John Sonmez

I know what it is supposed to mean, but it's just another way of playing the victim card. Oh, you are oppressing me, oh you are triggering me, oh you are gaslighting me. Bullshit. You are responsible for your own thoughts.

Gaslighting comes from the movie “Gaslight” in which an abusive flickers the lights, walks around in the attic, and does other weird things and tells his wife it’s all in her head and she’s mentally unstable. It is a real, regularly used abuse tactic. Abuse causes PTSD. Triggers.

That's interesting. I wasn't aware of the origin. It's unfortunate that the term is being thrown around so lightly. Regardless though, we are all responsible for our own perceptions and analysis of reality. Every person is responsible for their own actions and thoughts.

The term gaslighting doesn’t mean people AREN’T responsible for their own thoughts. It means a person who is making valid observations about the world are being told their perceptions are wrong/they are crazy by someone who benefits from making them doubt their grasp of reality.

Take a look at the cancel culture and its proponent's constant attempts to "reeducate" anyone who speaks against it and see if what you describe in not exactly what's happening there. Yet, I hold each individual responsible to use their own rational judgement.

I’m just here to inform that “gaslighting” is a very real thing, and does absolutely contribute to PTSD and triggers. And you don’t really have any way of knowing what other people’s experiences are and how they have affected them.

E.g. you may have never been personally victimized by abuse, assault, institutionalized racism, patriarchal society, etc... but that does not mean those things do not exist and harm and trigger others.