To the editor:
The CAFO operators and Farm Bureau complaining about bullying and badgering is akin to the Captain of the USS Iowa complaining about the wake of a passing rowboat.
Folks, this is what is called “gas lighting.” It is when blame and fault is passed by the guilty party. It is when an abuser or accused person or group seeks to sow doubt into the minds of those who accuse them or others who may have a stake in the issue.
This often takes the form of blaming the victim or accusing the victim of the very same traits, faults and behaviors they exhibit themselves.
Bryant Welch, in his book “State of Confusion: Political Manipulation and the Assault on the American Mind,” explains it like this: “Gaslighting comes directly from blending modern communications, marketing and advertising techniques with long-standing methods of propaganda.”
Edward Bernays and Joseph Goebbels would be proud of the Greene County Farm Bureau.
Nick Eakins
Perry
