Global Gaslighting: How Power Steals Dignity and Redefines Reality

In the vast theater of global power, there exists an insidious performance that has long gone unnoticed—a psychological manipulation so profound it reshapes entire civilizations.

I recently had the privilege of speaking with Ramu Damodaran, Permanent Observer for the University for Peace to the United Nations, and we explored how gaslighting—often viewed as a private betrayal—manifests at the geopolitical level, quietly distorting truth and dignity on a massive scale. Gaslighting, in this context, reveals itself as a systemic strategy of control that spans continents, cultures, and generations.

Power is never subtle. It announces itself through the language of denial, through the systematic invalidation of lived experiences. Global gaslighting emerges as a sophisticated tool of psychological domination—a method by which powerful nations reshape reality to maintain their global authority.

This manipulation thrives through tactics that distort truth and reinforce inequality:

• Historical revisionism: Recasting colonial violence as “development.”

• Systemic blame displacement: Framing systemic failures as cultural flaws.

• Narrative control: Silencing voices that challenge dominant power.

The most insidious form of control is not force, but doubt. When a population begins to internalize the narrative of its own inferiority, oppression no longer requires external enforcement.

Consider apartheid-era Namibia—a chilling case of gaslighting on a national scale. An entire population was conditioned not just to endure injustice, but to believe it was deserved. “The system didn't just oppress," Damodaran recalls, "it convinced people that their oppression was a natural state. It whispered that aspiration was futile, that dreams were dangerous."

A crushing consequence of systemic gaslighting is moral distress—the silent injury left by systems that force people to compromise their values or watch helplessly as injustice unfolds. It is the psychic residue of a world that betrays its promise—and asks its victims to be complicit in their own erasure. This is the moment when resistance seems unimaginable, when oppression feels deserved, and when the human spirit begins to erode.

The United Nations was born in 1945 as a radical rejection of this very manipulation. In a world divided between colonizers and the colonized, the UN made an audacious statement: No individual or nation should accept their circumstances as inevitable destiny. Its founding principles were a challenge to systemic gaslighting, declaring that the dignity of every human being is inherent and inviolable.

But how can we move from principles to action in combating this pervasive global phenomenon? Damodaran suggests three transformative approaches:

1. Fostering critical consciousness through education: Education must inspire self-confidence and critical thinking rather than conformity. “Education should not place the burden on individuals to adapt to societal norms,” Damodaran argues, “but should empower them to challenge those norms and reimagine what society could be.” By cultivating critical consciousness, individuals reclaim their agency and envision a just and equitable world.

2. Empowering civil society and creating safe havens: Civil society—through nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions, and grassroots movements—plays a pivotal role in protecting the vulnerable and amplifying marginalized voices. Creating safe spaces ensures that those silenced by systemic injustice have a platform for empowerment and resistance, bridging the gap between policy and lived experience.

3. Leveraging technology to amplify voices and challenge narratives: Digital platforms have revolutionized the fight against gaslighting by transforming distant struggles into immediate realities. Social media connects individuals across borders, exposing manipulative narratives and galvanizing global movements. “Technology has made the remote immediate,” says Damodaran, “giving people the tools to challenge oppression in unprecedented ways.”

“Righteous is not self-righteous,” Damodaran explains. “Righteous is an active, courageous assertion of human dignity. It’s about extending the right thing beyond oneself, refusing to accept the narratives designed to limit us.”

One of gaslighting’s most devastating effects is its ability to make people turn away from righteous pursuits because they no longer trust their instincts or convictions. Reclaiming righteousness means refusing to let manipulation define our moral compass.

To resist gaslighting, we must reconnect with the unfiltered version of ourselves—the child who believed in unlimited potential and instinctively knew right from wrong. “Don’t let the world define your boundaries,” Damodaran advises. “Return to the self you were before external systems began to constrain your imagination.”

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This journey inward is not an escape but a reclamation. It is about rediscovering the audacity to dream and the courage to act.

Gaslighting thrives in silence, in the subtle acceptance of prescribed limitations, but our global future depends on our willingness to imagine something greater. Every time we recognize gaslighting—whether in personal relationships or on the international stage—we reclaim a piece of our stolen dignity.

Gaslighting is the theft of a narrative. Resistance is the reclamation of that story.