I'd say "when this is all over," but it won't be, soon, but "when we have more breathing room," there needs to be serious discussion about how abusers operate, particularly DARVO (Deny, Accuse, Reverse Victim and Offender.) 1/

It doesn't have to be the armchair psychological diagnosis we aren't supposed to be doing. One can exhibit these behaviors and use these tactics without a personality disorder. Some folks who grew up with parents like this pick this stuff up unconsciously. 2/

I've often wondered and opined this isn't part of why Trump resonates with people. They see him doing this stuff they either would like to get away with, or stuff their parents did and therefore read it as familiar and proper. 3/

Over time, people have learned the best way to deal with abusers is to get the hell clear of them, minimize their power; or, if one has picked up the behavior from their abusers, work to unlearn it. But abusers don't want to be got the hell clear of: they want to keep abusing. 4/

We have latched onto "gaslighting" in popular speech, but that's a pretty specific abuser tactic-- making you question your own reality-- but it's worth noting the other behaviors. I see this in speech after speech and interview after interview, not just Trump. 5/

This Representative is, well, *representative.* https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1346485879624388609?s=20
He does gaslight-- says he's provided evidence when he has not-- accuses the GA SOS Raffensperger of wrongdoing, tells Sciutto "That's a talking point" when nearly all Higgins does is spew talking points. 6/

You can see it happen in real time. It's part of the common rhetoric, and it's been a red flag for people you should *get the hell clear of as a survival skill* for decades. Yet it's how such folks think they should act, or are allowed to act. 7/

It's going to take a long time to *start* to put right our societal troubles, but understanding this psychology and rhetoric, and how thoroughly it's baked into society, would be a start. 8/8