The Slow Burn (aka Tinder Moments)..."Gaslighting!" Psy-Ops 3.0

"Hearts and Minds" That's what we're after, when we/they are actively practicing the tactics, the strategies, the art and science of Psy-Ops..."any action that is performed mainly via psychological methods with the aim of evoking a planned psychological reaction (usually unpleasant in this case) in other people". You've already read here and witnessed over there (overseas this very moment while you are digesting this) the active practice of "Fearmongering" (see 2/25 post) and "False Flagging" (yesterday here), two of the more common, well-known Psy-Ops which, among other desired outcomes, attempt to "destroy the morale of the enemy through tactics that aim to depress the troops' psychological state" So far, in the particular part of Europe that has captured the world's attention, that is being invaded and outnumbered by Mr. Putin and Company, these tactics have not come to fruition and have almost the opposite effect, in emboldening the troops as well as the citizen-cum-soldiers, and most of the "free world". So far, at least. Here, I'll highlight yet another strategy implicit in the invaders' approach, both foreign (as in Ukraine) and domestic (as in 'invasion of privacy'). That of Gaslighting! (exclamation as it's almost presented that way in my office -- "I've been gaslighted!")

The Slow Burn..."You're crazy, certifiably insane!" Gaslighting does not start out this conspicuous, this obvious, transparent. No more than, as the recent public service announcement informed us, that domestic violence starts with "I'm going to kick you, then throw you down the stairs". It's much more insidious. Gaslighting, when done well, by a skilled practitioner, creates a gradient of self-doubt, a slow burn, one with a long fuse, but once lit..."gets you to second guess your initial impressions...doubt your own reality and start believing theirs, and eventually...make you believe you're completely NUTS! (more technically, "insane").

Trending: While the practice had been around a long while, the term "gaslighting" was more formally introduced to us around here in the 1944 film "Gaslight' in which the husband in question uses trickery to convince his spouse she's mentally unwell, in order to engage in thievery. Subsequently used for much more unsavory ends, and utilizing more Machiavellian means, way before photo-shop technology had us all blinking, re-thinking...Eventually finding its way into our daily lexicon of Psy-Ops at least, that in 2018 it found its way onto the runner up list of Oxford University Press' popular new words. The American Psychological Association, on the other hand, has expressed concern about not only its misuse, but overuse, to the degree it could, itself, create a degree of...confusion!

The Best comes to Light: As in a former member of the KGB, who learned from the best Psy-Op practitioners himself. Here he comes, trying his best to make both his own countrymen and those in a neighboring sovereign country, with whom he has had an uneasy relationship with from the fall (of the former Soviet Union) and the start, since its inception, the time he and his cohorts began undermining their perceptions, through such tactics of the veteran gas-lighters, through messaging: "your friends are crazy, toxic ("Nazis!")..."I'm the only one you can count on; you can't trust others, they'll only let you down"..."I don't want to take advantage of you; I'm trying to protect you..." All these and others, we have heard, seen in action and, in all honesty, probably found ourselves at both ends of this con-fusing situation...got a light?  

Psyched Out? Well, in due course I have to re-visit this subject as I barely scratched the surface, with only three out of a myriad of tactics and strategies that are conceived and implemented, to mess with our minds, to gain an advantage, some of which are certain to be manifest in the coming days, here, there. In the meantime, please return here within the next few days to hear about another type of Ops we have all experienced from time to time, which can either be experienced with pleasure or disdain:

Roblox! (aka road blocks, detours, obstructions) Not too much you can do; it's how you engage them...