddenly became ubiquitous in the past couple of years, mostly in the discussions of political events; but I couldn’t even figure out from context what it meant. Finally I had to look it up. Apparently, it is a term that has been around for a while in the field of psychology. Here’s a definition from Medical News Today:
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.
But how does the term apply to political news? To investigate, I got out some issues of the print version of the New York Times to see what among its various pieces might best fit the definition. And of course, I quickly realized that essentially every single article that deals with a big issue of the moment — and particularly any article that is part of coverage of some major issue over the course of multiple weeks or months — absolutely fits the definition of “gaslighting.” And not a very subtle form of the phenomenon.
Let’s try to make a list of the biggest stories of the last several years, the ones that have dominated the front page of Pravda for weeks and months on end. Gaslighting or not gaslighting?
Source: Francis Menton | Manhattan Contrarian
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