No, the word of the year isn’t ‘gaslighting’

“Gaslighting” is Merriam-Webster’s “word of the year,” you say? Doesn’t sound right. Cockburn wonders who told you that? Maybe it’s just your terrible memory causing you to imagine crazy stuff… again.

It’s likely you just think searches for the word “gaslighting” increased at merriam-webster.com by 1,740 percent this year, but everyone knows you tend to exaggerate things and can often be a little, shall we say, dramatic.

Why would a term that Merriam-Webster defines as “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator” be so popular in 2022? This year will likely go down in history as one of the most stable, uncomplicated times of human existence.

If you think anything about the last twelve months involved anyone “grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage,” then Cockburn is worried about you. Have you been taking the vitamins he got you because he cares so much about your wellbeing? You say you never received them? Cockburn distinctly remembers leaving them on your kitchen counter. Your cat probably knocked them into the trash. He’s always doing awful things like that.

You say you have an article in front of you reporting that “gaslighting” is the Merriam-Webster word of the year? Where did you get that, from some fake news troll you found on the darkweb?

You have several links affirming the news from reputable sources? Calm down: Cockburn was just joking. He obviously knows “gaslighting” is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year. You needn’t get so defensive. Cockburn’s sorry that you think he was trying to trick you, but you’re definitely being oversensitive…