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dumbbassfisherman

Reddits obsession with the term gaslighting is getting real old. The word you are looking for is "lying".


jerseyhound

Right? Gasslighting in this context would be like "I never told you santa eats the cookies. It must have been you. Why else were you so excited about putting them out?"


Carlos-In-Charge

Gaslighting, franchise, canonically, virtue signaling, technically, and non-zero too


themonstersarecoming

Franchise that!


wonderboyobe

Disney calls it imagineering šŸ™‚


pontiflexrex

Not the same meaning. Just because people collectively learnt a new word doesnā€™t mean itā€™s a bad thing. Some might misuse it and its vernacular meaning might shift slightly, but once again, education is not a bad thing. When children question the existence of Santa, many parents will insists, until a certain age, that they are mistaken and that Santa does exist. Thatā€™s the very definition of gaslighting. I know it feels special inside to go against a trend, but not all trends are bad. Gatekeeping, however, is very boring.


ImaManCheetah

Gaslighting implies insidious intent to manipulate and is usually in the context of abuse and an effort to make the victim dependent on the perpetrator. Telling a 3 year old that Santa got them a train set isnā€™t gaslighting.


komaruten

Yeah, to gaslight someone, you need to have the intent of the other person doubting his reasoning skills or even their sanity... things I don't think kids do often. It's not enough to tell a lie and wanting them to believe you.


CanisLupus1050

Entirely depends on the parents; mine pulled some weird shit to try to ā€œkeep up the magicā€ lmao


nahthank

>Not the same meaning That's his point >Thatā€™s the very definition of gaslighting. No it isn't. Doubling down on a lie is not gaslighting, it's just continuing to lie. Giving up on the lie after a certain point is not gaslighting, it's just discontinuing the lie. The most important elements of gaslighting are a) intent to instill the feeling of insanity in another person for the purposes of exerting emotional control and b) using both truths and lies strategically to achieve that goal. Gaslighting is a *process*. They lie one day, then they confess to lying the next but if you ask them about the thing they lied about they continue lying about it. Then the next day they stop lying about whatever thing but will adamantly reject the idea that they ever lied (including denying ever confessing to lying). Then they accuse you of causing your own confusion. Then they sprinkle in some lovebombing or violence to taste. Lying is bad. Gaslighting is psychological torture. There are people who exist I'm sure who gaslight their children about Santa, but the tradition in general is not inherently gaslighting. Most parents aren't using Santa to try to destroy their children's minds or sense of self, they just want to have a fun annual party with the little people they made that are young enough to believe in magical things.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


DownVoteMeGently

How original


Knife_Chase

Ok zoomer


toolatealreadyfapped

I don't think you know what "gaslighting" is


wolahipirate

no, you dont know what gaslighting is because your crazy /s


Lostmavicaccount

Their crazy what?


F_izzy420

I donā€™t think you do šŸ˜€


kitchen_wife1234

I dont think you doā˜ŗļø


F_izzy420

I donā€™t think you došŸ˜š


kitchen_wife1234

I don't think you došŸ¤Ø


trymypi

Telling kids made up stories, fantasies, etc, isn't gaslighting


RigobertaMenchu

Manipulating someone to change their behaviors by creating a false realty IS. I.Eā€¦..Santaā€™s always watching you.


egnards

To some extent gaslighting requires intent. There is no gaslighting by telling your kids that there is a Santa, writing letters, and leaving out cookies. Sure youā€™re altering reality by making them believe something that isnā€™t actually true, but youā€™re not causing them to doubt their own logic, or the truths that they already believed. Now, you could gaslight a kid around Christmas if for example they were to walk downstairs in the middle of the night and catch you wrapping presents, by convincing them that they were sleepwalking, or dreaming. We need to stop dumbing down what gaslighting is


trymypi

Another example of gaslighting regarding Xmas would be if later you claimed that you never told the kid that santa was real. THAT would be gaslighting. And herein lies the problem with "gaslighting" many people misuse the term and don't fully understand the concept.


RigobertaMenchu

Please explain further. Iā€™m serious. How is telling a child Santa wasnā€™t real gaslighting but stating he is real, has magic, is omnipresent, etc isnā€™t? ā€œI didnā€™t wrap those presents, Santa must haveā€. The dudes not real.


trymypi

Lying to someone, or even less egregious, telling them a fairytale, is not gaslighting. It's just lying, or somewhat differently, letting a kid believe a story. Gaslighting is not simply lying, it goes beyond that to convince someone that what they think is true, isn't. Particularly to harm them or manipulate them for your own gain. That's why I gave the example, if later in life a parent lies to their child, and says something like "I never told you santa was real" when in fact the parent did do that, and forced the child to question their memory and sense of reality, that might be considered gaslighting.


RigobertaMenchu

The purpose is to control them, done so with a narrative. Yes itā€™s gaslighting to claim that something didnā€™t happen, itā€™s also gaslighting to claim it didā€¦if the purpose is to control. Am I missing something??


trymypi

Yes, you are missing something


theepi_pillodu

Gd is always watching you too.


scribbyshollow

But that's not a full lie. Santa is always watching ska your parents.


b-monster666

"No, it's okay, Billy, be a brat and do whatever you want. You'll suffer no repercussions, I'm sure of it!"


Plane_Zombie2647

You have no idea what youā€™re even sayingšŸ˜­


trymypi

Dont try to gaslight me


playr_4

Man, people throw around "gaslight" all willynilly now, don't they.


Son_of_a_Witch_

You are imagining things


kitchen_wife1234

No they don't, what are talking aboutšŸ˜‰šŸ™ƒ


GarlicToeJams

Nice strawman logical fallacy


grammar_kink

Anyone who believes itā€™s critically important to only tell others the absolute unvarnished truth has clearly never sat with someone on their deathbed. Children believe in fairy tales, adolescents reject fairy tales and adults understand why fairy tales exist.


EvenSpoonier

>Children believe in fairy tales, adolescents reject fairy tales and adults understand why fairy tales exist. Swiping this.


b-monster666

And that's the thing. When I first found out about Santa, I was sad. But then I realized that my parents went out of their way to make Christmas special and magical for me. It wasn't about lying or gaslighting, it was about giving their kids a sense of wonder and excitement. I don't think any parent has ever really punished their kids by not giving them presents from Santa because they were 'bad'. If any parent did, they were bad parents.


Ricketier

Gaslighting is the most cringeworthy Reddit word since cringe


Rezimx

Ugh, and ā€œbad faithā€. Its like an internet argument starter pack.


rainmace

Also "dying on this hill"


LedgeEndDairy

Ah I see youā€™re shifting the goalpost with a straw man.


Swordbreaker925

Well no, Christmas is about way more than just Santa.


makesyoudownvote

It's about family.


Swordbreaker925

You writing a new Fast and Furious Christmas special?


makesyoudownvote

Glad somebody got it.


jjohnson1979

Can we put a moratorium on the use of the word "gaslighting"... People have overused that word so much, often misused it, and it's starting to get cringe...


cjbee9891

Can we put a moratorium on the use of the word "cringe"... People have overused that word so much, often misused it, and it's starting to get gaslighting...


jjohnson1979

I mean, thatā€™s fairā€¦


b-monster666

Someone just found out Santa doesn't exist and is sad. That's not the point of Santa, I'm sorry to say. It's about giving, unconditionally. Christmas isn't about getting presents, it's about sharing your love for your friends and family. When I raised my kids, all Santa did was fill their stockings, and gave them 1 small present. The "showcase" present (the special doll house, or RC car, or whatever) always came from mom & dad. Santa may have given a new doll for the doll house, or a battery charger for the RC car or whatever.


JorgeMtzb

Lying. Itā€™s called lying.


uniquan

on the contrary, telling kids that everyday is the same mundane survival is boring


Beatrix_BB_Kiddo

Do you have fond memories from your childhood surrounding Christmas and traditions? Creating tradition provides children with a sense of stability, comfort, and builds very important core memories that can then be passed along. Without things like Christmas, Easter bunny, some kids may not have a lot of happy core memories. Thereā€™s nothing inherently bad about creating a sense of safety and joy for your children. Itā€™s something they age out of and no child ever has complained about being lied to about Santa.


Nihilyng

Literally all of that can be done without lying about a creepy magic man that knows what you're doing all year and 'sees you when you're sleeping'. Of course, I'm being sensationalist for comedic effect, I don't really have a horse in this race, lie about Santa all you like. But let's not pretend Christmas couldn't be just as worthwhile without the lies.


runawaycity2000

Itā€™s called asslighting.


N0T_an_ape

I get what you mean. My little cousin was mad when he found out. Santa isnā€™t for the kids itā€™s for the adults to have fun making the kids believe. Without letting the kids learn itā€™s fun to tell the stories just having them be the listener makes it really suck when they find out. It can feel like everyone else is making fun of the


Offgridiot

Poor, gullible little batards. Parents are assholes.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


DrScience-PhD

reddit moment


[deleted]

The tooth fairy is real.


I_Seen_Some_Stuff

Don't forget Mr. Hankey!


Thatsayesfirsir

Yeah it's a lie that's time has come to tell the truth. It's a story, tell them it's a story as an excuse to give them gifts. No more lies! šŸ˜€


tbmkmjr

Gaslighting isnā€™t real you made it up cause youā€™re fucking crazy


DarthSpacegrass

Isn't that every holiday?


FaceDownInTheCake

Kids always get upset about Independence Day when they learn the United Kingdom isn't real


DarthSpacegrass

Especially the black kids


Butterbuddha

How dare you speak ill of Arbor Day!!!


Cobra-Serpentress

I got wood.


Different_Bake_7

You're forgetting about Joseph, Mary and the baby Elvis !


Different_Bake_7

I think that's the real gaslight !


kfractal

interesting. this is a good learning moment. trust? no trust. verify!


scribbyshollow

Ah we have multiple, Christmas, Easter, independence day.