Gaslighting

 Here is a post from a former student of mine Emily Wires.  If you are interested I always enjoy guest posts.

 

 

This year has changed the course of humanity in an unprecedented way at an unprecedented rate. In addition, while we have been dealing with the daily trauma of what the past year has rolled out, credibility has been undermined and facts have been ignored.  

 

For cultural reference, the term “gaslighting” stems from the movie Gaslight, in which a main character is deceived by her husband to believe she is going mad . The technical definition is “the act of undermining a person by forcing them to question their thoughts, memories, and experiences.”  

 

As victims of gaslighting, let us unpack our year. I will start.  

 

I am a scientist. My work is rooted in logic and critical thinking, making mistakes and adjusting to achieve small successes. The current pandemic has exploited the scientific process in an extraordinary way. It has also introduced terms and theories otherwise shielded from the general public. More importantly, we have been scientifically gaslighted by an administration preoccupied with the dissemination of disinformation and conspiracy theories. It is careless and dangerous and, for me personally, offensive.  

 

I am a female, rooted in feminism, motherhood, mistakes, and small successes. Women are currently leaving the workforce at an unprecedented rate. I was recently invited to be on a committee to discuss working parenthood during the pandemic. One of the topics was, how do we keep women scientists in the workforce? No one had an answer. I repeat, no one. There is no simple answer. Collectively, we are tasked with teaching our girls AND boys that this is not a zero-sum equation. It was recently reported that countries with female leaders have handled the Covid-19 pandemic better than their male counterparts. It is imperative that we take this task of supporting women in the workforce very seriously.  

 

Gaslighting is rooted in manipulation, insecurity, mistakes, and, unfortunately, small successes. It targets marginalized communities and stokes the forces of division. It changes the narrative because the truth is inconvenient. It is infiltrating our communities, our friends, our families, and our public officials with great momentum.  

 

I encourage you to take inventory—ask questions when something is outside your wheelhouse, identify blind spots, acknowledge biases, and seek truth from credible sources. Use your voice to uphold responsibility and decency.  

 

There is lots to do.