strongorcbutch:

Instead of using “gaslight” for the millionth time to refer to someone you’ve never even met, instead consider if “lie” or possibly “propaganda” would work better.

“Gaslight/gaslighting” is a term for a specific form of psychological abuse where a number of tactics are used to make the victim end up questioning their perceptions and sanity. Lying to the victim constantly about every day events is one of these tactics, but the point of gaslighting isn’t simply base deception. It’s part of a greater series of actions designed to wear down the victim’s belief that they can trust their memory and senses, thus giving greater power over that person to the abuser.

Someone who simply told a lie without that framework was not gaslighting. They were lying. Remember that word, lying? Before it suddenly became popular to slap “gaslighting” onto every damn thing that’s what people used.

A politician telling a lie isn’t gaslighting you. They’re lying. A campaign of political lies designed to convince a nation of people of something false is propaganda.

Someone saying something you disagree with isn’t gaslighting.

Please stop using language that victims of a certain form of abuse have to describe our experiences for every damn thing from “politician continued to say false things” to “Brenda said something I didn’t like”. It’s exhausting.