About Gaslighting - Brought to you by the Arizona Institute Of Advanced Unmedication

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Honestly, it's very hard to say. For years, it was only licensed clinicians who used this term. A therapist would know what gaslighting is, but that's about it.

Between you and me, I think it's redditors who misused and overused it. Lying to someone is really awful, but it's not abusive. Gaslighting someone is definitely abuse; it will shape someone's emotional well-being for the rest of their life if they fail to address it. I think a lot of people on the internet use the term to say, "not only did he lie, but he knew that he was lying and therefore he abused me; same if he had busted my lip!" People on the internet want to powerlevel and get pitypoints, after all.

Most people who misuse this term will apply it to someone who says, "I wasn't being rude!" If they think you were rude and you know you were rude, they'll call that gaslighting. You just abused them by accidentally communicating in a way they didn't like.

It's totally messed up because people who actually were gaslighted for years get their experiences erased. "Oh, your husband lied to you? Cry me a river!" But that's not what it is.

A huge portion of internet wine-moms know that they're wrong to use this term, but they do it anyway, "because language naturally changes and evolves." I hate it.
given that certain subreddits use the term extensively due to the subject matter (ie r/raisedbynarcissists, where an abusive parent will legit gaslight the shit out of the kids after abusing them with "that never happened" "you must have remembered wrong" etc, etc), I'm not surprised it's gained wide usage. Unfortunately the IngSocJus crowd has picked up on it and is now using the term incorrectly, in a more Alinksy-ish fashion, "Accuse others of that which you yourself do".
 
given that certain subreddits use the term extensively due to the subject matter (ie r/raisedbynarcissists, where an abusive parent will legit gaslight the shit out of the kids after abusing them with "that never happened" "you must have remembered wrong" etc, etc), I'm not surprised it's gained wide usage. Unfortunately the IngSocJus crowd has picked up on it and is now using the term incorrectly, in a more Alinksy-ish fashion, "Accuse others of that which you yourself do".
I see what you're saying, but that's not even close to gaslighting. Nor is it abuse.

Literally only what happened in the film Gaslighting is what gaslighting is. Lying and deception when you know the truth is just that: lying and deception.
 
I see what you're saying, but that's not even close to gaslighting. Nor is it abuse.

Literally only what happened in the film Gaslighting is what gaslighting is. Lying and deception when you know the truth is just that: lying and deception.
the base concept is making the other person question their own recollection of events/memories/sanity. I suppose what they call gaslighting on abuse subreddits could be considered gaslighting lite. Like, it's different from regular lying because the intent is to make the person question themselves and their perceptions.
 
Their base concept, @Koby_Fish, in my opinion, is the deliberate campaign and its autistic tactics. It's not everyone trying to make you question reality, it's only those using this method.
 
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