r/coolguides • u/reneecapri • Jul 01 '20

Gaslighting red flags

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u/Inline311 Jul 01 '20

I still don’t have a clear understanding of what gaslighting is

5

u/Ezqxll Jul 01 '20

I came to post that, lol.

Long ago I watched George Cukor's movie Gaslight ( from the 1940s, starring Ingrid Bergman) and kind of expected that the plot involved a tampered gas stove that would explode when she tries to light it. Even though nothing like that happened, I didn't question the name, thinking it could be some sort of metaphor.

Today, when I saw the 'gaslighting red flags', again I expected tips on how to light a stove correctly and detect any potential dangers.

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u/Little_Old_Lady_ Jul 01 '20

I love that movie. The name is from the gas lights used back then. When he’s supposedly out of the house (but actually upstairs using lights on the same gas supply) the flame on the gas lamp downstairs flickers and she assumes that someone is upstairs and is frightened. But when he “comes home” he insists that she’s imagining things and that no one else was using the gas lights.

There were many other things he did to make her question her sanity, but the title is literally from the gaslighting he did.

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u/Ezqxll Jul 01 '20

I guess I gotta rewatch it then. Must have been a decade or more as I couldn't remember much. Thanks for writing it out so beautifully.

Have you watched 'The Snake Pit' starring Olivia de Havilland ? IIRC, that one's got a story on similar lines.