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I hear the term "gaslighting" used a lot nowadays. Its textbook definition is a specific form of interpersonal manipulation that occurred in a movie.

But I've never been able to connect the dots between the term's textbook definition, and the way that people actually use it. The effective definition seems to be: "expressing a different perspective."

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The more general meaning is "making a person question their own sense of reality", without any specification on who is causing it.

It may or may not apply here, it depends on if the person being argued against already knows the larger context of 80% being normal. Everyone around them pretending that was never the case would be gaslighting. If they didn't know the larger context, it wouldn't be gaslighting, they're just ignorant of the context.

I find this interesting too, wondering what we called it 5+ years ago when I never heard anyone use the term. My wife is a few years younger and uses it. I think the only time I've used it in 40+ years is asking my wife what it means.

If an argument involves differing opinions, and participating in an argument is an attempt to persuade, is that manipulation?

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