Your Government is Gaslighting You

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Mindf*ck Monday | 

 We’ve all been gaslit — in relationships, at work, and now... in our government. In this week’s Mindfck Monday*, we’re breaking down how gaslighting works, how it damages your sense of reality, and how it’s being weaponized politically right now.

We start with the psychology: what gaslighting actually looks like, how to spot it, and the long-term damage it does to your confidence, clarity, and autonomy.

Then we go full political:
 From erasing DEI (yeah — diversity, equity, inclusion... and access) to spinning hate symbols into harmless nostalgia, the regime is rewriting reality in real-time. And guess what? It’s not just dishonest — it’s dangerous.

This episode is here to help you spot it, name it, and shut it down — in your personal life and in your politics.

🎧 Available now on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere podcasts stream.
 📲 Follow @ChristiChanelle for daily sassy news and raw political commentary
 🌐 More at ChristiChanelle.com

Up Next: Female Friday | June 7, 2025
The Woman They Turned Into an Incubator
This Friday, we’re talking about the Georgia woman being kept alive against her family’s wishes — because the state wants to prioritize the fetus inside her. This isn’t dystopian fiction. It’s happening in real time. We’ll dive into how this case is testing the limits of bodily autonomy, and why it's a warning shot for us all.

Coming Next Monday: June 10, 2025
Presidential Pardons & MAGA Favorites: Who Gets a Free Pass?
We’re running the receipts on the pardons Donald Trump has already handed out this year — including the Chrisleys — and what it reveals about whose crimes are forgivable under this regime. Spoiler: It’s not the ones fighting for justice.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We've all been gaslit , every one of us, by someone we
loved, by someone we trusted,and now by the people in power.
If you've ever said, maybe I'mjust overthinking it, or maybe
it's not that bad, or maybe I'mthe problem, you've already felt

(00:21):
the effects of gaslighting.
You're not crazy.
You're being conditioned todoubt your reality.
Let's break it down.
I'm Christy Chanel and this isSassy Politics.
I'm Christy Chanel and this isSassy Politics, and let's talk a

(00:48):
little bit about gaslighting.
I feel like I'm an expert inthis field because, well, I was
gaslit in both of myrelationships for 10 years
apiece, so I feel like I'm veryqualified to talk on this
subject.
Gaslighting is psychologicalmanipulation that makes you
question your memory, yourperception and your sanity.

(01:09):
It gets its name from the 1944movie Gaslight, where a husband
literally dimmed the lights intheir home and convinced his
wife she was imagining it.
Wow, if you're conditionedenough, you believe that it
sounds dramatic.

(01:30):
But this isn't a movie, it'sreal life and it's happening
everywhere In relationships.
Gaslighting sounds like thatnever happened.
You're just being too sensitive, you're imagining things.
Clinical studies showgaslighting leads to a loss of

(01:51):
self-worth, anxiety anddepression, isolation and
emotional confusion.
According to a McGillUniversity study.
People gaslight their partnersto avoid accountability and
control them.
It's not miscommunication, it'spsychological abuse and I know

(02:13):
it very well because I felt thesame way.
I felt like I was crazy.
I felt like I didn't remembersomething right, even if it just
happened.
I felt like I didn't remembersomething, right, even if it
just happened.
I felt like I didn't seesomething I saw, even though it
was right in front of me, inblack and white.
I felt like the things that wehave naturally, that intuition,

(02:34):
that knowing that we're bornwith I know I have a very strong
intuition, but I constantlydoubted it.
These red flags would wave andI would push them down and think
no, no, no, no, no, no.
He said he didn't do it.
He said it wasn't him.
It wasn't him when it was, whenit was.

(02:54):
I know you know what I'mtalking about In some capacity,
whether it's work, co-workers,family relationships or
politically.
Gaslighting activates traumaresponses in the brain Fight,

(03:14):
flight, freeze or fawn.
You start to doubt yourself somuch you'll abandon your own
truth just to feel safe.
Victims of long-termgaslighting often experience
complex PTSD, chronic self-doubt, emotional numbness, decision

(03:36):
paralysis.
This is emotional warfare andit chips away at your identity.
Gaslighting doesn't stop inpersonal relationships.
It's happening in politicsevery single day.
Here's what it looks likeDenying things you saw with your

(03:57):
own eyes, rewriting history,labeling facts as fake news,
framing questions as attacks andwe've all seen that in the
press conferences with CarolineLeavitt.
She's a master at it.
You can actually start to pickapart her answers, body language
, what she's saying.
Your body doesn't hold liesvery well, and that's something

(04:19):
that we'll do in another episode.
So today is just thegaslighting.
Here's some examples Pepe theFrog.
Trump posts a photo with Pepethe Frog in the background, a
symbol hijacked by whitesupremacists.
When it's called out, it'sgoing to be dismissed as a joke.
That's going to be gaslighting.
So it hasn't happened yet.

(04:40):
But they're not going tooutright say oh yeah, we put
that frog there on purpose,because it's a dog whistle to
let those hate groups know wesee you and good job.
No, it's not going to happenlike that.
I want you to pay attention towhat happens next in regards to
that photo.
It's on his truth social now.
If you want to go check it out,it's the one of him walking.

(05:00):
It's a black and white photo.
He's walking and he's talkingabout.
This is a mission from God,that one.
The next example the Betsy Rossflag and the Patriot Front.
Political figures wear patchesthat resemble hate group symbols
and when people notice they'reaccused of being un-American.

(05:20):
When people notice they'reaccused of being un-American,
that's gaslighting.
So we have the Patriot frontholding a flag, waving the Betsy
Ross flag, and now we have apolitical figure putting it on
his shirt the same weekend.
How ironic, trust me, it'sgoing to be on us.
They're going to blame us.
Elon Musk's black eye muskappears with trump visibly

(05:44):
bruised.
He says little x did it histoddler?
Uh, when we already have thestory that tells you what
actually happened.
So, yes, you can think oh well,he doesn't want to tell us what
really happened.
You know who wants to tell youabout being punched.
It's called transparency.
It's called.
If you're lying about this,what are you lying about over

(06:05):
here?
It's the big smoke screen, it'sgaslighting.
This isn't transparency, it's adistraction.
That's gaslighting.
D-e-i-a backlash.
And now the next example, andprobably the most important one
DEIA diversity, equity,inclusion and accessibility,

(06:31):
even though the A is left offquite frequently, this is being
framed as a threat.
Values that are meant to upliftmarginalized communities are
suddenly being treated likedangerous ideas, but if you were
to speak these wordsindividually and isolate them,
they're not dangerous at all.
They're very important to us asa society.

(06:54):
They want you to believe equityis unfair.
They want you to believediversity is dangerous.
They want you to believeinclusion is oppressive.
Now I want to tell you a littlestory.
My son.
He was in second grade and hegot this big award.

(07:15):
Only two kids in the wholeelementary school got this award
and it was the inclusion award.
It was because he went aroundto people and always made sure
that they were included in thegames that they were playing.
Walking in the hallway,high-fiving, hugging.
He wanted everybody to feelimportant and he got that award

(07:36):
and it was probably one of mymost proud mother moments.
So to tell me now, years laterhe is 16, that that award was
dangerous.
I have a few words for you.
This is gaslighting at itshighest form.
We are being told that fairness, justice and representation are

(08:01):
the problem, that wantingvisibility and access is somehow
extremist.
That's not true.
That's manipulation.
You might be experiencinggaslighting if you constantly
apologize, even when unsure why.
You feel like you're walking oneggshells.

(08:21):
You second guess your memoryand emotions, which I did.
All the time you feelemotionally numb or confused
politically.
Gaslighting looks like beingtold what you're seeing is fake,
being called unpatriotic forspeaking up, being made to feel

(08:44):
irrational for caring.
But how do you fight it?
In your personal life, documenteverything.
Talk to people outside thesituation.
One way is to journal.
I journaled things Like when Igot into an argument with my ex.
I would journal it and thenlater, when I had a clearer head

(09:05):
, I went back and I read itagain and I realized it wasn't
me.
I wasn't perfect in everysituation, but for certain
situations I was being gaslitand it was so obvious once I
read my own words back.
I suggest you try it if you aresuspicious that you might be
getting gaslit as well.
Talk to people outside thesituation.

(09:28):
Set boundaries.
Go to therapy or counseling.
For me, I listened to books, Ilistened to YouTube of people
that were experiencing the samething and I would drive back and
forth to work and kind of teachmyself the signs.
Um, I'm so grateful for it, I'mso grateful to it and that's

(09:49):
why I'm here on YouTube.
I know how much it helped meand I want to be a part of
helping you.
I didn't have the money fortherapy or counseling.
I had to do it myself, and soI'm thankful for all the YouTube
people out there that took meon their journey so that I could
see my own journey was reallyfucked up Politically.

(10:12):
Name what you see like I'mdoing right now.
Share the receipts, educateyourself.
You know Harvard has some freeclasses out there on politics,
and that's right.
I'm taking one of them.
I'm kind of excited I'mattending Harvard, even though
it's free, and even though Ididn't get in from high school,

(10:34):
I'm taking advantage of it, andmaybe you should too.
And lastly, most obvious is tovote.
Make sure you're voting, notjust in the presidential
election, in all the electionsthat affect your state and your
town.
Gaslighting is power abuse,whether it's a partner or a

(10:57):
politician.
It's meant to confuse, isolateand control you.
But you're not crazy, you'renot overreacting and you're not
the problem.
You're waking up, and that'swhat they're afraid of.
That's what they're afraid of.

(11:17):
That's what they're afraid of.
This is your invitation to jointhe full breakdown.
Head to my YouTube channel.
If you're listening to theaudio on Apple or Spotify or
Pandora anywhere you can listento your podcasts.
Check out the video form on myYouTube channel and check out

(11:37):
the new episode of SassyPolitics dropping every Monday.
Let's talk about whatgaslighting really is and how we
burn the whole lie to theground.
And, as my mom would say, loveyou, miss you bye.