It's like living in a gaslight culture, a term coined nearly a century ago to describe a kind of psychological manipulation or abuse of people - particularly of women.
Abuse can happen in all strata of society and this particular method of abuse - gaslighting - is just as common among people with more resources.
Gaslighting is the follow-up to the lie that punctures the confidence the victim has in how she understands herself, daily life and other people.
Gaslighting is a theme of the HBO series "Big Little Lies" - the show based on the Liane Moriarty novel that continues to make news even though the last episode aired in 2019 and it is not yet known if another season is in the pipeline.
The gaslighting here isn't necessarily designed to drive someone crazy or undermine their character, but to cover up the reality so that anyone looking on, suspecting, knowing another view, would need to second guess themselves based on what they see and hear from the people involved.
