Transcript
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NELA SMOLOVIĆ JONES
Dispelling is a practice of resisting gaslighting. And it is called dispelling to evoke the image of breaking a spell or dispersing a smokescreen of gaslighting practice so that it’s possible to see corruption for what it is.
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Practising dispelling as a whole is useful for contexts of pervasive systemic corruption and accompanying injustices. Hopefully, these are situations none of you are experiencing, but you may find individual dispelling practices useful. These are tactics that can help deflect and break through gaslighting.
However, the underlying value lies in being able to stay in the game. It decreases our chances of being excluded from spaces where we can make a difference. This is often an arduous process and far from ideal. Practising dispelling absolutely does not mean giving up on fighting the presence of injustice head on. We need to do both.
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Re-iteration is repeating the same message almost verbatim to refocus discussion on the needs of marginalised people. Such a tactic is usually employed when gaslighters trying to change the subject by attacking you personally or when they try to weaponise victimhood to distract from the main topic. The key here is not to get distracted by gaslighter’s attempt to change the direction of conversation but to stay focused on the issue of racial justice.
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Evidencing refers to the introduction of reports, analysis, witness statements, and so on to dispel the effects of gaslighting and refocus discussion. Our best tool here is well researched and effectively presented information. This is particularly important when there is a possibility to mobilise additional support for our cause. For example, if our goal is to stop the underfunding of schools in Black communities, it might be useful to share facts with friendly media, which can then amplify our voice and contribute more useful evidence into the public domain.
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Tactical withdrawal refers to consciously conceding to an unfair or inaccurate criticism in order to redirect the conversation back to the main area of concern. This one is particularly difficult to sustain, but it is sometimes necessary in those situations where gaslighters seem to be gaining significant ground. People sometimes withdraw in order to give gaslighters a false sense of winning and so buy themselves time to reorganise their efforts, yet sometimes they do it because pushing further may trigger retaliation, damaging the cause. But it’s crucial to remember that we should never give up on fighting injustice. It’s just that sometimes we need to temporarily pick our battles.
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Instigating compassion is when people seek to dispel corrupt practice by provoking empathetic feelings from corrupt actors in an attempt to trigger ethical action. For example, you might build a case in a way that can appeal to gaslighters personal circumstances where they might be able to imagine themselves or someone dear to them in a marginalised position suffering injustice, which might in turn prompt them to act relationally.
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