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> "abuser" and "victim" and since these terms are subjective I'm not sure that "abuser" and "victim" are that subjective. I can imagine a lot of situations in
by throw310822 4y ago
> "abuser" and "victim" and since these terms are subjective
I'm not sure that "abuser" and "victim" are that subjective. I can imagine a lot of situations in which the roles of abuser and victim are pretty objective.
The problem with a term like gaslighting is that allows anyone who is in a strong disagreement with anyone else to 1) claim a victim role and paint their opponents as abusers; 2) by doing so, protect their own belief from being questioned. It becomes a tool of a "closed belief system" where attempts to question the belief are taken as proofs of its correctness, which is in general a hallmark of cults.
- Lutger 4y agoYes, generally abusers like to paint themselves as victims, these kinds of inversions are quite common. If limited to the perspective of debate, gaslighting is just a variation of an ad hominem attack, which is easily recognized and not subjective at all. Telling somebody they are wrong is never gaslighting, but suggesting they can't be right due to some personal flaw often is.