FA 018 Gaslighting

What this episode covers

This week we open with a discussion on twitter lists that might contain libelous information. How can you handle yourself when someone is falsely accusing you of doing something potentially illegal? Our main topic is gaslighting. Gaslighting is when someone maliciously attempts to convince you that your perception of an event is false in order to fit their desired purpose. This can take the form of calling you crazy, saying that you are wrong about something, or making you doubt your own memories. Oftentimes, this method is employed by people close to you, like a partner, a parent, a teacher, or some other form of respected authority figure, and if you are susceptible to these types of suggestions it can be incredibly damaging to your psyche. We discuss how to identify gaslighting from a genuine misunderstanding, ways to mitigate against gaslighting, and what to do when you realize that you are being gaslit. We also have a listener question about how to tell a partner that you are in love with them, and how to challenge the gender norms that the man in a relationship has to be the first one to offer such a confession. What can a lesbian do? We end with some feedback concerning our show and the bias that we, as hosts, have as gay men. Are we intentionally excluding other genders or relationship styles when we offer advice? For more information, including a list of topics by timestamp, see our Show Notes for this episode.

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