you may be familiar with word gaslightbut if you occasionally wonder if you know exactly what that means, you’re not alone: Searches for the word’s definition are up 1,740 percent this year, making gaslighting the buzzword of 2022, according to Merriam-Webster.
Lest you add fuel to the fire again, the dictionary defines gaslighting as the psychological manipulation of an individual, a verb that comes from Gas Light, a play that was made into a film about a man who tries to drive his wife mad – except Other things – Dim the gas lamp and tell her it’s her imagination. That’s what gaslighting used to mean—behavior in a relationship designed to undermine the other’s grasp of reality—but these days we use it to describe any attempt to twist facts to fit your own agenda. Here are some of the many ways you can set someone on fire in 2022:
Harper in White Lotus accused her husband of cheering her on at a party one night.Credit:home theater
Ordinary Marriage Gaslight
Not to trivialize toxic substances, but low levels of gaslighting exist in every marriage. You said, “I must have told you.” He said, “No, you didn’t.” You said, “Yes, I did, and you never listened.” You have begun to doubt the truth of what you said, But it’s gotten too far and you can’t back down, so you dig deep and hope he starts doubting himself. That’s the goal.
Likewise, when you throw a tantrum at your husband for losing your car keys, then find them in your pocket and quickly transfer them to the crevice of the couch, that’s gaslighting.
hangover gas lamp
This is when your sister claims at breakfast the morning after a party that you ate leftover pie, and while you’re pretty sure you didn’t (cold steak and kidney?) you start to feel bad because it’s possible.. .and then you find the pie in the dumpster. By now, the evening has become a zone of “doubt yourself”. Even those clips you clearly remember (dancing cool to Running Up That Hill) are tainted.
social gaslight
You said you couldn’t do anything before Christmas. do i have it You said you really don’t like Whatsits so we shouldn’t ask you out. What? You said you hated musicals, so we’re going to take everyone to one, but not you. When did I say that? People dreaming about your stuff, or they’re rooting for you because…they’re psychopaths?
