Gaslighting
Gaslighting: The Pseudo Science of Politics
Gaslighting is a form of manipulation that is prominent in our political environment. This technique uses narratives, stories, speeches and similar ways to fog up a true meaning or to introduce a false meaning. The name "gaslighting" as we are using it, likely came from a 1938 play followed by a 1944 MGM movie titled "Gaslight" where a character is manipulated to distrust her own sanity. Why refer to this action as a pseudo science? I take this approach because I believe that to be an accurate description. Miscreant scientists that take great effort to alter the conclusion of an experiment or credible theory by fogging up the truth so that it matches a viewpoint rather than the actual theory or results are pseudo scientists. Their actions are insidious and the same applies to politicians. Gaslighters have a plethora of techniques they can use: lies, lies of omission, counter arguments with a false premise, long narratives of misleading statements ... the list goes on.
How do you defend against gaslighters? First, always do some research so you have a general notion of what is true. Use common sense. If statements bother you and don't seem in touch with what you know is real, do your research using other opinions. Realize that anyone can lie so be a skeptic.
We as normal people live and work in layers of uncertainty and are typically not bothered by it. For example I might say "Please get me some water." You might request clarification by asking "A full glass?" or simply get some water. You can set your clothes dryer to dry "more" and figure the clothes will be in the dryer a bit longer. Using our language like this is normal and we have a system of mathematics called "fuzzy logic" that has a set of rules which allow us to use these terms in a computer or with electronic devices. This is quite useful in artificial intelligence which is advancing well. For example you may ask Alexa to "Get me some jokes." and not expect to receive an endless stream of bad humor.
Considering we often use less than certain terms allows you to see why gaslighting doesn't appear strange and can be rather effective. However at times we demand certainty: "You have an STD, take 250 mg of penicillin 3x day." Our common sense lets us know this is a good idea.
Gaslighting as Social Engineering
Indeed, what does gaslighting have to do with information technology? Here is another phrase that I'll use to represent gaslighting in a very important area of information technology: "Social Engineering". Information security is an extremely important safeguard of our computer systems. Hacking, disrupting, stealing vital data starts at our personal computers and travels up to international significance. A fellow by the name of Kevin Mitnick was arrested and put in jail in 1995 for 5 years. Mitnick perfected the technique of social engineering to manipulate any and all employees of large computer organizations so he could get passwords or learn about the security system in place. Does this sound familiar? It should. While the term gaslighting wasn't used, it was the prominent technique that Mitnick used to manipulate employees in order to gain entry to computer systems for nefarious purposes. Gaslighting is still the first tool of social engineering used on information technology employees in order to hack a computer system.