Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Gaslighting


For a while I have regularly David Leonhardt’s columns in the New York Times. No, I am not a convert to the NYT’s slanted way of thinking, but I felt that David Leonhardt was honest, fair, and a good writer. However, recently something has changed. First, for a few weeks David Leonhardt was not writing any pieces … perhaps he was on vacation? Hoverer, then his articles were increasingly being co-written, and, to me they were just not the same. Finally on 8/24/22 even though his name was listed as a co-author of “The Morning: Deniers, enablers, accepters,” this was not the David Leonhardt that I had known and appreciated before. This article was a picture perfect example of “gaslighting.”

(For those of you unfamiliar with the term:

‘Gaslighting’ is a form of psychological manipulation in which the abuser attempts to sow self-doubt and confusion in their victim’s mind. Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over the other person, by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and intuition.)

The article in general is about claims that the 2020 was fraudulent. What I found striking was that before the words, “election claims” the word “false” was consistently inserted. 

From that article, some examples of the gaslighting in the article (the underlining is mine):

“Republicans who falsely claimed that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent …”

“… Trump’s false claims of fraud.”

“ … to the false claims about the 2020 election. 

“ other Republicans who do echo Trump’s lies.”

“ … who has made false election claims.”

“ who has also repeatedly made false election claims.”

“ … who have treated false election”

To me this issue of whether or not there was overwhelming voter fraud has not been settled, but Leonhardt et al. seem to be gaslighting the reader with repeated use of the word, “false.” It was never “questionable” election claims or perhaps “unfounded” election claims or even “ alleged” election claims … always “false” election claims of fraud. 

But is the issue of “fraudulent election claims” a settled issue?

Nearly two years into the Biden presidency, allegations of fraud in the 2020 Presidential electioncontinue to make headlines.

Allegations of voting fraud are not a fringe position held by a small minority. Polling shows that nearly half of American voters have serious doubts about Joe Biden’s election victory. According to a January Axios/Momentive poll, only a small majority (55 percent) accepts Biden as having legitimately won the 2020 election, down slightly from 58 percent a year earlier.

A Monmouth University poll in late 2021 provided similar findings: a third of the American public (32 percent) believes that Biden won the 2020 election only due to voter fraud—a percentage that has not changed across five different polls conducted by the university in 2021. Nearly 3 in 4 Republicans (73 percent) hold the same belief that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

And it isn’t just the general public expressing doubt. Dozens of Republican candidates for state and federal offices have made talking about 2020 election fraud a key part of their successful primary campaigns.

As you may or may not be aware, to me, there is little doubt that the aforementioned 2020 election was stolen. Nonetheless, I do find it interesting that the liberal press is resorting to gaslighting. I wonder whether the the incessant use of “false,” is an indication that they are less sure that Joe Biden was elected legitimately. When individuals or groups resort to gaslighting, it is usually because they are trying to convince someone that they are right when in essence, they are wrong. Hmmm!

8/27/22

www.californiacontrarian.com

47 Replies to “Gaslighting”

  2. תופעות בריאותיות שונות יכולות להפריע לזרימה היציבה של נוזל
    הלימפה מחוץ לגוף, ובעקבות
    זאת הנוזל מצטבר לאורך אזורים שונים בגוף, בעיקר.

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