Скачать или смотреть "Gaslighting": Word of the Year 2022 with a 1940s Twist! Origin Story Revealed

TRANSCRIPT
Good morning! Happy Monday! As you know I am a linguist and I love words with interesting origins. Today’s word is “gaslighting”, it is a fairly new and modern word, it was even voted as the word of the year 2022 by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It means that this word, “gaslighting” has been searched a lot by people in their dictionary. But actually, the origin of this word goes back to the 1940s. First of all, let’s define the meaning of this word, and then I will tell you a story of its origin.
"Gaslighting" is a word that describes a tricky and harmful behavior where someone tries to make another person doubt their own thoughts, feelings, or memories. It's like a way to describe when someone messes with your mind to make you feel unsure about yourself. For example, imagine a friend who borrowed some money from you and insists that he or she has given you the money back, but you certainly remember that they haven’t. Over time, this can make you question your memory, even though you know that it hasn’t happened.
The term “gaslighting” comes from an old movie called "Gaslight," made in 1944. In the movie, a husband wants to steal valuable jewels from his wife. To cover up his actions, he plays sneaky tricks on her, like making the gaslights in their home flicker and dim. But when the wife notices the lights changing and mentions it, the husband acts like nothing is wrong. Instead, he makes her believe that she's imagining things and going crazy. I will put here a short clip from the movie.
As a review, "gaslighting" is when someone manipulates you to doubt what you know is true, making you feel confused and uncertain. Another thing that I feel I need to mention is that if you think it's happening to you, it's important to recognize such behavior and talk to someone you trust about it. Well, have a great day and a wonderful week! Don't let anyone gaslight you!

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