If you are an old movie fan, you are probably familiar with a 1944 movie starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotton entitled “Gaslight.” The theme of the movie, captured in the term to gaslight, was to manipulate someone into questioning their own perception of reality. Adapted from the 1938 play “Gas Light” written by English playwright Patrick Hamilton, a seemingly genteel husband used lies and manipulation to isolate his heiress wife and persuade her that she is mentally unwell so that he can eventually steal her money. The verb “gaslighting” itself is neither found nor mentioned in the screenplay or the film, but in the story the husband secretly dims and brightens the indoor gas-powered lighting insisting his wife is imagining it to make her think she is insane. The idea of gaslighting has been used often since the movie to make people feel that they are losing it, to distract them, or throw them off balance whether done in jest or for nefarious reasons.
Ultimately, gaslighting is a way to control the moment, stop conflict, ease anxiety, and create total control over another. However, it deflects personal responsibility and decompensates the other person. Individuals may gaslight their partners by denying events, including personal violence. Others may gaslight to create a better outcome for themselves or to retain power. History shows that gaslighting is most likely effective when the “gas lighter” holds a position of power. If we step back and take a hard look at many politicians and media personalities, it becomes clear that gaslighting is a frequent “modus operandi.” Comedian Groucho Marx is known for saying,
“who ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes?”
A person from history that tapped into the power of gaslighting to influence a nation was Paul Joseph Goebbels. Goebbels was the minister of propaganda for the German Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. A master orator and propagandist, he was responsible for presenting a favorable image of the Nazi Regime to the German people. Just to be clear, he did not profit from his actions. Following Hitler’s suicide, Goebbels served as chancellor of Germany for a single day in May 1945 before he and his wife, Magda Goebbels, poisoned their six children and then took their own lives. 1
Goebbels was a master at gaslighting (some would say insidious psychological manipulation or just plain lying), but a nation of “non-thinkers” allowed themselves to be swayed into believing and manifesting ungodly, evil patterns of thought and action. Here are some examples of what Goebbels told the German people:
“If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself.”
“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly – it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.”
“Not every item of news should be published. Rather must those who control news policies endeavor to make every item of news serve a certain purpose.”
“It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words can be molded until they clothe ideas and disguise.”
“The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it.”
“We shall reach our goal, when we have the power to laugh as we destroy, as we smash, whatever was sacred to us as tradition, as education, and as human affection.”
“If you tell a lie long enough, it becomes the truth.” 3
Think for a moment about modern day America and what we hear on a daily, if not hourly, basis. Do any of Goebbels’s ideas and quotes sound familiar? If they sound familiar it is because gaslighting is alive and well in America. Here are some examples:
- This past week, the Associated Press (AP) published what appeared to be a pro-JD Vance fact-check informing America that a previously circulated charge claiming VP Candidate Vance had sex with a couch was false. However, the AP immediately turned around and retracted their fact-check saying it did not meet their publication standards. So, the reader was left wondering was the story true or not. As it turns out, the retraction garnered more exposure than the original article. It makes one wonder if that was the AP’s intent from the beginning.
- On July 13th millions of Americans watched in horror as a shooter fired with deadly intent to assassinate Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. Only by the grace of God President Trump survived. However, while the event was happening, CNN announced that the President was hit by shattered glass. Folks, what you saw really did not happen. But wait, where did the shattered glass come from? Silly question! We told you what happened. Just believe us and forget what you saw.
- In the Trump assassination attempt follow up investigative hearing with the FBI Director, Christopher Wray stated there were questions as to whether Mr. Trump was hit by a bullet or shrapnel. The message to Americans was ignore the pictures you saw of bullets whizzing past the President’s head. Just believe what Director Wray said because, after all, he is the FBI. The next day, the FBI released a statement saying it was a bullet, but by that time the media already instilled the question of whether it was a bullet or not in the minds of Americans. The media and the left’s “talking points” marched forward no matter what you or I thought we saw on the screen right in front of us.
- How many times did we hear from the media, Hollywood, and the left that Joe Biden was sharp as a tack? Too many to count. But, during the Presidential debate on June 28, 2024, the entire world saw through the lies and Biden ultimately was forced out of the campaign (undemocratically I might add). Prior to the debate debacle we were told not to believe what we saw concerning Mr. Biden’s mental faculties and the stories circulating about any mental impairment were nothing more than conspiracy theories. Once again, gaslighting was used to cover the truth and we were led to believe we were just seeing things.
- And lest we get too far into the weeds of our own observations and what we “think” we know, Kamala Harris was never the Border Czar. Yet, there are countless recorded and printed media accounts from past years telling us she was the Border Czar and doing a great job. 10.5+ million illegals later, and now that she is an unelected Presidential candidate, those stories are suddenly being expunged from the record and we are told Harris never held that responsibility and title. Those pesky articles and stories we read in the past are just figments of our imagination. She is now presented as “Saint Kamala, “the smartest and most effective candidate we could ever hope to choose to lead our nation.” Do I hear cackling in the background?
- Finally, over the past week, we were told that if elected Harris would establish price controls over food sold in grocery stores. She claims that we need to rein in the price gouging actions of food producers and retailers to solve the unaffordable food problem. She claims she knows how to fix the problem. I have two questions for VP Harris:
- What makes you believe freezing prices will stop inflation when they have never worked in the history of mankind? Price freezing is nothing more than the same old failed socialistic and communistic policies that ultimately aided in destroying the Soviet Union. In his book entitled The Psychology of Totalitarianism, Matthias Desmet wrote:
“Each attempt to remediate the current social problems, whatever they may be, on the basis of old ideology will only make things worse.” 2
- You claim to know how to fix the inflationary problems Americans experience daily, so why did you not fix them over the last 3+ years as part of the Biden administration. You were the Vice President! You have done nothing productive to date and, based on your failed history in every office you ever held, we have no confidence you can or would accomplish anything beneficial for America in the future.
Just as in the Gaslight movie, the truth always come out. It may not be in our lifetime, and it may not be in time to save us from the national destruction of a Harris presidency, but even Joseph Goebbels agreed,
“There will come a day, when all the lies will collapse under their own weight, and truth will again triumph.” 3
Little did that evil man know that he was agreeing with God and echoing Jesus who said:
“There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered, nothing hidden that won’t be made known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.” Luke 12:2-3 (CSB) 4
and;
“For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and come to light.” Luke 8:17 (CSB) 5
Nothing hidden or intended to deceive will remain covered. All lies and manipulations will be exposed one day along with their architects. In the meantime, we, as believers in Jesus Christ, have the responsibility to speak truth whenever needed. We have the power of God within us to counter the lies and gaslighting we encounter every day. My encouragement is to always be sure of the source of the news and headlines you are reading. Do not give lies any chance to gain a foothold in your heart. Ask questions rather than accepting everything you hear or read as truth. And, specifically, do not just read headlines. Read the entire article. As we recently witnessed through manipulations by the Harris campaign, headlines can be changed to make the readers believe all is well. Going deeper may reveal they are gaslighting you!
1 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Goebbels
2 The Psychology of Totalitarianism by Mattias Desmet; Chelsea Green Publishing; 2022
3 https://www.azquotes.com/author/5626-Joseph_Goebbels
4 https://www.biblestudytools.com/csb/luke/passage/?q=luke+12:2-3
5 https://www.biblestudytools.com/csb/luke/8-17.html
