The term "gaslight" can be abused and manipulated in tendentious, ad hominem and unempirical ways, but that abuse does not negate gaslighting's reality and harmful effects as a social phenomenon. Denial is a common feature of prejudice and discrimination, though not all allegations are necessarily accurate. Whether prejudice and discrimination qualify as institutional or systemic may be contested, but repeated and extensive encounters that undermine equality, freedom and access to justice demand corrective action. Energy should focus on correcting alleged rights violations, reducing their prevalence, and affirming human dignity, equity and respect for diversity. Antisemitism remains widespread in the United States, and universities, including elite institutions, reflect these societal prejudices.
John Wilson is right ("No One is Gaslighting You," Aug. 20, 2025) that the term "gaslight" can be abused and manipulated in ways that are tendentious, ad hominem and not empirically sound, as can many words and phrases. However, that's not an argument against its reality as a social phenomenon and its pernicious impacts. One of the common features of prejudice and discrimination is their denial.
When prejudice and discrimination are repeatedly and extensively encountered and consequently undermine equality, freedom and access to justice, it is inimical to the respect and fulfillment of civil rights and human rights to focus on debating whether terms such as "gaslighting" or "institutional discrimination" are appropriate to describe real and widespread experiences of exclusion and abuse.
Sociological research shows that approximately one in four Americans holds substantially prejudiced anti-Jewish attitudes, including justification for discrimination and violence against Jewish Americans. Universities are not immune to these pejorative and harmful societal prejudices and beliefs; they reflect them. Elite institutions, including Harvard, are not ivory towers of moral virtue.
Collection
[
|
...
]