WHAT IS GAS LIGHTING?
A 'must-read' thread

The following article was posted to FB, but they delete things they don't like. I found it elsewhere but couldn't ID the author. If you know, please let us know. It's an EXCELLENT piece.

What is Gas Lighting?

The term originates in the systematic psychological manipulation of a victim by her husband in Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play Gas Light (film adaptations released in 1940 & 44). In the story, the husband attempts to convince his wife & others that she's insane by manipulating small

elements of their environment & insisting she's remembering things incorrectly or delusional when she points out the changes. The play's title alludes to how the abusive husband slowly dims the gas lights in their home but pretends 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 dimmed lights, but in defiance of reality, he keeps insisting the lights are the same - & that she is going insane.

We're living in a perpetual state of gaslighting. "Reality" that the media reports is at complete odds w/ what we see w/ our own eyes. When we question the false reality they present, or claim what WE see is 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.

NY State has 2x as many deaths from Covid-19 than any other state, & New York has accounted for 1/5 of all Covid-19 deaths, but we're told that NY Governor Andrew Cuomo handled the pandemic better than any other

governor. But if we support policies of Governors whose states had only a fraction of the cases & deaths as New York, we’re called anti-science & want people to die. So, are we crazy? No, we’re being gaslighted.

We see mobs of people looting, smashing windows, setting cars on fire & burning down buildings, but we're told these demonstrations are peaceful protests. And when we call this destruction of our cities, riots, we are called racists. Are we crazy? No, we’re being gaslighted.

We see the problems destroying many inner-cities: murder, gang violence, drug dealing, drive-by shootings, armed robbery, etc. But we are told that police that are the problem in the inner-cities. We're told we must defund the police & remove law enforcement from

crime-riddled cities to make them safer. If we advocate for more policing in cities overrun by crime, we are accused of being white supremacists & racists. Are we crazy? No, we’re being gaslighted.

The USA accepts more immigrants than any other country in the world. The vast majority of the immigrants are “people of color," & these immigrants are enjoying freedom and economic opportunity not available to them in their country of origin.

But we are told that the US is the most racist & oppressive country on the planet, & if we disagree, we are called racist & xenophobic. Are we crazy? No, we’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 & even the wealthy class through their effort & ability in capitalist countries

than any other economic system in the world. But we're told capitalism is an oppressive system designed to keep people down. Are we crazy? No, we’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 like slaves, & drive their economies into the ground.

But we're told Communism is the fairest, most equitable, freest & most prosperous economic system in the world. Are we crazy? No, we’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, treating people fairly & with respect. You disavow racism & bigotry in all its forms.

You judge people solely on the content of their character & not by the color of their skin. Yet you're told you're a racist, not because of something you thought, said or did, but solely because of the color of your skin.

You know instinctively that charging someone w/ racism b/c of their skin color is itself racist. You know you are not racist, so you defend yourself & your character. But you're told your defense of yourself is proof of your racism. Are you crazy? No, you’re being gaslighted.

Gaslighting has become one of the most pervasive & destructive tactics in American politics. It's the exact opposite of what our system was meant to be. It deals in lies & psychological coercion, not the truth & intellectual discourse. If you ever ask yourself if you’re crazy,

you aren't. 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're told. Never listen to the people who tell you you're crazy, because you aren't. You’re being gaslighted.

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